USD Health Sciences Hosts Pet Toy Drive

For the first time ever, the department of Public Health and Health Sciences is collecting pet toys and treats during the month of November.

The pet drive will have donations and pet items available for students at the University of South Dakota to pick up from 11 a.m. till 1 p.m. Dec. 6 in the new Health Sciences Campus building on the second floor at the breezeway. The items will include dog toys, cat toys, treats and other pet items. There will be totes for donations in Lee Memorial Medicine and Science Building, the MUC and the Wellness Center until Nov. 22.

Professor Wynette Mockler, an instructor in the Public Health and Health Sciences department, started the pet drive event at USD.

“I got the idea when I won an online auction item from the Heartland Humane Society,” Mockler said.

The idea came to Mockler when she received a large basket of dog toys and planned to have students help hand the items out.

“I thought it would be fun to see if we could collect more toys and treats and give them to as many students as we could,” Mockler said. “The people of USD want to give something unique to the students and gift their fur-Yotes a special treat.”

Mockler said she hopes an event like this proves to students how much USD cares for them and the wellbeing of all involved in their support system.

“We know many students who have a pet here in town or back home where they will be traveling to at the end of the semester. We want the students to know that we care about them as part of the USD family, and that means their whole family, pets or fur-Yotes included,” Mockler said.

Mockler said this was also organized to wind down the semester and give students a pick-me-up after all their commitment to their education.

“We wanted to give something unique back to the students after working so hard and finishing the semester. A double appreciation gift for them and for their fur-Yotes who have supported them daily or waited patiently to see them after a long semester,” Mockler said.

Mockler and the department of Public Health and Health Sciences hope to make this a yearly event.