Center for Veterinary Social Work

10/24/2026

We had a great time this morning at Tails On Trails Tribute Hikes!

10/24/2026

Good morning! Here is detailed information about Tails On Trails Tribute Hikes if you’re going to join us!

10/22/2026

Our local animal shelter is hiring!

Looking to turn your passion for animals into a meaningful career? 🐾

Young-Williams Animal Center is hosting a Mini Job Fair tomorrow, 10/23 from 12p-3p! We're seeking friendly, dedicated, and hardworking individuals to join our team in making a difference for local pets and people.

Event Details:
📅: Friday, October 23rd
⌚: 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM
🚶‍♂️: Walk-in interviews (no appointment necessary)
📍: Young-Williams Animal Center
3201 Division St.
Knoxville, TN

Feel free to message with any questions ahead of time and please share with you animal loving friends!

10/22/2026

📣 Call for Papers: Veterinary Social Work: Advancing Research, Practice, Education, and Policy, an open-access special issue of Human-Animal Interactions, guest edited by Drs. Shelby McDonald and Zenithson Ng (University of Tennessee).
The issue welcomes research, practice, education, and policy papers on topics like grief and end-of-life care, professional well-being, the intersection of harm to humans and animals, access to care and housing for multispecies families, and equity in animal-serving systems. Students, practitioners, community partners, and early-career scholars are especially encouraged to submit.
💸 6 fully funded APC waivers are available, sponsored by the RISE HAI Lab, with priority for students, trainees, practitioners, and early-career authors.
🗓️ Submit by March 1, 2027 for waiver consideration (final deadline August 31, 2027).
🔗 https://www.cabidigitallibrary.org/journal/hai/special-issues/veterinary-social-work

10/18/2026

Tufts University is hiring a Research Operations Director, Dog Aging Project in Boston, Massachusetts. Review all of the job details and apply today!

10/18/2026

Join us in celebrating two of our students who received top awards from the International Society for Anthrozoology (ISAZ), the leading international professional association for research on human-animal relationships.

🔸 MSSW student Jada K. Ford received first place in the Poster Presentation category for her research, “Race, Structural Inequality, and Human-Animal Relationships Among Black Americans: A Qualitative Study.” Ford conducted and presented this work while at Colorado State University and has since joined UT as a graduate student.

🔸PhD student Matthew P. Knight received first place in the Oral Presentation category for his presentation, “Investigating the Influence of Animal-Assisted Services and Service Dogs on Moral Injury in Military Veterans: A Scoping Review.”

Together, UT students now hold the 2026 first-place awards in both student presentation categories recognized by ISAZ which include oral presentation and poster presentation. These awards showcase the strength of UT’s emerging scholars in human-animal interaction and the interdisciplinary work occurring across the Colleges of Social Work and Veterinary Medicine.

10/11/2026

What do you think? Who is disturbing who in your house?

A surprising new study found that people who sleep near their dogs don’t experience disrupted sleep. If anything, the University of Toronto researchers discovered, we humans are the ones disturbing our dogs’ sleep.

And we feel safer sleeping with our dogs, hinting at “a deeper evolutionary history” between humans and dogs, said a study co-author.

Activity trackers similar to Fitbits monitored the nighttime activity of 25 human volunteers and their 38 dogs in southern Ontario to monitor how each affected the other’s sleep.

When they observed “synchronized activity states” with the devices, they found that humans and dogs became active around the same time while they were sleeping but that it was the humans who moved first and disturbed their dogs, not the other way around, the co-author said.

Read more: nbcnews.to/4hQnuET

10/08/2026

Join us for an interactive panel (including CVSW's own Dr. Bethanie Poe!) exploring the connection between pets, well-being, relationship safety, and healing. Panelists will discuss the impact of domestic violence on survivors and their animals, the role pets can play in emotional support and recovery, and resources available to help keep people and their pets safe.

Therapy dogs will be in attendance and free food for the first 50 attendees!

Join us for an interactive panel exploring the connection between pets, well-being, relationship safety, and healing. Panelists will discuss the impact of domestic violence on survivors and their animals, the role pets can play in emotional support and recovery, and resources available to help keep....

10/07/2026

🐾 18 DAYS LEFT! 🐾

On Saturday, October 24, we're coming together at Baker Creek Preserve for the 3rd annual Tails on Trails: Hike to Save Pets.

Tails on Trails is a 3-mile community hike raising money for the Nomar & Mia Compassion Endowment at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine, created to help pet families facing veterinary expenses.

Whether you're a hiker, a pet lover, or just want to spend a fall morning outside supporting a good cause, I'd love to have you there.

🌟 Here's what we've got planned:
🥾 3-mile community hike through Baker Creek Preserve
🎶 Live acoustic music
☕ Coffee + baked goods from local vendors
🔥 S'mores around the fire
📸 Pet photography
🪨 Memory Rocks + our Memory Wall to honor pets we've lost
🏆 Golden Paw Awards honoring local veterinary heroes

All pets are welcome — and you definitely don't need a pet to join us.

📅 Saturday, October 24
⏰ 8:00–11:30 AM
📍 Baker Creek Preserve | Knoxville, TN
Registration is free, with an opportunity to donate to the endowment when you sign up.

🎟️ Sign up at the link in the comments.

Come hike with us and help pets and their people. 🐾

09/30/2026

Music can be a helpful tool to work through grief.