On Saturday, December 1, Southeastern’s College of Nursing and Health Sciences hosted a dog-gone good time for a “pawsatively” worthy cause—its first ever Canines and Cupcakes fundraiser. The event for canines and their owners took place at Southeastern’s Kinesiology Building.
Dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences Ann Carruth said the event was not only a fundraiser for the Nursing and Health Sciences Foundation to promote student educational activities, but it also served as a stress reliever for students as final exams approached. Families considering getting a dog over the holidays were also encouraged to attend and learn about dog ownership.
“It was a fun-filled day of yoga, with mats provided, games, paw and law prints, photos with Roomie and the Grinch and, of course, cupcake decorating at our cupcake station,” she said. “Attendees could bring their canine companions for some exercise, fun activities, and demonstrations throughout the event.”
Activities included demonstrations by Southeastern’s Communication Sciences and Disorders animal assisted therapy department; dog-training techniques courtesy of Dog Gone Right, LLC; education on heart worm prevention from Crosspoint Veterinary Hospital; and safe food handling instruction, especially during the holidays, by Northshore Technical Community College’s Vet Tech Program. Hammond Police were on hand to fingerprint children, and volunteers helped paw print dogs.
To add to the fun, a costume contest awarded prizes for best Christmas character portrayal (human and canine), best use of Christmas colors (human and canine), best doggie Christmas character (canine only), most Christmas look-alike (human and canine), and ugliest Christmas sweater (human only).
Vendors for dog-themed shopping, paw print face painting, a kissing booth where attendees could volunteer their dogs to give kisses, games, and music were also included in the day’s activities.
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