A senior dog in Delta will soon have a happier smile thanks to the efforts of a Semiahmoo Secondary alumna.

Naomi Gantug 乌鸦传媒� now 23 and living in New Westminster 乌鸦传媒� said she was moved to help 乌鸦传媒淟C,乌鸦传媒� a dachshund she met shortly after starting work as a veterinary assistant in Delta. Gantug sat in on the dog乌鸦传媒檚 appointment when her owner brought her in for 乌鸦传媒渁 painful snout.乌鸦传媒�

乌鸦传媒淵ou couldn乌鸦传媒檛 touch her nose at all,乌鸦传媒� Gantug said of LC (whose initials stand for Little Cutie) at the time.

Examination determined that the plump canine had dental disease, and needed 乌鸦传媒� at minimum 乌鸦传媒� a thorough cleaning, with extractions also a possibility.

Listening to LC乌鸦传媒檚 owner consider how he would afford the procedure was 乌鸦传媒渉eartbreaking,乌鸦传媒� Gantug said, explaining that the gentleman, a widower with a broken arm, talked of skipping meals to save up for it.

At that point, Gantug asked if he had heard of the online fundraising platform, gofundme, then offered to set up a to cover LC乌鸦传媒檚 dental bill.

Setting a goal of $1,000, Gantug said response to the ask was initially slow, but grew over a course of about three weeks to just over $700 乌鸦传媒� reducing the owner乌鸦传媒檚 tab significantly, to around $100.

乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 going to be a big, happy day,乌鸦传媒� Gantug said of this coming Saturday (May 1), when LC is booked to have her much-needed dental work.

The day will also include a weigh-in for LC, who Gantug has made a point of taking for walks on her work days, as an additional way of helping.

The fundraising campaign was Gantug乌鸦传媒檚 first effort of that kind, but far from her first inclination to help others 乌鸦传媒� she has had a heart for helping for as long as her dad can remember.

Grant Gantug recalls that even as a youngster walking home from school, his daughter would use a twig to flick snails and slugs off the pavement and onto grassy areas, in an effort to move them out of the path of bicycles and passersby.

In 2012, while in Grade 10 at Elgin Park Secondary, she helped, alongside Semiahmoo Rotary Club, to deliver wheelchairs to disabled children in the impoverished community of Hermosillo, Mex.

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Fifteen years old at the time, the teen said after 乌鸦传媒� in a letter to Peace Arch News 乌鸦传媒� that the experience helped her finally understand a saying she乌鸦传媒檇 heard many times; that of those to whom much is given, much is expected.

乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檝e come to recognize our guilty tendency to gain blind spots in our views of life while being blessed to grow up in a developed country,乌鸦传媒� she wrote. 乌鸦传媒淲e are stuck behind these impediments until we encounter something that can free us. Not everyone is given the chance to experience such an epiphany, and I乌鸦传媒檓 glad to say that, for me, it was because of this trip.乌鸦传媒�

During her post-secondary studies, Gantug volunteered three of her four years at the University of Western Ontario; first in the university hospital乌鸦传媒檚 lab, then two years in its intensive care unit.

The latter was her favourite, said Gantug, explaining that being able to console those who were distressed brought immense satisfaction.

乌鸦传媒淏eing able to be there and be a present listener,乌鸦传媒� she said. 乌鸦传媒淎 lot of people who are coming into the ICU, a lot of them are very anxious and very stressed.乌鸦传媒�

As with many others, the pandemic set Gantug on a new path. When it hit, she had been gearing up to follow her 乌鸦传媒渋ntrinsically motivated乌鸦传媒� childhood dream of going into medicine, with an aim to specialize in plastics. But, while dog-sitting over the summer, she stumbled onto a somewhat different track 乌鸦传媒� veterinary medicine.

During one of her weekly visits to see her parents in South Surrey, she brought one of her clients乌鸦传媒� dogs with her, and her dad commented on how she interacted with it.

乌鸦传媒淗e said, 乌鸦传媒榊ou乌鸦传媒檇 be an amazing vet 乌鸦传媒� why don乌鸦传媒檛 you think about (doing) that?乌鸦传媒櫸谘淮�媒� she said. 乌鸦传媒淲hen I look back, I乌鸦传媒檓 like乌鸦传媒� Everything unfolded so naturally.乌鸦传媒�

Gantug is now focused on learning as much as she can as a veterinary assistant, and plans to apply to veterinary school 乌鸦传媒渁s soon as I can.乌鸦传媒�

Some say additional help in that field can乌鸦传媒檛 come soon enough. Professionals and charitable representatives alike have raised the alarm in recent weeks over a growing shortage of veterinarians in B.C.; a shortfall that is projected, without action, to reach 500 by 2024.

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The BC SPCA on April 24 launched a pledge campaign asking government to fund 20 additional spaces for B.C. students at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine; spaces that were relinquished by the province of Alberta in 2018. Located in Saskatoon, Sask, WCVW is B.C.乌鸦传媒檚 regional vet school.

Gantug said she can乌鸦传媒檛 apply until she gets more experience under her belt, but expects to reach that point in February, which will be the one-year mark of her time at the Delta vet clinic.

Her dad, meanwhile, sees big things in his daughter乌鸦传媒檚 future.

乌鸦传媒淚 may end up having another Dr. POL in the family one day:-),乌鸦传媒� he said, referring to the popular Dutch-born veterinarian whose Weidman, Mich. veterinary practice is the focus of a reality TV show.