Vetnews | Desember 2025 18 « BACK TO CONTENTS rappelling off buildings, and finding lost people. This was inspiring, and I wanted to understand how dogs could do these things. During this time, I continued my paid job performing research and clinical care. I started to ask more applied questions about how we could improve our care of our patients, which led to several clinical trials. Editor: I know you were heavily involved in the rescue and recovery operations in 2001 after the attack on the Twin Towers. What would you like to share with us regarding your experience? Dr Otto: On September 11, 2001, I was deployed with PA-TF1 to Manhattan and spent 10 days at Ground Zero. Again, my combination of research inquiry and clinical care led to a longitudinal study of the health and behaviour of the search dogs that deployed to 9/11. This experience also inspired me to develop first aid courses for canine handlers and first responders and create the Penn Vet Working Dog Centre (www.vet.upenn.edu/wdc). The more I became immersed in the care and abilities of these dogs, the more I realised I needed to develop my skills in Canine Sports Medicine. I eventually achieved board certification in Canine Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation. Editor: In 2011, you visited South Africa as a delegate to the International Working Dog Association’s meeting at Sun City, as well as the World Veterinary Association Congress in Cape Town shortly after. What was your impression of South Africa? Dr Otto: I was privileged enough to have visited South Africa twice and have been impressed with the country and even more impressed with the people (and I love the wine ). In 2011, I was included in a bus trip from Johannesburg to Cape Town, which provided a deep dive into the country and its inhabitants. I will always have a special place in my heart for South Africa. Editor: In 2012, you founded the Penn Vet Working Dog Centre. Can you please elaborate on some of your success stories and what prompted you to start the Dog Centre? Dr Otto: The inspiration for the Centre is above. The success stories could fill a book! We have had over 200 puppies enter the program to date. They come in at 8 weeks of age, come to “school” 5 days a week and live with foster families evenings and weekends. They come in and start detection training from the beginning. They will continue their training until they graduate at 12-18 months. They enter careers in search and rescue, law enforcement, or some other scent detection career (drugs, bombs, conservation, arson detection, etc). Ninety-three per cent of dogs in the program have graduated into detection careers! The dogs are only one side of the coin. The people who spend time with us as interns, volunteers, veterinary students, staff, handlers, and customers are the other big success. We have inspired and taught so many people new and effective ways to work collaboratively with their dogs. We are advocates for cooperative veterinary care, positive reinforcement, and physical fitness for the dogs. Editor: During COVID and the resulting lockdown, you did a very interesting project with some vultures. Would you like to elaborate on what you did and what the result was? I believe one was called Sirius. Dr Otto: The “vulture project” was also a hobby project. At the time I started it, I did not have a dog. My long-time canine companion had died, and my foster dog from the Penn Vet Working Dog Centre had graduated to become a police dog. By this time, I had fallen in love with all aspects of operant conditioning and training. I was hoping to train some of the crows in my yard, based on some inspiring YouTube videos, but the crows weren’t interested! It happened that a wild black vulture landed in the yard, and with a little patience (and cheese and ham bits), we got to know each other. I introduced him to the clicker, and he really seemed to enjoy the interactions. He was completely wild and came whenever he felt like it, but sometimes he would land on the roof and stomp his feet as if asking me to come out and play. I really enjoyed the time I spent learning about how smart these birds are. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been around lately, but who knows, he might just show up again sometime! And yes, I called him, Sirius Black! Editorial Piece
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