On Sunday, Cosumnes River College went to the dogs.

Every year, the veterinary technician program holds an annual event to find loving homes for the dogs and cats that have faithfully served vet tech students in their studies.

“It’s our responsibility to them,” said Madeline Dain, 23, a vet tech major. “We’ve been using these animals. We did surgeries on these animals, we’ve been poking them, we’ve been prodding them, and we owe it to them to find them a home, to find them a family to love them. We have to do right by them.”

The event began at 12:30 a.m., after vet tech students congregated on the soccer field to exercise their dogs, all of which had been freshly bathed and primped to look their best. Eight dogs and four cats were available for adoption this year, for adoption fees of $125 and $50, respectively.

The colony animals in the program are chosen from shelters where they are at risk of euthanasia, said Casey Cole, 28, President of the Association of Veterinary Technician Trainees and vet tech major. They are placed in play groups with other dogs so that they can socialize and receive basic training from their handlers, Cole said. All dogs were vaccinated, spayed or neutered and microchipped, and are used in teaching students the duties of a veterinary technician, Cole said.

Cheryl Buch, an animal health instructional technician, was the coordinator of the event.

“I was a graduate of the program in 1981, so I’ve been doing it ever since,” Buch said. “In addition to being a lab tech and helping out all the labs, I oversee the entire colony and coordinate the students for their work shifts.”

Buch is also responsible for choosing the dogs that the veterinary program uses and assigning them to handlers.

“I do my best to try to assign the dogs by temperament,” Buch said. “I try to match up the personalities of the dog and handler as much as possible.”

Students spend a semester with these animals, getting to know them and working with them, and they have the chance to adopt their companions at the end of the semester. Many dogs and cats find their homes with their handlers, Buch said.

“Second-year students get first choice, and then we usually have a brief period where staff members can have a chance at them, and then everyone else [the animals] goes up to public adoptions,” Buch said.

From 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., potential adopters met available dogs, took them for walks and got to know them. Dogs that had more than one interested party were adopted through a drawing, and every adopter was provided with food, toys and bowls for their new pet.

Potential adopters were encouraged to bring their pets and children to introduce them to the animals and make certain they will get along. Families with cats could see how the dogs interacted with the colony cats as well.

Five dogs were adopted, but unfortunately, not all the dogs and cats found homes this year. They are still available for adoption, and interested people are encouraged to meet with them and, hopefully, take them home. Cheryl Buch can be contacted about available animals at 916-691-7355.