The new state-of-the-art Canine Therapy Centre at Writtle University College (WUC) has been officially opened with demonstrations in dog behaviour training as well as the canine hydrotherapy pool and underwater treadmill.
Staff at WUC, near Chelmsford, Essex, welcomed colleagues, students and industry guests to the event on Wednesday 26 April.
Watch the video of the event on YouTube!
Canine Therapy Centre opening video
The specially-designed centre is fully-equipped for students studying Animal Therapy and Veterinary Physiotherapy at WUC, helping them to develop relevant skills and gain clinical experience using industry-standard technology.
The facility includes state-of-the-art equipment such as a hydrotherapy pool, an underwater treadmill, a Teckscan gait analysis system, relevant analysis software including Quintic, and a range of rehabilitation equipment such as peanut balls and wobble cushions.
The event started with speeches from Dr Steve Waite, Vice-Chancellor, and Caroline Flanagan, Head of School (Sport, Equine and Animal Science), who emphasised how the new facilities will enable students to put ‘science in to practice’ and develop their clinical competence.
Dr Waite said: “This building has been an important investment for WUC and is the first phase of developing the canine therapy facilities. Phase two will extend the building with the addition of kennels, consultation rooms and a reception.”
Caroline Flanagan added: “Our vision is to run a commercial centre where local veterinary practices can refer injured or post-operative dogs to us for support during their rehabilitation. This will give our students the hands-on experience they need in these industries.”
After the ribbon-cutting, guests were given a tour of the centre and were able to watch a number of short demonstrations. These included a dog behaviour and training session delivered by coaches from Dogs Trust, a flyball presentation by BSc (Hons) Animal Therapy student Stephanie Pratley, and a demonstration of the hydrotherapy pool and water treadmill from Veterinary Physiotherapy Administrator and qualified hydrotherapist Johana Adams.
WUC plans to develop the centre further in 2018, and plans to launch a Canine Therapy and Rehabilitation qualification in September 2018, incorporating elements of hydrotherapy, massage therapy and canine behaviour.
- Writtle University College offers courses for 16-18 year olds, undergraduates, postgraduates and part-time courses in a range of Animal subjects.
For more information visit www.writtle.ac.uk