Vaika

🐾 Meet Lauren Rice! 🐾

As a member of the husbandry staff, Lauren helps with the daily care of the dogs at Vaika’s kennel, as well as the research.

“The phrase you can’t teach an old dog new tricks is completely false. These dogs have learned a lot,” she says.

Currently pursuing a veterinary technician degree at Cornell University, Lauren also runs her own small dog-sitting business, and volunteers for the Cornell Raptor Program. 🦅

🐶 Before joining the Vaika Project, Lauren worked at a doggy daycare: “I loved spending time with the dogs but I also had an interest in veterinary medicine. Working for the Vaika project I’ve been able to have the best of both worlds.”

🐕 Lauren is caring for and trains her own dogs: a chocolate lab/husky mix, a German shepherd mix, and a pit bull mix, and recently she has adopted her very own sled dog!

For Lauren, the most rewarding about the work at the kennel is getting to provide a peaceful comfortable retirement for the dogs. “It’s hard to have a bad day. There’s always a dog you can go snuggle with if you need cheering up. The love between the staff and the dogs is very palpable.”

In this photo, Lauren is with her favorite dog in the kennel, Walter, who sadly passed away at the end of the last year. Lauren will share with us about Walter in our next post! 🐾❤️