Dr. Jim Collins, director of the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, and Dr. Vic Cox, associate professor, were presented with awards at the annual meeting of the Minnesota Veterinary Medical Association (MVMA) in St. Paul Feb. 3-5. Dr. Collins received the Veterinarian of the Year Award, which is presented to a member who has given much to the veterinary profession as well as to the community, a well-rounded member who is outstanding in the profession.
A third award presented at the meeting was the Hero Award, which was posthumously awarded to Sam, the "K-9" partner of Minneapolis police officer Andy Stender. Sam, who was later featured in a video about the College, was critically injured when an assailant knifed him in the neck. The dog was treated by clinicians at the Veterinary Medical Center, where he had been a patient for many years. His life was saved, but Sam developed complications that prevented him from continuing to work with Officer Stender. He recently died, and the MVMA decided to recognize his work as a public servant and hero, both to the police community and his family.
