OSU event celebrates four-legged friends, dedicates expansion of animal care facility

By Theresa Hogue

Corvallis Gazette-Times

Wearing a jaunty tartan beret, Jasper the ferret peered up at Pet Day visitors with bright red eyes, wiggling in excitement at the crowd. Dressed in his finest, Jasper was one of the many four-legged participants at Oregon State University's annual Pet Day events, which were well attended, thanks to Mom's Weekend and the dedication of a new building at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital on campus.

Mom Sandi Gault and her daughter, OSU vet student Anna Fusami, were strolling with two of the family dogs, black pug Stitch and yellow lab Christy, as they took in the sights and sounds of Pet Day, which celebrates the joys of all sorts of animal companions.

Gault, who drove down to visit her daughter from Wilsonville, was one of thousands of moms taking part in Mom's Weekend events on campus, although she was planning on sticking close to the Pet Day portion of the activities, rather than taking in things like teas and fashion shows.

The pair was supposed to participate in the Pet Day Fun Run together, but at the last minute, Fusami was called away to water some llamas, so Gault had to run by herself. But they were spending some time together before Fusami was called away again on another Pet Day project.

"I have to help out at one of the booths," she explained.

Veterinary students like Fusami are benefiting from a number of changes at the School of Veterinary Medicine at OSU, one of only four such facilities on the West Coast. Several years ago, the program expanded to offer all four years of training to vet students, who previously had to take two years of their program in Washington State.

A number of large donations have also helped increase facilities, including a bequest from alum Lois Acheson, which helped fund the expansion of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital to include a small animal clinic.

And now, with a $5 million grant from the Wayne and Gladys Valley Foundation, as well as state bond money, the school now has a large animal and diagnostic imaging facility that includes a full arena, an equine treadmill and a CT scanner for large animals.

The facility expansion was dedicated Saturday morning during a special ceremony.

"The college is in the midst of an amazing transformation," Dean Cyril Clarke of the College of Veterinary Medicine said during the ceremony. He said the new facilities will not only increase the quality of care for its animal clients, but also put students at an enormous advantage as they train in the underserved field of large animal care.

The large grant to the vet school is part of the university's ambitious capital campaign, which includes many facilities project in its list of hoped-for improvements to campus. Michael Goodwin, president of the OSU Foundation, said donations like the ones Acheson and the Valley family have made are crucial to OSU's success.

"Philanthropy helps us transform ordinary programs into extraordinary ones."

OSU President Ed Ray said the vet school was unique in that it brought together citizens from around the state to support it during the years that the state threatened to eliminate the program.

People from all walks of life, and many legislators, came forward to promote the school and its vet program, and today, it is a fully accredited program with state-of-the-art facilities.

"This is a testament to the many Oregonians who believed their state and its animals needed a veterinary college," he said.