Center for Veterinary Social Work

09/13/2026

🐾 National Pet Memorial Day 🐾

Today, we remember the beloved pets who may no longer be by our side, but will always hold a special place in our hearts. ❤️

They gave us unconditional love, endless companionship, silly moments, and memories that never fade. Though they are no longer with us, the love they gave us remains forever.

Take a moment today to honor a cherished pet you’ve lost. Share their name, a favorite memory, or a photo below. 🐾🐦🐎🐷❤️

09/11/2026

Knoxville friends — who is your veterinary hero? 🐾

Nominations are officially open for the 2026 Golden Paw Awards, part of Tails on Trails on October 24.

If a local veterinarian, vet tech, receptionist or other clinic staff member has made a difference for you or your pet, I'd love to hear their story.

We're recognizing three people this year:

🏆 Golden Legacy Award — Honoring a veterinarian whose career has made a lasting impact.

💛 Heart of the Clinic Award — Recognizing a vet tech, receptionist, support staff member or other unsung hero who goes above and beyond.

🐾 They Saved My Pet Award — Honoring a veterinarian who made a life-saving difference for a pet.

Winners will be chosen based on the stories shared, not the number of nominations they receive.

Nominations are open through October 17.

Winners will be honored at Tails on Trails on October 24 at Baker Creek Preserve.

Nomination link in the comments. 👇

09/09/2026

Cornell and Purdue still have veterinary student supported pet loss helplines.

Once common, veterinary student-run support lines dwindle to two

09/07/2026

October 24. Who's hiking with us? 🐾

Tails on Trails is coming back to Baker Creek Preserve, and this year we're keeping it simple:

🥾 One 3-mile community hike
🎶 Live acoustic music
☕ Coffee
🔥 S'mores around the fire
🐶 Lots of dogs
❤️ And a morning spent helping pets

Every dollar we raise supports the Nomar & Mia Compassion Fund and helps pet families facing emergency veterinary expenses.

Registration is open now, and there's no required fee to participate. Donations are optional and very much appreciated.

Not in Knoxville? You can also register for Hike From Anywhere and do your own 3-mile hike wherever you live.

Let's fill this trail.

Registration link in the comments. 🐾

09/02/2026

08/26/2026

HABIT like every other program in East Tennessee has a Dolly Parton conection. She would do a meet a greet with fans, and occastionally when she knew that there would be kids there she would ask HABIT teams to come and work the event so that the kids would have something to pet while they waited. This picture has been in the HABIT office for years, and every once in a while someone would ask about it, and it was an off hand "Oh yeah, we know Dolly". Now it will be a " yes we knew Dolly, and we were blessed for it."

08/26/2026

🎙️ New episode! Matthew Knight, a PhD candidate in Social Work at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and Graduate Research Assistant at the Center for Veterinary Social Work, joins us to talk about his latest research.

Matt's work focuses on the human-animal bond, with particular interest in service dog partnerships, moral injury, and posttraumatic growth. His research speaks to something deeply human: the way our animals can walk beside us through some of life's hardest chapters.

🎧 Tune in to hear how service dog partnerships support healing and growth.

Listen on: 🔊 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2ip12t62ARaBEnRUPwU5ea 🍎 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/apa-hai/id1818800679 📦 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/dbd713c7-781b-47be-8b91-f651ad4ffbde/apa-hai

08/26/2026

We still have some slots left in our Emotional CPR course!
https://vetmed-ut.pdx.catalog.canvaslms.com/courses/emotional-cpr

08/22/2026

The UT College of Social Work is thrilled to announce the appointment of Dr. Shelby McDonald as the All Creatures Great and Small Endowed Professor, starting August 1. An internationally recognized scholar whose interdisciplinary work focuses on human–animal interaction (HAI), trauma, and health e...