Career and Tech’s Animal Science Intern, Sarah Cuddeback, deserves a round of a-paws. This May, she graduated from SUNY Cobleskill with her Bachelor’s of Technologies in Canine Training and Management. Sarah has spent 18 weeks working with students on canine training in the Animal Science classroom at TST BOCES. Through Sarah’s expertise, students were taught a variety of skills in animal training, behavior, and learned about different career paths in the industry.
Students began their work with her through clicker training. Starting small, chickens were used as the main subjects. The chickens would perform small acts like pecking at a dot or walking a straight line. Eventually, the students began creating training plans and videos taping their progress with their pets at home. Sarah would provide feedback and support.
She took her teaching skills to the next level by creating a three week program with the help of the Cortland SPCA. “After students came back from spring break, they took everything they learned in class and brought that to the SPCA, where I split everything into three sections,” she explained, “One group trained with me, another group was doing kennel care and management, then the other would work on loose leash walking.” Students connected with the animals and worked together to make them more adoptable through learning AKC obedience commands.
On May 6th, the SPCA had an event called “Clear the Shelter.” It was reported back that seven out of nine dogs were adopted. That day, three students volunteered to go back on their own time to help. Emily Roberts, the Executive Director of the Cortland SPCA, was blown away by the class, thanking them for their gracious attitudes, hard work, and commitment for helping their shelter’s animals. “Our organization was so grateful for the hard work that these students put in each day they were here. And throughout the three weeks, real improvements were being seen in our dogs. Because they were being trained and socialized daily, they were calmer and quieter in their kennels for visitors and these behavioral changes positively impacted their adoption rates.” Animal Science Teacher, Mattea LeFever, comments on her class's experience, “I tell my students that even if you do not go into Animal Science as a career, know that you made an impact on these animals' lives and the lives of their new families. It was really amazing. The SPCA also wants us to come back and do this kind of work in the future. ” Through this experience, another positive outcome came for students Erich Marshall and Blair Bell. The seniors have both received job offers to work part-time at the organization. “This is the ultimate end goal of what we are doing here at Career and Tech,” says Mattea.
As Sarah’s internship comes to a close, she reflects on the last few months and the impact she has had on her students. “I am so proud. One of the things I love about being a trainer is that it is very rewarding. You get to physically see your progress from start to finish. It is actually even more rewarding to me to see my students doing what I taught them and to experience this sense of accomplishment.” Sarah’s passion for teaching does not stop here. This fall, she is planning to get her Masters of Education at SUNY Oswego. TST BOCES hopes for her to continue to be a lifelong learner and wishes Sarah all the best in her future endeavors.
For more information on Career and Technical programs, please visit tstboces.org/cte.