Making Life Better
Animals' Best Friend
Student Profile
Name: Koby Hovis
Hometown: Atlanta, Ga.
Year: Junior 2008
Major: Biological Science
Koby Hovis' love of animals has inspired her, and her academic choices, since childhood.
"It's all I've ever wanted to do," she said. "I've loved animals my whole life."
The junior from Atlanta keeps busy with classes, and training and playing with Cargo, her black lab puppy. Cargo's no ordinary pooch. He's a guide-dog-in-training and Hovis is his trainer. Cargo will stay with Hovis for the next year while she trains, housebreaks and introduces him to people and settings he may need to lead a blind owner through.
"Cargo is going to be a great guide dog and is so well behaved," Hovis said. "I'm responsible for basic training and socializing him in all situations he could encounter as a guide dog. I bring him to class, take him in stores and I even took him on an airplane over Thanksgiving break."
The Athens area coordinator for the guide dog foundation matches dogs with people's personalities. Cargo is the perfect dog for Hovis because he's very mellow and she admits she's "pretty laid back." So far, she has taught Cargo to sit, stay, lie down and shake.
A biological sciences major, Hovis plans to enroll in UGA's veterinary school after completing her undergraduate degree in the CAES. She chose UGA because it has one of the best, most respected vet schools and because she wanted to stay in the Southeast. Once a veterinarian, Hovis would like to work with both large and small animals.
To gain hands-on experience with large animals, Hovis works at the UGA dairy.
"At the dairy, I milk the cows, feed them and take care of them," she said. "I love working there and have gotten attached to many of the cows. Elude, Eden and Hazel are my favorites. They aren't scared of people and will come right up to you."
Hovis loves her major and preparing to go to veterinary school because they combine all of her favorite things.
"I really love medicine and science and I've always wanted to work with animals, so biological science and pre-vet is perfect for me because it includes all of them," she said. "I also really like learning about animal surgery."
Hovis gained a great deal of veterinary and surgical experience on a Global Medical Training pre-vet study abroad trip last summer to Costa Rica and Panama. Participating students observed, assisted and performed surgeries and gave injections to dogs, horses, pigs and other animals.
"There are so many animals and strays in Costa Rica and Panama who starve or get sick or hit by cars," she said. "I learned so much about animals and surgeries on the trip, and got to help a lot of animals."
As a veterinarian Hovis hopes she can continue to learn about and help the animals she loves.