Canines and childhood cancer: Examining the effects of therapy dogs with childhood cancer patients and their families

15 May 2012 | Reports | Contributor(s): Molly Jenkins, Ashleigh Ruehrdanz, Amy McCullough, John D Fluke

This document is a comprehensive review of the literature on childhood cancer epidemiology; pediatric oncology treatment; physical and psychosocial well-being impacts of childhood cancer for children and their families; human-animal bond history and research; and the application of animal-assisted …

Monitoring and predicting traffic induced vertebrate mortality near wetlands

01 May 2013 | Reports | Contributor(s): J. Andrew DeWoody, Jamie M. Nogle, Melissa Hoover, Barny Dunning

Animal-vehicle collisions are undesirable to the general public, to drivers, to insurance providers, to biologists, and presumably to the animals themselves. However, traffic-induced mortality (―roadkill‖) is difficult to mitigate in large part because scientists lack the empirical data …

A Member of the Family: A Practical Ideal Type for Including Companion Animals in Protective Orders

27 Aug 2012 | Reports | Contributor(s): Loi N Taylor

Research Purpose: The purpose of this research is threefold using the 13 states that passed legislation to include companion animals in protective orders between 2006 and 2009. The first purpose is to establish a practical ideal type for the automatic inclusion of companion animals in protective …

Human-canine relationships: Dog behavior and owner perceptions

28 Aug 2012 | Reports | Contributor(s): Briannan K. Byrd

Owning a dog has many physiological and psychological advantages; however, dog behavior can manifest itself in a variety of negative ways, including aggression. Research suggested that genetics and environment might play a role in aggression. It was demonstrated that owners can affect their dogs’ …

Creating a template of nonverbal cues for immobile recipients to use in communicating with service dogs

30 Aug 2012 | Reports | Contributor(s): Marisa B. Laudau

For people with physical disabilities, it is often frustrating and embarrassing to have to constantly ask for assistance with everyday tasks. Service dogs not only provide constant companionship, but they also act as the arms and legs of their disabled owners. By performing tasks such as opening …

Animal sociology

30 Aug 2012 | Reports | Contributor(s): Joan Shambrook Weer

The study of animal behavior has fascinated man ever since the time of Aesop. By long historical tradition, people have seen parodies of human behavior in the actions of animals. However, this subject did not receive any serious attention from scientists until the middle of the nineteenth century, …

Social support and stress reduction in health and disease: Why playing with your pet can be good for your health

30 Aug 2012 | Reports | Contributor(s): Christina D. Wright

Understanding disease processes has shifted in past decades from a biomedical to biopsychosocial model accounting not only for biological factors involved in disease, but psychological and social factors as well. A key element in the biopsychosocial approach is stress, and its negative effects on …

An exploratory study of pet raising and health of the elderly people in Hong Kong

30 Aug 2012 | Reports | Contributor(s): Cheung Ming, Alfred Chan, Kam Wing, Kevin Cheung, Lam Fat Lo

Pets such as dogs, cats and fish were popular in many other countries (Marx et al., 1988; Gammonley, 1991; Brodie & Biley, 1999; PIAS, 2002). In Hong Kong, pet owners increased to 0.26 million (Census and Statistics Department, 2006). Dating back to 1980s, a research study reported the association …

Exploring the possibility of using outdoor recreation to promote mental health in veterans with PTSD

30 Aug 2012 | Reports | Contributor(s): Dana Erickson

Over the past decade the United States has deployed over two million service members overseas and many into combat (Sayer et al., 2011). It has been estimated that many of these returning veterans will suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and that a number of these veterans won’t seek …

Center of excellence in livestock disease and human health annual report

30 Aug 2012 | Reports

The center was created in 1984 to promote interdisciplinary activities designed to improve the quality of human life through better animal health; expand livestock disease research capabilities in the College of Veterinary Medicine (UTCVM) and the Institute of Agriculture; identify and characterize …