If you were to walk the halls of the MSU Veterinary Medical Center and chat up some of our techs, staff, and students, you’d be hard-pressed to find one that didn’t know Ellie.

“Ellie was quite the little celebrity at the Hospital,” said Becky Polzin, LVT for the Rehabilitation Service. “All the doctors, technicians, and students were very fond of her because she was a spunky and sweet, one-of-a-kind corgi. We couldn't help but love her!”

Ellie, who passed away earlier this year, was a Cardigan Welsh Corgi owned by Dawn Christenson, LVT, and Bea VanKampen, LVT. Dawn became Ellie’s owner when Ellie was just eight months old. “I fell in love with her the moment I met her,” said Dawn. “That was June, 2000.”

That fall, Dawn started bringing Ellie to work at the Hospital with her. Ellie was recruited for many labs in the College’s Veterinary Technology Program–anatomy, restraint, basic medical procedures, radiology positioning, and dentistry. 

“Best TA I ever had,” said Dawn.

Ellie’s skills in the teaching department were unrivaled by other teaching dogs.

“As a teaching dog, the thing that makes them the most valuable is that they are patient with their assessors,” said Dr. Helene Pazak, who worked closely with Ellie and her students. “Ellie was the epitome of what a dog could be. She was always welcoming, always gentle, always kind. She was just lovable. There was not a bad bone in her body, even though they were little, short bones.”

Kristi Sneed, LVT, of the Veterinary Technology program, remembers how Ellie was able to teach and calm her students for 11 years.

“Aside from the educational standpoint, Ellie was a short, furry, four-legged ray of sunshine for all of us,” said Kristi. “She was reliable with no mood swings like people tend to have. She helped students and staff relax and decompress by just being Ellie.”

Ellie helped Bea teach canine behavior and behavioral assessment classes to veterinary technician students. She was also instrumental in teaching ultrasound by providing daily practice for them.

“I worked with Ellie for ultrasound practice for the DVM students for years,” said Bea. “At first, I just borrowed her from Dawn at the Vet Tech Program. Then she started making the trip with me from home. She was such an easy dog, laid on her back in the trough without any struggle and just snored away. When the lights were turned on, she knew the day was done and she was allowed to howl with the students. It was not necessary to finish the sentence, ‘Do you want to howl?’ Ellie knew and threw her head back and howled her little heart out. Everybody loved it, and I am sure Ellie loved it the most.”

Ellie was also a regular at Vet-a-Visit, one of the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine’s events to promote veterinary education and fun.

“If she was going to live in my household, she had to earn her kibble,” Dawn joked. “What an ambassador for the College she was!”

At 16 long and happy years old, Ellie passed away on March 9, 2016.

“In her later years, her eyesight and hearing may have been fading, but her spirit never wavered,” said Dawn. “Even just two weeks before she passed, we had to run to keep up with her on walks outside!”

Ellie’s absence is felt by her MSU family, who loved seeing and learning from her every day.

“We will dearly miss her adorable smiling face, her howls, her cute little short-legged trot down the halls, and her never-ending willingness to let us learn from her,” Becky said. “That sweet little corgi taught us everything from anatomy and physiology to the meaning of true friendship.”