I opposed this amendment PRIOR to reading all 171 comments prior to my own.  After reading the comments of the supporters, I STILL opppose it and I think what those pet owners need is a clarification of what is ALREADY going on when they bring their animal to a teaching hospital.  At NO TIME is a student unsupervised during their interactions with patients -- with the exception of a) feeding the animal b)walking the animal outside or cleaning their litter pans and c) transporting a patient/animal from one department to another.  And I would like to clarify that "transporting" involves either walking a dog/cat out of one room, down a hallway, and into another room.  Or moving them on a transport gurney from one room, down a hallway, and into another room (because the pet may be unable to walk down a hallway to get from point A to point B).  Students don't DECIDE anything.  Most of them have completed at LEAST 7 years of school, 3 of those being vet school before they ever lay hands on your pet (or mine, for that matter).  What amazes me is the number of OJT (On the Job Trainee's) that work in the every day general practices that are unlicensed, untrained and unsupervised.  And pet owner's never know.  I'd like to see a petition for clients to sign a waiver at the private practice of their choosing.  And owner's shoudl also know that intern's and resident's are ALREADY licensed.  Some of them for YEAR'S prior to starting a residency.