I am always in awe of how animals enhance and improve our daily life. Whether it is the friendly greeting every day when I come downstairs in the morning or the benefit of the evening walk that I do even if I am not in the mood, to see that unrestrained, unconditional love regardless of the day or mood is priceless. The warm body on a lap during a cold day, the cat rubbing up on your legs awaiting some attention, the look of earnest when you are feeling down, pets of all types fill a very important niche in our lives every day. To care for or being cared by, we share a bond with our pets that is truly special and unique.
Service animals take this relationship even further. They are used for many things, be it assisting their owner with walking across a busy street to bomb detection in a war zone. Some of these services save lives while others try to make doing day to day tasks easier. The guide dog for the blind, the search and rescue team, the drug sniffers, the mounted police horses….all of these animals play an important role in our society.
During the month of May we are proud to join many of our American College of Veterinary Ophthalmology (ACVO) colleagues across the nation in performing routine eye examinations for animals employed in an established service position. Although these are mostly dogs, any animal used in a service position can be seen once registered through the ACVO. It’s just a little way we can give back by ensuring these critters can see and do their very important jobs to the best of their ability. Details can be found through the ACVO at www.ACVO.EyeExam.org. Limited space is available depending on the individual practices’ schedule and location. A related video about the program can be viewed on our “Helpful Resources” page.