Summer Education Camp Visits Veterinary Care Clinic

The Drake Center for Veterinary Care and your Rancho Coastal Humane Society (RCHS) in Encinitas are “joining paws” this summer to provide behind the scenes experiences for children interested in careers in veterinary medicine and animal care.

“The ‘Animal Keepers’ session of Animal Camp is for children interested in animal care and training,” says RCHS Humane Educator Lizzie Hart. “It includes a field trip to the Drake Center for Veterinary Care at 195 N. El Camino Real in Encinitas. On Wednesday afternoon, July 22, from 2:45 to 3:45 the campers will go behind the scenes.”

“Most of the children have visited a veterinary office, but this is their first time past the lobby or exam room,” says Drake Center for Veterinary Care spokesperson Jennifer Reed. “They’ll meet Dr. Sarah Dilworth and the other veterinarians and animal care technicians. Dr. Michele Drake knew she wanted to be a vet since she was three years old. She would have loved to have had an opportunity like this. That’s why we started the Kids’ Day program. Now Dr. Drake can provide that opportunity for future veterinarians.”

Hart says that the campers also earn community service hours for taking part in the program. “This is ideal for students who are interested in careers in the animal welfare industry. They absorb everything they see and hear. It fuels their desire to work with animals.”

“These campers love the experience,” says Reed. “They view real X-rays of our patients and have the chance to identify broken bones or foreign objects a pet has eaten. With help from our veterinarians, they assist with an exam on a live animal and perform mock surgery. They understand that a successful surgery can save an animal’s life.”

“We limit the number of children attending Animal Camp,” says Hart. “This is a hands-on experience. Working with the Drake Center for Veterinary Care, we’re teaching lessons in humanity to the children who will someday become our leaders. We owe it to them…and to our future…to make sure each of the children gets the individual attention they deserve.”

For more information about Humane Education opportunities visit Rancho Coastal Humane Society at 389 Requeza Street in Encinitas, call 756-753-6413, or log on to www.sdpets.org.

To learn more about the Drake Center for Veterinary Care visit the Center at 195 North El Camino Real in Encinitas, call 760-753-9393, or log on to www.thedrakecenter.com.