Barking up the tree of change Published Nov. 9, 2011 By Airman 1st Class Stephanie Ashley Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- Pets have long been a traditional addition to military families and keeping them healthy and happy is often high on their priority list. Here to look after the well being of these animals is Army Capt. Morgan Mander, Veterinary Treatment Facility officer in charge. Even though she is currently working on base, the captain said she was not limited to only providing assistance to Airmen and their families. "Our services are available to retiree as well," said Mander. Having replaced a part time veterinarian, she said this is her first duty assignment and her first time working on an Air Force Base. Currently, the Army is the only branch in the military which provides veterinary services. "My main missions include taking care of military working dogs, addressing public health concerns, such as food safety and defense and prevention of the spread of diseases like rabies from animals to humans, and providing veterinary care to service members' pets," said Mander. Even though Mander also works at Grand Forks, she will be able to provide a more constant work schedule at Minot than was previously available to clients of the veterinary clinic. "My favorite part of this job is client interaction. I enjoy talking to people about their pets and I also like helping our military working dogs," said Mander. "I always wanted to be a veterinarian ever since I was four years-old." Mander graduated from the University Of Tennessee College Of Veterinary Medicine where she was recruited by the Army veterinary corps. "I thought it sounded like a fun way to be able to serve our country, work with animals and see new places," said Mander. While she enjoys her job working as a veterinarian, it also brings its share of challenges to overcome. "The most challenging part of my job is being fresh from school without mentorship. While I do have an assistant, it would be nice at times to have someone to offer their experience," said Mander. "To overcome this I am able to contact my regional specialist via phone, and I also reach out to local vets in the area to ask for their advice. I am hoping to build an even better relationship with local vets in the future." In addition to fostering new connections with the local community through the sharing of knowledge and techniques in relation to veterinary medicine, Mander also hopes to expand on the capabilities of the base clinic in the future. "I would like to bring the clinic up to a more functional tier, meaning I want to be able to offer more services such as providing dental and surgical procedures to pets," said Mander. While Mander is still new to the base, having arrived in April, she said she is full of ideas and has a positive attitude that will no doubt be a great asset to the base.