HELENA - The anthrozoology program at Carroll College is accepting applications to adopt their dogs from the program, and two dogs need permanent homes.
One of the adoptable dogs is Bailey, a Beagle Boston Terrier mix. During her two semesters with her student Ellie Low, she has learned new skills and tasks.
"Bailey is very energetic, and she loves everything ball-related. Tennis balls are her absolute favorite. We have done most of our training around toys and balls anything. So, it's been really fun to train with her and work with her over the last few semesters. And this semester, we have been working on a fly ball and agility work, so that has been fun for us together," said Low.
All nine of the dogs in the program are from the Lewis and Clark Humane Society.
Although Mac is pending adoption, the more interest, the better.
Mac is a one-year-old Husky mix and has been working with his student Jenny Tibbetts on behavior and basic skills.
"He loves food. He's very food motivated. He loves to play, he's not a fetcher, but he will play tug with you all day. He loves to go on adventures and be off-campus. His new favorite thing is hiking, especially a little further away from out of town where there are field mice, and he will chase the field mice around and say 'hi' to them. Then he gets excited, and he runs back," said Tibbetts.
The anthrozoology program is a field focused on the interaction between humans and animals.
"Anytime that we interact with another human, another animal that is anthrozoology," said Molly Sumeridge, assistant professor at Carroll College for anthrozoology.
Carroll College's anthrozoology program is the first in the country to have students work with dogs throughout the spring and fall semesters, according to Sumeridge.
She says seeing the bond that the students and their animals create throughout their time together is a big part of the program.
"Cannot say enough about what this program means to them and how much they grow as people," said Sumeridge.
If you are interested in a dog from the program, you can find details on adoptions through the Carroll College website.
