Faithful hound Mac hung up his scrubs in June after a decade-long career teaching Dick Vet students.
Anyone who has graduated from the Dick Vet in the past 10 years is likely to remember Mac, who helped teach close to 1,000 vet students clinical skills and basic handling in the School’s clinical teaching classrooms.
Teaching dogs play a vital role in supporting vet students as they learn how to perform non-invasive clinical skills. The dogs help students practise basic body examinations such as listening to heart and lung sounds, assessing body condition and evaluating general health.
Mac’s association with the Dick Vet started when he was a stray, who, under the care of the Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home, came in for a dental examination. Clinician Rob Ward rehomed a timid but willing-to-trust Mac, who blossomed into a happy, confident boy.
He arrived for work with a spring in his step and a wag in his tail, and was always very comfortable in his work environment, even developing a habit of falling asleep on the tables with students working around him. 
Mac features in numerous teaching videos and images, so students will benefit from his professionalism for many years to come.
Everyone at the School wishes Mac a long and happy retirement full of walks and, of course, plenty of naps.
