Columbia Kennel Club Provides Stethoscopes to Vet Tech Students at PTC in Newberry

The Columbia Kennel Cub (CKC) presented truly heartfelt gifts recently to Veterinary Technology students at Piedmont Technical College (PTC). On Oct. 2, Kennel Club member Michele Pyle and several colleagues visited the college’s Newberry County Campus to present 24 incoming freshmen Vet Tech students with stethoscopes and calculators to help with their educational costs.

Pyle is chair of the CKC Helping Paws Committee, which holds a fundraising dog show every year and donates proceeds back into the community. Because quality veterinary care is a top priority, and after conducting its research, the CKC selected the Vet Tech Program at PTC as its newest beneficiary.

“We wanted to do something new. This is the first year in a three-year commitment to PTC,” Pyle said. “Hopefully it will be an ongoing partnership.”

CKC officials consulted Vet Tech Program Director Tanya Niles for guidance on purchasing stethoscopes for the students, and Niles recommended a commonly used model that retails for about $30, saving students a total of about $720 in out-of-pocket costs on the stethoscopes alone.

Without question, the CKC is contributing something far more than financial support. Members are also providing the invaluable gift of their active involvement in the program, sharing their experience and knowledge as needed.

“Tanya (Niles) was doing classes on different dog groups in the American Kennel Club. We took the sporting group, and I brought our Chesapeake Bay Retrievers to the class for them to see in October,” Pyle said. Pyle and her husband are proprietors of Claddagh Farm Chessies, a specialized breeder for these special retrievers in Wagener, SC.

Other CKC members were scheduled to introduce the class to other breeds, including a Lhasa Apso and a Borzoi.

“We need good vet techs,” Pyle added. “I have been to several veterinarians’ offices, and the vet techs are the ones I deal with the most. It’s a very important job.”