Baker College partnership with Macomb County Animal Control has impacted more than 200 at-risk animals

The veterinary technology program at Baker College of Clinton Township is entering the second year of its partnership with Macomb County Animal Control (MCAC) with excellent results. Marianne Tear, the veterinary technology program director, said that the “win-win-win” partnership has benefited both partners in addition to helping more than 200 animals become adoption eligible—in many cases, saving their lives.

Through the partnership, cats, dogs and other animals that enter the MCAC shelter due to owner neglect, as surrenders or as stray animals are transported to the Baker College of Clinton Township campus for observation, medical procedures and “some person-to-animal attention that animals sorely need to heal,” Tear said.

The Baker College partnership is one of many that MCAC forged since it adopted a no-kill philosophy in 2011 when the organization’s euthanasia rate was approximately 86 percent, according to Jeff Randazzo, MCAC chief animal control officer.

“We now make every effort to promote pet adoptions of healthy, nonaggressive animals by the general public and by approved animal rescue organizations, and the Baker College partnership is one example of how that can happen for as many animals as possible,” he said. “Today, our euthanasia rate is less than 20 percent, and all of our cats and dogs are spayed or neutered before adoption in order to reduce the number of homeless pets.”

The benefit for vet tech students is the opportunity to develop skills that will prepare them to be job ready at graduation. Students assist with spays and neuters, treat heartworm-positive dogs, and provide nursing care and wellness exams that include vaccinations, drawing and analyzing blood, and proper hygiene.

“Because students work with live animals in our program, they experience and become accustomed to the animals’ temperament and learn from their medical cases,” Tear said.

Et tu, Brutus?

Randazzo said that many of the more than 200 animals that have been treated by the students couldn’t have been rescued without medical and TLC intervention. One of the more extreme cases was Brutus, a shepherd-mix dog that was rescued this spring. Due to the severity of his neglect, MCAC officers weren’t sure if he could be saved. Euthanasia seemed likely.

However, Tear saw a happy animal and agreed to take him on as a special project for her Baker College students. Brutus visited the Clinton Township campus several times a week for individualized attention, including intensive TLC and medical treatment, such as medicated baths to heal his severe skin infection.

After only four months of care by the students, a dramatically improved Brutus became a poster-dog for MCAC, featured on the organization’s Facebook page, and was adopted.

“When animals like Brutus return to good health and are welcomed into good, loving homes, our students see first hand how truly rewarding a career in this field can be,” Tear said.

The career outlook for veterinary technologists is strong. An estimated 30 percent increase in employment is expected by 2022, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

For more information about the veterinarian technology program at Baker College of Clinton Township, visit www.baker.edu or contact Annette Looser in the admissions office at annette.looser@baker.edu or 586.791.3000.

The largest private college in Michigan, Baker College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. It is a nonprofit higher education institution, serving more than 35,000 students on 12 campuses and in three satellite locations. Baker grants certificates and associate, bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business, health sciences, education and human services, and various technical fields, as well as a doctorate of business administration. As a career college, the Baker College system is pleased to report that 97 percent of its available graduates are employed. For more information about Baker College, please check out our website at www.baker.edu.