Victoria Vail graduated from Iowa State in 2018 with her bachelor’s degree in animal science. Currently, Victoria owns and operates Dog Days Dubuque. Her company’s goal is to provide a safe and fun environment for dogs to be at while their owners are at work. She is there around the clock to keep things running smoothly, as they get about 20 to 25 dogs who attend each day. The dogs they take care of can exercise, socialize and learn during their time there. Victoria and her team also provide different training sessions for dogs of all ages.
During her time at Iowa State, Victoria was unsure of what she wanted to do after graduation. Knowing she wanted to have a job with animals, she contemplated vet school, but ultimately decided against it. This was mainly driven by what she learned in her companion animal management and equine management classes. She enjoyed these classes and had to make a business plan for the equine management course, which she says has helped her out a lot now in what she is doing.
Victoria was able to study abroad twice in her time at Iowa State. Her junior year, she was able to go to Italy for a semester. Her involvement in the scuba diving club allowed her to become scuba certified. Her senior year, Victoria was able to travel to Honduras and scuba dive for a week through a marine biology class she was enrolled in. She also had a job working under former faculty member Mariana Serao in her companion animal research lab.
She is most proud of her work she did under Dr. Serao. In her lab, Victoria got to focus on nutrition of companion animals. She helped with tasks like feeding trials, shadowing various activities happening at the veterinary school, and even had the opportunity to attend the Pet Food Forum.
When asked if she had any advice for current animal science students, Victoria replied, “Have an open mind and don’t worry about having it all figured out. Try new things because you might find an opportunity you didn’t know existed. Put less pressure on yourself and discover things as they come.”