Summer 2024
Pet safety in extreme heat
Four-legged friends need to be kept cool during the hot summer. » More ...
Pets
Fall 2022
Help pets of Ukrainian refugees
The flow of refugees from the invasion and conflict in Ukraine isn’t just a human crisis.
Dogs, cats, and other pets often make the journey with their people, and they have their own needs. Pets endure the stress of travel, unknown places and faces, and dangerous situations.
In turn, though, they give comfort to Ukrainians forced to flee their homes.
“When your world is turned upside down, but you have the unconditional love of a pet, that is going to be what helps. That bond is unbreakable,” says Marty Becker (’80 DVM).
Becker and others are helping with pets of Ukrainian refugees in Romania, Poland, … » More …
Fall 2022
An unbreakable bond
Helping the pets of Ukrainian refugees » More ...
Summer 2020
Sniffing out patterns
The way we interact with dogs across cultures and time periods varies widely. » More ...
Summer 2019
Medicine that lands on all fours
Pets can be a vital anchor for people caught in the slow-motion disaster of homelessness. In Spokane and Seattle, Washington State University nursing and veterinary medicine students work together with the University of Washington and nonprofit partners to deliver vital care to both homeless people and their animal companions. » More ...
Summer 2018
Prepare your pets and livestock for disasters
Disaster strikes not only people, but also their pets and livestock. Be ready for disasters by making plans for your animals, using these tips from Ready.gov.
Read more about animal evacuation during disasters in “Bug out!”
Make a Plan
If you leave your pets behind, they may be lost, injured—or worse. Never leave a pet chained outdoors.
Create a buddy system in case you’re not home. Ask a trusted neighbor to check on your animals.
Identify shelters. For public health reasons, many emergency shelters cannot accept pets.
Find pet friendly hotels along your … » More …
Summer 2018
Bug out!
A scrawled note was stuck to the door of the clinic. “All animals left here have died,” it said. “We have buried them for you. I have no way of expressing my grief.” The note was signed by the vet whose clinic was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.
That note is a sad reminder that being prepared for a disaster is key to surviving storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and whatever else might come crashing down upon us—and our animals.
That’s why Cynthia Faux says, “If I have 15 minutes to evacuate in front of a fast-moving fire, I don’t want to spend 10 of those looking … » More …
Spring 2013
Video: A Gentle Goodbye
"Grief is the price of loving," said Leo Bustad, former dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine. As human relationships with their pets have become more enduring and complex, so has grieving over the loss of a pet. Watch a video about that relationship and WSU's Pet Loss Hotline.
» More ...Summer 2011
Gallery: Cougs and their dogs
A gallery of WSU alumni, faculty, staff, and family
with their dogs.
Photos by Robert Hubner
Summer 2011
The Things We Do for Our Dogs—and what they do for us
In 1974 between 15 and 18 million dogs and cats were killed in animal control centers. To address what he perceived as “wide-spread irresponsible animal ownership,” Leo Bustad ’49 DVM created the People-Pet Partnership and promoted research into the human-animal bond. Although it is impossible to assess the total impact of his work, the number of animals killed today is down to four million. And the pet-people bond manifests itself in ways beyond his comprehension.
» More ...