Photos: Dog Days on the Quad raises money

Students had an additional way to unwind on campus Friday, thanks to the dozen dogs brought to Illinois State for Dog Days on the Quad.

The event, sponsored by the ISU Student PreVet Association to benefit Wish Bone Canine Rescue, let students pay $1 to walk, pet, and play with rescue dogs. The event was a win-win for students and the dogs.

“This is a good chance for stress relief,” said Erin Mortimer, ISU Student PreVet Association vice president. “A lot of students miss their dogs from home and enjoy taking these dogs for a walk. It is also a chance to show how adoption can help pets and promote an ‘adopt, don’t shop’ mentality.”

According to Tami Duvall, a volunteer at Wish Bone, many of the dogs taken in by the no-kill shelter and cared for in foster homes have special needs or come from negligent environments. These issues make it crucial to socialize the dogs with new people and pets to prepare them for adoption.

Groups of dogs rescued by Wish Bone are generally given names corresponding to a specific theme. Some notable canines visiting ISU during the event included Uhura, McCoy, and Nimoy, in honor of Star Trek. Spock and Kirk were not able to come along due to treatments scheduled.

Kim Bill, volunteer coordinator for Wish Bone, said around 60 adoptions were facilitated by Wish Bone in February. Many of the dogs in the system are purebreds such as Sadie, the Anatolian Shepherd that visited campus, who would be expensive to purchase directly from a breeder.

“We try to let students know that they are also able to foster for Wish Bone,” Bill said. “It is a great way for them to have a dog on their own schedule. On top of that, everything is provided by Wish Bone—food, toys, medical care, and support.”

Not all of the dogs at the event were brought by Wish Bone.

Professor Val Farmer-Dougan has been using Australian Shepherds to teach courses on operant conditioning to psychology students. Her Australian Shepherds contain a recessive gene that frequently manifests as deafness, blindness, or both. Working with the dogs help students to learn to reinforce behavior while simultaneously gaining analytical and clinical skills.

“We focus on how to watch behavior,” Farmer-Dougan said. “After the course some students decide they want to continue working with animals, and some go on to the clinical program. There is application either way.”

Half the proceeds from the event went to Wish Bone for food, shelter, and medical treatment. Remaining proceeds were received by the ISU Student PreVet Association to allow students to participate in symposiums and special lectures.

Check out more photos from Dog Days on the Quad!

Steven Barcus can be reached at srbarcu@IllinoisState.edu.