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The Truth about Humans: The Decision to Adopt Dogs & Cats
| Contributor(s):: Leann Stadtlander
Millions of dogs and cats are adopted from animal shelters every year, however, little is known about why specific animals are adopted. This study examines the qualitative comments given by adopters of cats and dogs for selecting specific animals. Differences between the species and insights...
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Dogs: A Prescription for Health Issues?
| Contributor(s):: Denise Magallon
The human-‐animal bond has been seen throughout many generations. Pet owners, especially those who own dogs, are known to live a different lifestyle than non-‐pet owners. However, the individuals who can receive the most benefits from dogs are those with certain psychological and...
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Does experience with animals improve toddlers' understanding of others' sound perception?
| Contributor(s):: Rachelle Stover
Introduction: Much research has examined what children understand about others’ visual perception. For instance, 2-year-olds can determine when an object is hidden from another’s viewpoint (Flavell, 1992). Less is known about children’s understanding of other’s auditory...
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Offender outcomes of training dogs in prison : the Puppies for Parole program
| Contributor(s):: Dorothea V. Megarani, Rebecca A. Johnson, George Lombardi, Steven Osterlind, Hayley D. Yaglom, Nicole L. Haarman, Elliot Cade
"Puppies for Parole" is a rehabilitation program based on human-animal interaction (HAI) in the prison. Puppies for Parole aims to reduce the number of homeless canines by producing loving, obedient, and adoptable dogs. Inmates may gain skills to support successful rehabilitation and...
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Shelter Dog Behavior Improvement: Dog Walking as Enrichment
| Contributor(s):: Rebecca A Johnson, Charlotte McKenney, Sandra McCune
Background: Several million dogs are euthanized in animal shelters annually after multiple relinquishment reasons (Scarlett, 2002; Salman, 1998; New, 2000 & Kass, 2001). Gains in pet adoptions are happening via shelter enrichment programs. We hypothesized that shelter dogs participating in a...
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Walk A Hound, Lose A Pound, & Stay Fit for Seniors
| Contributor(s):: Rebecca Ann Johnson, Charlotte McKenney, Sandra McCune
Background: Obesity rates in older adults are linked with the national problem of limited physical activity (PA), resulting in chronic illness. Obesity-related illness and functional loss require innovative interventions. Older adult dog walkers maintained physical functioning over a 3 year...
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Are Companion Animals the Secret to Good Health?
| Contributor(s):: Bradley Smith, Petra Bywood
People keep pets for companionship, recreation and protection rather than for the specific purpose of enhancing health. However, a considerable body of literature supports the idea that companion animals can improve overall quality of life, including physical, social and psychological health, yet...
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Animal assisted adapted physical activity for children with Cerebral Palsy
| Contributor(s):: Nicole Johnson, Amanda Tepfer, Wendy Baltzer, Megan MacDonald
Cerebral Palsy is a muscle movement disorder caused by an insult to the immature developing brain before birth. Children with Cerebral Palsy generally have impaired movement, exaggerated joints, floppiness or rigidity of limbs and torso, abnormal posture, involuntary movement, and unsteady...
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Genetic Canine Agression
| Contributor(s):: Isabella O\'Toole
Canine aggression can pose a serious concern for public and animal welfare. Most of what we know about aggression comes from bite statistics, expert opinions and breed-specific aggressiveness. These sources can often be misleading due to biases toward large or powerful breeds. In this review, I...
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Inventory of Small and Large Mammal Diversity in a Fragmented Landscape: A Baseline for Investigating Ecological Impacts of Human Disturbance
| Contributor(s):: Joseph Wantuch
Systematic study of biological diversity is a prerequisite for understanding the ecological effects of climate instability and human disturbance. Our study is part of the Rugar Woods All Taxa Biological Inventory (ATBI) project, which seeks to document the biodiversity of Rugar Woods....
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Animal-Assisted Therapy in Long-Term Care: A Review of the Literature
| Contributor(s):: Jennifer Goodnow, Shannon Tarbox, Erin Zamore, Victoria Zimmerman
Patients residing in long-term care facilities face many changes and challenges. Many seniors have grown up with pets as part of their daily lives, and animals have provided them with companionship as they age. The purpose of this literature review is to assess the state of the science related to...
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Could the inclusion of dogs and horses in a psychodynamic psychotherapy provide for a more optimal treatment for patients with personality disorders?
| Contributor(s):: Geza Kovacs
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Great Apes: A Study of Human and Non-Human Primate Interactions in a Zoological Environment
| Contributor(s):: Haley V. Sheehy
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Stray Dogs Cause Health Risks in Thailand
| Contributor(s):: Kadie Brigham
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A Participant Observation Study of the Campus Canines Program at the University of Pittsburgh
| Contributor(s):: Nicole Camaioni
The Campus Canines Program (CCP) provides the University of Pittsburgh’s community with the opportunity to interact with registered Canine Good Citizen dogs. My objective was to observe and describe the interaction between the dogs and the human participants/volunteers in the CCP at the...
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A community-based social networking intervention to increase walking in dog owners
| Contributor(s):: Deirdra Murphy, Cynthia Ferrara, Jessica Oleski, Emily Panza, Laura Bowen, Brianne Bozella, Kimberly Gada, Clara Savage, Stephanie C. Lemon, Kristin L. Schneider
Roughly 40% of U.S. households own a dog and while dog ownership is associated with greater engagement in physical activity, up to 60% of dog owners do not achieve the recommended 150 minutes of weekly physical activity. The present study aims to develop and test a dog walking intervention...
