Odd News
Meet Dr Moose – the therapy dog awarded honorary doctorate degree
Virginia Tech has awarded an honorary doctorate degree to one of its most beloved staffers: a therapy dog named Moose.
Like most other universities, USA’s Virginia Tech celebrated the class of 2020 with a graduation ceremony conducted online amid the coronavirus pandemic.
During the virtual commencement ceremony on Friday, eight-year-old Moose was awarded an honorary doctorate in veterinary medicine.
In a statement released online, the university said it was recognising the work of Dr Moose Davis, who has “spent a career serving and supporting the university community.”
The Labrador Retriever has been with the university since 2014 and is one of four dogs serving at the Cook Counseling Center.
“The students here talk a lot about how Moose has broken down the stigma around mental health care on campus,” owner Trent Davis, a counselor and coordinator of the university’s Animal-Assisted Therapy program, told said.
“Veterinarians are unfortunately a very challenged population. They have high rates of suicide, and this profession can be quite disturbing. He has really helped the students and staff at Virginia Tech and has gotten a lot of recognition for that.”
Dr Moose has been helping students and staff despite his own health problems – he was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer, for which he has undergone radiation, chemotherapy, and other therapies.
His treatment is ongoing but he remains his usual cheerful self, said Moose’s owner.
Moose has aided in more than 7,500 counseling sessions and over 500 outreach events in his six years at Virginia Tech. When he is not at work, the pooch enjoys swimming, snacking and playing tug-of-war.
– ndtv.com
An Alberta baseball team hosted a Guinness World Record attempt involving an Australian shepherd jumping across the backs of 56 people.
The Edmonton Riverhawks, an amateur summer collegiate team in the West Coast League, hosted the record attempt for the most jumps between people by a dog in one minute during a June 14 game.
Chardonnay, a 4-year-old Australian shepherd belonging to dog trainer Jennifer Fraser, bounded across the backs of 56 fans arranged in a straight line in the outfield.
The record’s rules set a time limit of one minute, but Chardonnay managed to set the record in just 16 seconds.
Fraser said she trained Chardonnay to jump onto her back a few years ago, and her trick repertoire has since expanded.
“Jumping across backs is just one of her many skills,” Fraser said.
Firefighters and an animal control officer in San Francisco came to the rescue of a wild parrot that got its head stuck between panes of glass on a third-floor balcony.
San Francisco Animal Care & Control said on social media that Officer Mullen responded alongside the San Francisco Fire Department on Sunday when a parrot was spotted with its head stuck between two panes of glass on the balcony of an under-construction building.
Firefighters went to the roof of a building and lowered a ladder to the balcony, where they were able to slide the bird upward to free its head.
“They wrapped the bird in a towel and handed it off to Officer Mullen, who checked out the bird,” the post said. “Thankfully they were fine: their wings, legs and neck were all OK, so Officer Mullen released the bird.”
The parrot made its way to a nearby tree to rest on a branch. UPI.com
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