Bryan, Texas

Thanks to an alliance between the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine and the Brazos Animal Shelter in Bryan, Texas, veterinary students take part in shelter activities for all four years of their professional training. KAREN SNOWDEN/TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE

The partners: Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine and the Brazos Animal Shelter

Year partnership established: 1996

Website: brazosanimalshelter.org

Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) and the Brazos Animal Shelter in Bryan, Texas, have found a way to bridge that age-old gap between college and “the real world”—by sustaining a partnership that puts veterinary students front and center at the shelter.

The concept is simple: Through the alliance, A&M veterinary students participate in hands-on activities at the shelter—from checkups to surgeries—during all four years of their professional training.

The purpose of the program, launched in 1996, is to increase student awareness of animal welfare, pet population issues, euthanasia, and shelter management procedures—as well as to provide primary health care for shelter animals.

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