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Incidence and impact of dog attacks on guide dogs in the UK: an update
| Contributor(s):: Moxon, R., Whiteside, H., England, G. C. W.
Data on dog attacks on Guide Dogs’ stock were reviewed to investigate the characteristics of the attacks. An average of 11.2 attacks occurred each month. Nearly all of the attacks occurred in public areas, 68.4 per cent of victim dogs were qualified guide dogs and 55.5 per cent of victim...
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A new metric for quantifying the relative impact of risk factors on loss of working life illustrated in a population of working dogs
| Contributor(s):: Caron-Lormier, G., Harvey, N. D., England, G. C. W., Asher, L.
In a resource-limited world, organisations attempting to reduce the impact of health or behaviour issues need to choose carefully how to allocate resources for the highest overall impact. However, such choices may not always be obvious. Which has the biggest impact? A large change to a small...
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Protein expression and genetic variability of canine Can f 1 in golden and Labrador retriever service dogs
| Contributor(s):: Breitenbuecher, C., Belanger, J. M., Levy, K., Mundell, P., Fates, V., Gershony, L., Famula, T. R., Oberbauer, A. M.
Background: Valued for trainability in diverse tasks, dogs are the primary service animal used to assist individuals with disabilities. Despite their utility, many people in need of service dogs are sensitive to the primary dog allergen, Can f 1, encoded by the Lipocalin 1 gene (LCN1). Several...
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Locking down the impact of New Zealand's COVID-19 alert level changes on pets
| Contributor(s):: Esam, F., Forrest, R., Waran, N.
The influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on human-pet interactions within New Zealand, particularly during lockdown, was investigated via two national surveys. In Survey 1, pet owners (n = 686) responded during the final week of the five-week Alert Level 4 lockdown (highest level of restrictions -...
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Artistic freedom or animal cruelty? Contemporary visual art practice that involves live and deceased animals
| Contributor(s):: Coleman, E., Scollen, R., Batorowicz, B., Akenson, D.
This paper examines a selection of 21st-century international examples of exhibited visual artworks involving live or deceased animals. It seeks to reveal the risks and benefits of unique encounters with animals through art and to consider the ethical implications of artwork deploying animals....
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Influence of Biographical Variables and Academic Background on Attitudes towards Animal-Assisted Interventions
| Contributor(s):: J. Lopez-Cepero, M.A. Perea-Mediavilla, J.L. Sarasola, A. Tejada
Over the past two decades, there has been increasing evidence of the benefits of animal-assisted interventions (AAI) among diverse groups and settings. However, little is known of the variables that can affect the attitudes of professionals towards these interventions. Two studies were done...
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Immunocastration with Improvac™ reduces aggressive and sexual behaviours in male pigs
| Contributor(s):: Brewster, Veronica, Nevel, Amanda
Surgical castration of male pigs is a common practice to reduce the risk of boar taint, an accumulation of pheromones in the muscles of pigs giving an undesirable odour to the pork of entire boars. Castration is not widely practiced in the UK for welfare reasons and indeed, assurance schemes...
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A modeling approach for estimating seasonal dietary preferences of goats in a Mediterranean Quercus frainetto–Juniperus oxycedrus woodland
| Contributor(s):: Manousidis, T., Malesios, C., Kyriazopoulos, A. P., Parissi, Z. M., Abraham, E. M., Abas, Z.
Goats are characterized as selective feeders due to their specific feeding behavior, thus the study of their seasonal preferences in a Mediterranean oak-juniper ecosystem is of great interest. The current research was conducted in an open oak forest in Megalo Dereio region, northeastern Greece...
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Overweight and obese pet owners: respondent and pet characteristics in the rural Midwestern United States
| Contributor(s):: Heuberger, R. A., Garner, J. A., Corby, A., DeWitt, K., Sluis, R. vander
The obesity epidemic has impacted both people and pets in the rural Midwestern United States (MWUS). Tailoring health advice to the socio-demographic characteristics and dietary patterns of owners and their pets can help promote adherence to health behavior changes for owners and foster health...
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Practices and Perceptions of Animal Contact and Associated Health Outcomes in Pregnant Women and New Mothers
| Contributor(s):: Hsin-Yi Weng, Kimberly Ankrom
Companion animals play an important role in our society. However, pregnant women and new mothers might have specific concerns about animal-associated health outcomes because of their altered immune function and posture as well as their newborn babies. The study was conducted to collect baseline...
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Avian reactions towards human approaches in different urban greenery structures in Nanaimo
| Contributor(s):: Campbell, M.
Urban green spaces are vital for human quality of life and urban avian ecology. In consequence, these areas attract cutting edge research on human/animal relations and the human roles in avian foraging grounds. However, few studies of bird reactions to human presence have included bird adaptation...
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Post-communist canine: a feminist approach to women and dogs in canine performance sports in Poland
| Contributor(s):: Wlodarczyk, J.
The article attempts to present the complexity of relationships between women, capitalism, democracy, and competitive dog training in post-communist Poland. The article documents the correlation between increased involvement of women in competitive canine sports in Poland after 1989, changes in...
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Walking the thylacine: records of indigenous companion animals in Australian narrative and photographic history
| Contributor(s):: Philip, J., Garden, D.
This report examines the history and significance of indigenous companion animals within traditional Aboriginal society and in early Euro-Australian settlements. Working from historical photographic and anthropological records, the project constructs a visual and written record of these...
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Caregiver/orangutan relationships at Auckland Zoo: empathy, friendship, and ethics between species
| Contributor(s):: Palmer, A., Malone, N., Park, J.
Drawing on ethnographic, ethological, and historical data, we examined the relationships between orangutans and caregivers at Auckland Zoo. Caregivers displayed high levels of empathy and adjusted their husbandry routines to their interpretations of the orangutans' moods. Caregivers experienced...
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Changing Conceptions of Care: Humanization of the companion animal - human relationship
| Contributor(s):: Fox, R., Gee, N. R.
This paper explores the changing nature of companion animal-human relationships in Britain over the past 30 years. This period has seen rapid change in attitudes and practices towards companion animals, with notable advances in medical treatment, nutrition, and understanding of non-human animal...
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Cortisol levels in dolphin Tursiops truncatus interactive programs linked to humanNiveles de cortisol en delfines Tursiops truncatus vinculados a programas interactivos con humanos
| Contributor(s):: Sanchez Okrucky, R., Morales Vela, B.
Understanding the physiological changes in animals during physical activity to improve animal welfare has become increasingly important in animal collections that remain under human care. To date, the effect of interactive programs on dolphins under human care has not been evaluated, for that...
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"Who's been a good dog?" - Owner perceptions and motivations for treat giving
| Contributor(s):: White, G. A., Ward, L., Pink, C., Craigon, J., Millar, K. M.
Complex relationships commonly exist between owners and their companion animals, particularly around feeding behaviour with an owner's affection or love for their animal most pronounced through the provision of food. It is notable that the pet food market is experiencing strong year-on-year...
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Application of the welfare quality protocol in pig slaughterhouses of five countries
| Contributor(s):: Dalmau, A., Nande, A., Vieira-Pinto, M., Zamprogna, S., Martino, G. di, Ribas, J. C. R., Costa, M. P. da, Halinen-Elemo, K., Velarde, A.
The objective of the present study is to assess the variability of the measures used in the welfare quality (WQ) protocol for pigs among slaughterhouses in five different countries and to propose alarm and critical thresholds for the calculation of scores for future development of an animal...
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Behaviors indicative of attachment with pets scale: an adaptation of the attachment during stress scale for companion animals
| Contributor(s):: Vanegas-Farfano, M., Gonzalez-Ramirez, M. T.
This article introduces a Spanish-language assessment tool for the evaluation of behaviors that are indicative of attachment to aid research into human-animal interaction. The psychometric properties of the adapted scale to simultaneously quantify the attachment are presented. A confirmatory...
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Pet dog management practices among a representative sample of owners in Victoria, Australia
| Contributor(s):: Howell, T. J., Mornement, K., Bennett, P. C.
It is often assumed that pet dogs experience better welfare than livestock production animals because many owners consider them to be members of the family and, collectively, spend billions of dollars on them annually. However, this assumption is not based on scientific evidence, and a...
