Zinc Nanoparticles Enhance Brain Connectivity in the Canine Olfactory Network: Evidence From an fMRI Study in Unrestrained Awake Dogs

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Diane Lefebvre, Claire Diederich, Madeleine Delcourt, Jean-Marie Giffroy

Prior functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) studies have indicated increased neural activation when zinc nanoparticles are added to odorants in canines. Here we demonstrate that zinc nanoparticles up-regulate directional brain connectivity in parts of the canine olfactory network. This...

Defining and Clarifying the Terms Canine Possessive Aggression and Resource Guarding: A Study of Expert Opinion

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Diane Lefebvre, Claire Diederich, Madeleine Delcourt, Jean-Marie Giffroy

The terms possessive aggression and resource guarding are often used interchangeably to describe behavior patterns used by a dog to control primary access to a perceived valuable item. The use of inconsistent terminology may impact the effectiveness of communication between...

Behavior Differences Between Search-and-Rescue and Pet Dogs

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Diane Lefebvre, Claire Diederich, Madeleine Delcourt, Jean-Marie Giffroy

Behavioral traits such as trainability, fearlessness, and energy are required for dogs to succeed as search-and-rescue (SAR) dogs. Certification by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) ensures that dogs and handlers have extensive training and have demonstrated specific skills in the...

Better Lives for Dogs: Incorporating Human Behaviour Change Into a Theory of Change to Improve Canine Welfare Worldwide

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Diane Lefebvre, Claire Diederich, Madeleine Delcourt, Jean-Marie Giffroy

The world’s estimated 600 million dogs face a range of welfare issues which vary according to local context and locally accepted norms regarding attitudes towards dogs. Dogs Trust Worldwide, an international Non-Governmental Organisation which works to improve canine welfare, is...

A Systematic Review of the Reliability and Validity of Behavioural Tests Used to Assess Behavioural Characteristics Important in Working Dogs

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Diane Lefebvre, Claire Diederich, Madeleine Delcourt, Jean-Marie Giffroy

Background: Working dogs are selected based on predictions from tests that they will be able to perform specific tasks in often challenging environments. However, withdrawal from service in working dogs is still a big problem, bringing into question the reliability of the selection tests...

A Comparative Study of Enumeration Techniques for Free-Roaming Dogs in Rural Baramati, District Pune, India

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Diane Lefebvre, Claire Diederich, Madeleine Delcourt, Jean-Marie Giffroy

The presence of unvaccinated free-roaming dogs (FRD) amidst human settlements is a major contributor to the high incidence of rabies in countries such as India, where the disease is endemic. Estimating FRD population size is crucial to the planning and evaluation of interventions,...

Factors Associated With Bites to a Child From a Dog Living in the Same Home: A Bi-National Comparison

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Diane Lefebvre, Claire Diederich, Madeleine Delcourt, Jean-Marie Giffroy

We conducted a veterinary clinic-based retrospective cohort study aimed at identifying child-, dog-, and home-environment factors associated with dog bites to children aged 5–15 years old living in the same home as a dog in Kingston, Jamaica (236) and San Francisco, USA (61). Secondarily,...

Cost of Owning a Dog

Websites | Contributor(s): Diane Lefebvre, Claire Diederich, Madeleine Delcourt, Jean-Marie Giffroy

This resource guide walks through a detailed outline of the financial commitment necessary to plan for a beneficial outcome for both dog and the owner(s).

Responsible Pet Ownership: Dog Parks and Demographic Change in Portland, Oregon

Theses | Contributor(s): Diane Lefebvre, Claire Diederich, Madeleine Delcourt, Jean-Marie Giffroy

Dog parks are the fastest growing type of park in U.S. cities; however, their increasing popularity has been met with increasing criticism of pets in public space. Dogs have shown to be a deep source of neighborhood conflict, and the provision of dog parks, or off-leash areas, is a seemingly...

Strategies to Reduce the Euthanasia of Impounded Dogs and Cats Used by Councils in Victoria, Australia

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Diane Lefebvre, Claire Diederich, Madeleine Delcourt, Jean-Marie Giffroy

Euthanasia is used in developed countries as a method of population control for dogs and cats entering shelters and council pounds. This study analyzed all available dog and cat population, registration, intake and outcome data for the 79 Victorian councils. The majority (74%) of councils...

Heart Rate and Heart Rate Variability during Sleep in Family Dogs (Canis familiaris). Moderate Effect of Pre-Sleep Emotions

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Diane Lefebvre, Claire Diederich, Madeleine Delcourt, Jean-Marie Giffroy

It is common knowledge that negative emotions in humans are accompanied by both impaired subjective experience as well as maladaptive changes in behavior and physiology. The present paper investigates heart rate—one of the most commonly used emotion-related physiology measures—in...

Gastrointestinal Parasites in Shelter Dogs: Occurrence, Pathology, Treatment and Risk to Shelter Workers

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Diane Lefebvre, Claire Diederich, Madeleine Delcourt, Jean-Marie Giffroy

Despite evidence of a minor role of gastrointestinal parasites in causing disease in owned pet populations prophylactically treated with anthelmintics, gastrointestinal parasitism remains an important consideration in the care of animals in shelters, and in owned pet populations in developing...

Dog Ecology and Rabies Knowledge of Owners and Non-Owners in Sanur, A Sub-District of the Indonesian Island Province of Bali

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Diane Lefebvre, Claire Diederich, Madeleine Delcourt, Jean-Marie Giffroy

That rabies can be managed humanely using vaccination is well accepted. However, making sure enough dogs in the population are vaccinated and therefore able to fight off the virus can be challenging. Getting owners to be more responsible for their dogs should help keep the proportion of...

Changes Associated with Improved Outcomes for Cats Entering RSPCA Queensland Shelters from 2011 to 2016

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Diane Lefebvre, Claire Diederich, Madeleine Delcourt, Jean-Marie Giffroy

The aim of this study was to identify changes that contributed to the markedly improved live release of cats in Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) Queensland shelters by comparing data from 2011 and 2016. Admission numbers were similar in these two years. The number...

Expectations for dog ownership: Perceived physical, mental and psychosocial health consequences among prospective adopters

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Diane Lefebvre, Claire Diederich, Madeleine Delcourt, Jean-Marie Giffroy

Dog ownership is popular worldwide, with most human-dog dyads forming successful attachment bonds. However, millions of dogs are surrendered to animal shelters annually, possibly due to mismatches between owner expectations and the realities of dog ownership. The aim of the current study was to...

Tail Docking of Canine Puppies: Reassessment of the Tail's Role in Communication, the Acute Pain Caused by Docking and Interpretation of Behavioural Responses

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Diane Lefebvre, Claire Diederich, Madeleine Delcourt, Jean-Marie Giffroy

Laws, regulations and professional standards increasingly aim to ban or restrict non-therapeutic tail docking in canine puppies. These constraints have usually been justified by reference to loss of tail participation in communication between dogs, the acute pain presumed to be caused during...

My Dog Is Not My Cat: Owner Perception of the Personalities of Dogs and Cats Living in the Same Household

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Diane Lefebvre, Claire Diederich, Madeleine Delcourt, Jean-Marie Giffroy

This study aims to define the personality traits perceived by the owners of multiple pets and to evaluate how they are modulated by experiential-environmental factors. A questionnaire was administered to 1270 owners of multiple pets (dogs and cats) to collect data on the demographics,...

Dog and Cat Interactions in a Remote Aboriginal Community

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Diane Lefebvre, Claire Diederich, Madeleine Delcourt, Jean-Marie Giffroy

This study examined dog and cat demographics, roaming behaviours, and interspecific interactions in a remote Aboriginal island community using multiple methods. Our results revealed temporal differences between the roaming behaviours of dogs, cats, and wildlife. Dogs showed crepuscular...

Dog Population & Dog Sheltering Trends in the United States of America

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Diane Lefebvre, Claire Diederich, Madeleine Delcourt, Jean-Marie Giffroy

The pet overpopulation problem in the United States has changed significantly since the 1970s. The purpose of this review is to document these changes and propose factors that have been and are currently driving the dog population dynamics in the US. In the 1960s, about one quarter of the dog...

Factors Associated with High Live Release for Dogs at a Large, Open-Admission, Municipal Shelter

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Diane Lefebvre, Claire Diederich, Madeleine Delcourt, Jean-Marie Giffroy

Better understanding of factors contributing to live release (rehoming) may help shelters improve outcomes. In this study, data were analyzed for all dogs (n = 21,409) admitted over a two-year period for the primary purpose of rehoming at a high-volume, open-intake municipal shelter performing...