Western University of Health Sciences’ College of Veterinary Medicine welcomed nearly 2,000 visitors to campus on Saturday, April 5, 2025, allowing children of all ages the opportunity to learn about the latest in animal care.

More importantly, to many of the children present, it was an opportunity to get up close and personal with some of their favorite animals.

“We came last year, and they just love it,” said Savannah Haring, watching her two oldest sons scamper around the petting zoo, helping to feed goats and llamas. “We just had to come back.”

CVM’s 17th annual Open House is the College’s largest community event, designed to strengthen its connection to the residents of the greater Pomona area. This year’s event included an array of hands-on activities, tours of the college, pet adoptions, and a variety of educational experiences. Scout, Brownie, and Daisy troops were on hand to learn about pet care and work toward badges.

Scores of Scouts filled the reptile room, staffed by a team from the Jarupa Mountain Discovery Center, which for several hours took over the Student Commons in the Health Professions Center. Snakes, lizards, turtles and even a non-reptile—the famed Madagascar hissing cockroach—maintained everyone’s attention.

John Campbell, a scout leader with Troop 403 in Claremont, said the Open House provides his troop members with a couple of important things. For starters, the scouts learn how to properly care for their animals and those of their neighbors.

At the very same time, scouts who come to the open house may consider veterinary medicine as something they might want to pursue. Members of Campbell’s troop are mostly pre-teens and early teens who are just beginning to think of life after their secondary school education.

“For us, this college is close, and it is a great place,” Campbell noted. “When it comes to veterinary schools, they are a very rare commodity. These kids, from the general Inland Empire area, can give this career path a real consideration. If they develop a fascination with animals, it might be something they want to pursue.”

New to the Open House this year was a visit from a number of young people already considering veterinary medicine as a career. More than 90 prospective students signed up through the University Admissions Office to attend one of four Advanced Careers in Veterinary Medicine sessions. The prospective students milled about the College, checking out the PBL rooms, and talking to professors about WesternU’s curriculum.

College tours brought students and community members into the Pet Health Center’s rehabilitation facility, its surgical suites, and its VACS unit. In addition, the Open House has started to attract involvement from other WesternU colleges, who were on hand to provide some basic medical screenings and point community members toward care options.

The free event was made possible by a host of University student, faculty, and staff volunteers. Based on the smiles of the attendees, their hard work did not go unnoticed.

Haring, whose sons Dean and Miles could not get enough of the petting zoo, said she couldn’t wait until her newborn son is able to join his older brothers next year. She admitted that she likes it as well.

“I used to want a whole herd of alpacas in our backyard, until I found out that they spit,” she said with a smile, gesturing to the alpaca in the petting area. “Now, maybe I’m not ready for that.”

Brent Haring, her husband, was happy that her new experience with the alpaca at the WesternU Open House has helped her pump the brakes on her dream of a backyard alpaca herd. “I always planned to keep my distance,” he said. “Visiting here is good enough.”