Though AAC’s mission is to educate and advocate for the health and well-being of assistance animals, as a company, it is dedicated to advocating and pursuing equality and justice.
Founder, Rhesa Houston DVM, states, “As conscientious members of society who understand the long history of racism and the value of social change and social justice movements, we support and stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter Movement. We are committed to doing our part in educating, promoting, and advocating for social justice within Black and Brown communities as well as other marginalized groups.”
Veterinary medicine is one of the largest fields that lacks diversity. In an effort to raise awareness of this lack of diversity, Dr. Houston began the #BlackVeterinarians initiative, where she will give black and brown veterinarians a platform to speak about their experiences and tell their stories on being an underrepresented minority in the veterinary field. She hopes to raise awareness to the younger generations as well and encourage them to pursue veterinary medicine, no matter their skin color or background.
Assistance Animals Consulting is a one-of-a-kind consulting firm of licensed veterinarians who provide education and training on healthy, safe environments for assistance animals and their owners in order to make the animal-human bond successful. Dr. Houston founded the company after her father was prescribed an assistance animal by his cardiologist. To her surprise, he was not given education or the recommended resources needed when prescribed an assistance animal. This realization shed light on the gap that needed to be bridged between assistance animals, their owners, and doctors and thus created Assistance Animals Consulting.
Each week, Assistance Animals Consulting will feature a different story that highlights the need for diversity in veterinary medicine and speaks to the experience of black and brown veterinarians. You can find these stories on AAC’s social media pages, as well as their blog which are linked below.
