Outreach, Advocacy & Education
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Outreach

A critical part of ARVO's mission is to reach out to rural villages and provide them with services they would otherwise not have. For decades, they have been without access to veterinary care. Their pets have been out of sight, out of mind. The consequences are dire, and the time to help them is long overdue. Outreach has many faces.  

• The need to get the word out to villages that spay-neuter surgery/veterinary care is an effective and humane long-term solution to the overpopulation of pets, especially dogs.
• The need to reach out to veterinarians, technicians and volunteers in hub areas to join this effort by volunteering their services.
• The need to reach out to funding sources and local businesses, educate them about the lack of care for rural pets, introduce them to ARVO, and seek their support.

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Advocacy

Providing veterinary clinics to rural villages one village at a time is (or should be) part of a much larger picture. It is recognition that companion animals everywhere deserve appropriate and humane care. The fact that they are geographically so far away, so hard to reach, does not entitle us to disregard the intrinsic value of their lives.

Pet overpopulation results in health and safety issues as well as humane issues, all of which concern the state. ARVO believes that the State of Alaska should play a role in supporting rural veterinary clinics. 
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Education

The isolation of rural communities has had a profound affect on their animals. There is a lack of animal resources, including veterinary care, pet stores, training organizations and various animal related clubs and organizations. There are few avenues for rural pet owners to learn about things such as nutrition, various diseases, or having proper equipment, leashes, properly fitting collars, and dog houses with straw.  
ARVO tries to provide as much information and support during a clinic as we can to give pet owners a sound animal care knowledge base, but the truth is, we have not done enough. As we develop a more effective education program, we look forward to having printed material to distribute, an e-newsletter especially for rural pet owners, and information that can be incorporated into school material. We welcome your input and suggestions. 
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