The latest news on cats and dogs from Companion Animal Psychology, February 2017.
"Cats, on the other hand get a raw deal. Especially stray ones." Our cat in Havana by Will Grant.
Memory wins when dogs sleep. Julie Hecht on how sleep helps learning in dogs.
"I will never forget the first time a patient died at the clinic." Compassion fatigue, secondary trauma and burnout in the animal care profession by Dr. Vanessa Rohlf.
Opening the heart's floodgates, with a paw. Beautiful piece by Amy Sutherland about match-making people and dogs at a shelter.
The need for transparency in training and behaviour. Daniel Antolec writing for the Pet Professional Guild blog about the problem of false representations in the dog training and animal behaviour industry.
I can’t control neurodegeneration: on acceptance and letting go. Maureen Backman’s diary of life with her senior dog Earl.
International Cat Care on the problems faced by ‘designer’ cats: Manx, Munchkin and Scottish Fold.
Does good welfare equate to happiness? Monkeys, happiness and winning debates: Lauren Robinson's post about her PhD research on monkeys is of wide interest to anyone who cares about animal welfare.
Trump shutting down the USDA animal welfare info as reported by TeenVogue. Some information has since been put back, but not the missing puppy mill reports, says ASPCA.
DNA saves a dog in Michigan from the death penalty.
The sale of puppies under 8 weeks old is to be made illegal in the UK, as illegal puppy imports ‘more than treble’ in 3 years.
Breed-specific legislation is not working for dog control, says Prince George’s top bylaw officer. Prince George wants to follow Calgary’s lead and draft new laws based on responsible ownership rather than breed. Meanwhile, Laval has new animal control bylaws that do not include BSL
And Surrey skips breed ban, puts more teeth into updated dog bylaw. The BC SPCA says it’s the best bylaw in the province.
86,000 Hong Kongers get minor injuries from domestic animals every year and cats are the most common culprit followed by dogs. Playing with the pet was the most common activity immediately prior to the attack.
And Scottish hospitals see 80% increase in dog attack victims.
Taiwan animal euthanasia ban comes into force following the suicide of veterinarian Chien Chih-Cheng last year http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-36573395
French Bulldogs are increasingly popular in the UK, and that’s a welfare issue, explains Pete Wedderburn.
Dogs Trust joins the Sort Our Shelters campaign to license shelters in Scotland.
The Delta Institute Dog Behaviour Conference 7 – 9 April 2017 in Sidney. Keynote speaker Dr. Alexandra Horowitz; other speakers include Dr. Julie Ashton, Dr. Vanessa Rohlf, Dr. Melissa Starling, Dr. Bradley Smith and Dr. Gaille Perry.
Summer internships at the Canine Cognition Center at Yale.
Measuring animal welfare and applying scientific advances: Why is it still so difficult? UFAW International Symposium 27 – 29 June 2017 Royal Holloway, University of London UK.
UFAW Animal Welfare Student Scholarships Deadline 28th February.
I love this photo series by Italian photographer Marianna Zampieri of hard-working cats on the job. You can follow her on Facebook
This Vanity Fair article has a trailer for the documentary Kedi about the street cats of Istanbul.
Jane Sobel Klonsky’s photos of senior dogs and their people, from the book Unconditional: Older dogs, deeper love, are featured in this article in The Oregonian.
Fashion’s most stylish dog, Hector Browne, at New York Fashion week.
Just your average video of two blind cats enjoying themselves… via Slate.
Alexandra Horowitz on the alpha dog myth.
These two research studies are currently looking for participants:
US Pet Owners: This survey aims to investigate the use of the internet by U.S. pet owners to find pet health information. It will take 5 - 10 minutes to complete. More information is available on the first page of the survey
UK Pet Owners: This survey aims to investigate the use of the internet by UK pet owners to find pet health information. It will take 5 - 10 minutes to complete. More information is available on the first page of the survey.
This month, the Companion Animal Psychology Book Club is reading Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?
by Frans de Waal.
My article, “Dominance” training deprives dogs of positive experiences, has struck a chord this month. Many thanks to Marc Bekoff for mentioning this post in his round-up of “hot” dog articles. You should check out the other articles he mentions too.
Several friends of Companion Animal Psychology have shared photos of their happy dogs with me, and it makes me very happy to see all these photos.
If you want to stay up-to-date with the science about dogs, cats and the human-animal bond, subscribe to Companion Animal Psychology. Subscribers can send me their comments simply by hitting the reply button – it comes straight to my in box.
Some of my favourite posts from around the web this month
"Cats, on the other hand get a raw deal. Especially stray ones." Our cat in Havana by Will Grant.
Memory wins when dogs sleep. Julie Hecht on how sleep helps learning in dogs.
"I will never forget the first time a patient died at the clinic." Compassion fatigue, secondary trauma and burnout in the animal care profession by Dr. Vanessa Rohlf.
Opening the heart's floodgates, with a paw. Beautiful piece by Amy Sutherland about match-making people and dogs at a shelter.
The need for transparency in training and behaviour. Daniel Antolec writing for the Pet Professional Guild blog about the problem of false representations in the dog training and animal behaviour industry.
I can’t control neurodegeneration: on acceptance and letting go. Maureen Backman’s diary of life with her senior dog Earl.
International Cat Care on the problems faced by ‘designer’ cats: Manx, Munchkin and Scottish Fold.
Does good welfare equate to happiness? Monkeys, happiness and winning debates: Lauren Robinson's post about her PhD research on monkeys is of wide interest to anyone who cares about animal welfare.
Pets in the News…
Trump shutting down the USDA animal welfare info as reported by TeenVogue. Some information has since been put back, but not the missing puppy mill reports, says ASPCA.
DNA saves a dog in Michigan from the death penalty.
The sale of puppies under 8 weeks old is to be made illegal in the UK, as illegal puppy imports ‘more than treble’ in 3 years.
Breed-specific legislation is not working for dog control, says Prince George’s top bylaw officer. Prince George wants to follow Calgary’s lead and draft new laws based on responsible ownership rather than breed. Meanwhile, Laval has new animal control bylaws that do not include BSL
And Surrey skips breed ban, puts more teeth into updated dog bylaw. The BC SPCA says it’s the best bylaw in the province.
86,000 Hong Kongers get minor injuries from domestic animals every year and cats are the most common culprit followed by dogs. Playing with the pet was the most common activity immediately prior to the attack.
And Scottish hospitals see 80% increase in dog attack victims.
Taiwan animal euthanasia ban comes into force following the suicide of veterinarian Chien Chih-Cheng last year http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-36573395
French Bulldogs are increasingly popular in the UK, and that’s a welfare issue, explains Pete Wedderburn.
Dogs Trust joins the Sort Our Shelters campaign to license shelters in Scotland.
Upcoming Events
The Delta Institute Dog Behaviour Conference 7 – 9 April 2017 in Sidney. Keynote speaker Dr. Alexandra Horowitz; other speakers include Dr. Julie Ashton, Dr. Vanessa Rohlf, Dr. Melissa Starling, Dr. Bradley Smith and Dr. Gaille Perry.
Summer internships at the Canine Cognition Center at Yale.
Measuring animal welfare and applying scientific advances: Why is it still so difficult? UFAW International Symposium 27 – 29 June 2017 Royal Holloway, University of London UK.
UFAW Animal Welfare Student Scholarships Deadline 28th February.
Photos and Video
I love this photo series by Italian photographer Marianna Zampieri of hard-working cats on the job. You can follow her on Facebook
This Vanity Fair article has a trailer for the documentary Kedi about the street cats of Istanbul.
Jane Sobel Klonsky’s photos of senior dogs and their people, from the book Unconditional: Older dogs, deeper love, are featured in this article in The Oregonian.
Fashion’s most stylish dog, Hector Browne, at New York Fashion week.
Just your average video of two blind cats enjoying themselves… via Slate.
Alexandra Horowitz on the alpha dog myth.
Research Studies
These two research studies are currently looking for participants:
US Pet Owners: This survey aims to investigate the use of the internet by U.S. pet owners to find pet health information. It will take 5 - 10 minutes to complete. More information is available on the first page of the survey
UK Pet Owners: This survey aims to investigate the use of the internet by UK pet owners to find pet health information. It will take 5 - 10 minutes to complete. More information is available on the first page of the survey.
Here at Companion Animal Psychology
This month, the Companion Animal Psychology Book Club is reading Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?
by Frans de Waal.My article, “Dominance” training deprives dogs of positive experiences, has struck a chord this month. Many thanks to Marc Bekoff for mentioning this post in his round-up of “hot” dog articles. You should check out the other articles he mentions too.
Several friends of Companion Animal Psychology have shared photos of their happy dogs with me, and it makes me very happy to see all these photos.
If you want to stay up-to-date with the science about dogs, cats and the human-animal bond, subscribe to Companion Animal Psychology. Subscribers can send me their comments simply by hitting the reply button – it comes straight to my in box.
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