Animal care, behavior, and medical treatment will be explored through tours, workshops, and exhibits during the 23rd annual James L. Voss Veterinary Teaching Hospital Open House in Fort Collins. Open House hours are 9 a.m.-4 p.m. April 5 and 6, and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. April 7.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information about the event and to make arrangements for large groups, contact Linda Tarnoff in the Office of the Dean at 970/491-7053.

Visitors this year will have an additional, special exhibit to view: More than 250 drawings by fourth, fifth and sixth grade students in the Poudre School District will be on display throughout the hospital. These original drawings were entries in an art contest designed by the veterinary student Open House organizer which posed the question “Why Are Animals Special?” Ten finalists were selected out of the 250 entries through voting by faculty, students and staff of the college of Veterinary medicine and Biomedical Sciences. The ten selected finalists were awarded art kits and a Certificate of Appreciation,  presented to them before their class, and their drawings were used in the design of the Open House brochure.

The winning entry, by sixth-grade Moore elementary student Stephen Gullerud, appears as the brochure cover image. His title, “Animals Hold the World Together,” is the theme for this year’s Open House event.
“We wanted to reach out to the community and ask them to participate,” said Tracey Dutson and Nicole McCready, publicity co-chairs for the committee. “And who better than the kids. We were interested in their impressions of what animals mean to them and we wanted to get them excited about creating something meaningful of their own