Forum Celebrates Bond Between People, Pets
April 20, 2012 - News Release
A keynote address by a leading advocate and promoter of the human-animal bond, plus a visit from members of the Guelph Police Service’s canine unit, will be among the highlights of this weekend’s Pet Trust Forum at the University of Guelph’s Ontario Veterinary College (OVC).
More than 100 invited guests are expected to attend the forum Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.
The annual event is a thank you for donors to the OVC Pet Trust Fund, a registered charity dedicated to improving the lives of companion animals by supporting learning, health care and research at OVC. Pet Trust has raised more than $10 million in support of the Animal Cancer Centre, which opens later this year.
Berney Pukay, an award-winning veterinarian, television producer and newspaper columnist, will discuss “From Bambi to the Bond: The Impact of the Human-Animal Bond on the Body, Mind and Soul” in the keynote address. Pukay is the past president and CEO of the Alta-Vista Animal Hospital in Ottawa, one of the largest small-animal practices in Canada. He was also the producer and host of the popular television series Pet Connection on Discovery Channel’s Animal Planet.
Guelph Police Service dog handler Const. Neil Moulton will also make an appearance with Nitro, a six-year-old German shepherd and five-year veteran of Guelph’s canine unit.
The program also includes talks by OVC professors Brenda Coomber and Paul Woods, co-directors of the U of G Institute for Comparative Cancer Investigation, and “Pet Food 101” with Adronie Verbrugghe, who holds the Royal Canin Endowed Chair in Canine and Feline Clinical Nutrition.
For more information, contact Karen Scott at 519-824-4120, Ext. 54370, kscott07@uoguelph.ca, or Carrie Skeels at Ext. 54695, cskeels@uoguelph.ca.
For media questions, contact Barry Gunn, OVC Communications: 519-824-4120, Ext. 54414, or bagunn@uoguelph.ca.
