Veterinary student starts club for dogs; owners socialize pets during meetings
Published on Thursday, March 13, 2003

Kelli Pitman
Kansas State Collegian

Calvin, Decker and Mud are just three members of the new Canine Club, which offers events for dogs and their owners.

Club president Kristin Browne started the Canine Club in September. Browne, third-year veterinary medicine student, said she started the club because there were many other clubs on campus for animals but none just for dogs.

Browne spent time in spring 2002 contacting people to see if there was interest. The club was officially established in September 2002, when the college recognized the Canine Club as an official club of the College of Veterinary Medicine.

The Canine Club sponsors activities such as dog hikes, barbecues and various fund-raisers for dogs and their owners.

"It is mainly a time for dogs to socialize with other dogs while being outside, either on the leash or not," Browne said.

The club is working to establish a one-acre enclosed dog park in City Park. It would be a place that owners could take their dogs to socialize with other dogs without leashes. The park also will be an educational tool to make sure the dogs have up-to-date vaccinations, shots and city licenses.

Melody Kaliff, vice president of the club, said the park would be for the whole community to enjoy -- a place where people could take their dogs to have some fun off or on the leash.

The club is working with the city to find a feasible location and with businesses to fund the construction, she said.

The club has 80 to 100 members and is different from others because it includes faculty and staff as well as students, Browne said.

"There has been quite a bit of interest in the club and the projects that we are working towards," Kaliff said.

Other events the club is planning include a behavior seminar that will be this weekend at Trotter Hall and will feature world-renowned behaviorist Dr. Tripp. Additionally, club members are planning a Dog and Jog for the spring, as well as having a booth at All-University Open House, where there will be agility demonstrations and educational information about dogs for their owners.

Pat Payne, faculty adviser for the club, said the club has been a success.

"The main purpose of the club is to get dogs out and socialized," Payne said. "The club has done very well on their own because they are very organized. I only help when they ask me to."

The club meets once a month in Trotter Hall and has random weekend "canine hikes." Membership is $5.

"The Canine Club is really about people who love dogs," Kaliff said.