Pictured (left-right): State Senator Ron Alting with Blair Hoosier, PVM student and GLKC outreach committee chair, who holds the state proclamation presented to the club; GLKC President Deb Biesemeier, displaying the AKC Public Education Award; and AKC Executive Vice President Mark Dunn, who presented the award at an event June 16 at Happy Hollow Park in West Lafayette.
Purdue veterinary student Blair Hooser, outreach committee chair for the Greater Lafayette Kennel Club (GLKC), is excited to share that the club recently became the first in the nation to receive the American Kennel Club Public Education Award. The GLKC was recognized for efforts “…to engage, facilitate, and convey the ongoing importance of the relationships between people and canines through education and outreach.”
Greater Lafayette Kennel Club Outreach Committee Chair Blair Hooser, of the DVM Class of 2021, and her Papillon, can be seen representing the GLKC at events in the community like Art, Bark and Brew, held May 12 at the Art Museum of Greater Lafayette.
AKC Executive Vice President Mark Dunn traveled to West Lafayette to present the award at a GLKC event June 16 in Happy Hollow Park. The AKC wanted to recognize the many ways in which the club works to engage and educate the local community, including supporting a local 4-H dog project, participating in local festivals, offering Canine Good Citizen (CGC) tests and obedience demonstrations, and hosting the AKC Patch Program.
Attendees celebrated during an informal dinner that followed the award ceremony. State Senator Ron Alting also attended and presented a State of Indiana proclamation honoring the club for its work. Several others from the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine and their families came to the event as well.
Blair, who is a member of the DVM Class of 2021, said it is great to have a connection between PVM and the GLKC as the relationship can benefit both. Congratulations to the GLKC!