The Behavior Room
My name is Hailey Byrom and I am from Telluride High School. I have just begun my internship in veterinary science and animal behavior at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington. So far so good!
I am working under veterinary behaviorist Dr. Letitia Fanucchi (DVM, PhD) who is an absolutely amazing doctor. I have been working with her and her patients, which include dogs and cats with behavioral disorders.
The most common cases we have seen are dogs with fear aggression, generalized anxiety, or resource guarding. Frequently, a patient will have all of the above problems and more. I work as Dr. Fanucchi’s assistant, preparing the case for her to see. We then go over it and discuss the proposed diagnosis and treatment options. Next we meet with the
This is one of the puppies I work with in class.
client, asking questions, addressing any concerns, and proposing our treatment plan.
The rule of the behavior room is no talking, no touching, no interacting. This is used to keep everyone in the room safe from dogs with behavioral issues, and we continue this unless we decide the dog is safe to engage with.
I am also helping teach a puppy class on Wednesdays and Thursdays, so I am loving working here and getting all of this hands on experience!
Congrats Hailey on your work with animals. My son lives in Telluride and his 10 year old Shepherd mix is experiencing extreme separation anxiety. Would you or Dr Fanucchi have any Telluride resources or docs for us? His pup is a lucky mountain dog who gets tons of attention and exercise.