The mural at Twin Lakes Pet Clinic features a portrait of Dr. Sophia Yin.
A veterinarian and animal behaviorist, Dr. Yin was a pioneer in the practice of using positive reinforcement for training pets.
Dr. Yin earned her veterinary degree from UC Davis in 1993. While in private practice she observed the toll that behavior problems took on the bond between pets and their owners. Inspired by her observations, she later returned to UC Davis to earn a Master’s Degree in Animal Behavior. Dr. Yin authored several books and produced many resources on animal handling that have helped the veterinary community provide stress-free medical care for our patients. Dr. Yin is widely recognized as an expert in animal training. Her videos can be found on YouTube and her publications at Cattle Dog Publishing.
In 2014 at the age of 48, Dr. Sophia Yin took her own life. Her death had a profound impact on the veterinary community. The rate of suicide among veterinarians is double that of other healthcare professions, and several times higher than the general population (Click here for more information). Dr. Yin’s untimely death sparked an awareness of mental health issues faced by veterinarians, an open discussion of those issues, as well as a large support group on social media with over 28,000 veterinarian members (Not One More Vet).
We selected Dr. Yin as the focal point of our mural to honor her contributions to our knowledge of animal behavior and positive training techniques for pets. We hope that her portrait inspires young women to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. We also hope that folks who take time to enjoy the mural and learn about Dr. Yin’s legacy will also pause to consider the important role that mental health plays in the health of our community.
We would like to offer The Arts Federation a BIG thank you for assisting with this project.
About the artist…
Alex Allen is an artist based in South Bend, Indiana. The driving force behind her work is universally shared human emotion and motion; she continually seeks movement within her pieces. By combining patterns of complex gradients and perspective grids, Alex utilizes her visual language to create one unique image. Her intentionally minimalistic approach to design is carefully placed alongside futuristic color planes, leaving viewers’ eyes wandering. In both portrait painting and outdoor public art, Alex’s goal is to evoke joy and inspiration and to have the story of color take you to another world.