Presented by Jessica Walker, Clive Phillips, Natalie Waran. Centre for Animal Welfare and Ethics, School of Veterinary Science, University of Queensland, Australia; Jeanne Marchig International Centre for Animal Welfare Education. Royal School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, UK; The Animal Welfare and Biodiversity Research Group, Department of Natural Sciences, Unitec, New Zealand.
The loss of a companion animal is well accepted to result in a significant experience of grief for the owners although, at present, little is known about how other animals in the household are affected by such a loss. This paper discusses how companion animals’ respond to the loss of a conspecific through owner reported behavioural changes.
A questionnaire was distributed via informative publications produced by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) across Australia and New Zealand and through a selection of veterinary clinics with New Zeland. The questionnaire covered owner demographics, demographics of up to four deceased animals and up to four animals remaining in the household after an animal companion passed away, behaviour that was exhibited or that changed in remaining animals after a companion passed away and the duration of these behaviours.
From a total of 306 returned questionnaires, 414 companion dogs and cats had experienced the loss of an animal companion. Seventy five percent of these animals were reported to display a behavioural change by their owner. Dogs were reported to display a reduction in food consumption, an increase in sleeping, a decrease in vocalisations and were described as appearing withdrawn. These behavioural changes were more often described if the deceased conspecific was also a dog. Cats, on the other hand, were reported to display an increase in vocalisations, an increase in aggression towards other animals in the household and were described as appearing depressed. The behavioural changes described in cats were also more often reported if the deceased conspecific was a cat.
These findings demonstrate that owners describe common behavioural changes in their companion animals, subsequent to the loss of a conspecific.
Presented by Kate Nattrass Atema, International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), The Hague, Netherlands in association with Bali Animal Welfare Association (BAWA)
The “Bali Street Dogs” of Indonesia are largely owned, but few receive adequate guardianship. Veterinary and zoonotic health concerns, animal abuse, and social conflicts over dog issues have escalated particularly since the introduction of rabies to Bali in 2008.
In order to understand the relationship of Balinese with their dogs and to advance the welfare of animals and communities in this context, we initiated a participatory community dog welfare project in Gianyar Regency in January 2012. Participatory methods were developed in the international humanitarian aid sector, and have been adapted to the care of equine and bovine working animals. The Bali dog project seeks to adapt these methods to the care of animals whose value in communities is not primarily economic.
The first year of the project engaged 13 communities (banjars) through sequential facilitated community meetings, individual discussions and limited veterinary services. Communities warmed quickly go topics of dog guardianship which they had hitherto not considered in the context of community, or solvable, concerns. The many questions and discussions on animal care, human-dog conflicts and rabies reflected an inherent compassion for dogs that is compromised by a lack of understanding in how to care for them properly and powerlessness against social and political pressures.
At the end of the first project year, attitudes toward dogs had improved markedly, primarily due to the empowerment derived from understanding issues and recognizing possibilities for addressing them. This perception and the underlying feeling of “ownership” provides momentum, for the long-term engagement of communities in the project.
The necessary balance of anthropological and scientific skills is important and productive for furthering the participatory approach, but stretches staff resources and challenges collection of scientific data. A priority for Year 2 is the integration of a feasible monitoring system to assess improvements in animal welfare.
Child victims of sexual and physical assault can sometimes be too anxious to testify against the perpetrator, especially if the perpetrator is a family member. The result of the continued trauma from being on the stand can sometimes challenge the court’s ability to have the child testify; sometimes resulting in a mistrial. In an effort to decrease this possibility and to address and alleviate the increased anxieties that many children have when needing to testify attorneys have begun to look for ways to make the process smoother by utilizing therapy animals, specifically dogs.
In partnership with the group Paws’itive Teams, members of The San Diego County District Attorney’s office have begun incorporating dogs for children during victim/witness testimony and is known as the Victim/Witness Support program. This program is staffed by Paws’itive Teams volunteers and currently there are no age restrictions on who can receive support from a dog.
Association for Human-Animal Bond Studies has received funding from St. Germaine Children’s Charity in order to develop formal training materials for prospective Teams. As the request for dogs during testimony increases, so does the need for the development of formal guidelines, training materials, and evaluation processes.
We are working in partnership with both Paws’itive Teams and the San Diego District Attorney offices to help develop plans and tools that will expand this program. The result being the ability for the District Attorney’s office to fulfill all requests for dogs as comfort items for the victim/witness child during testimony.
Presented by Jessica Bell, M.A., Michigan State University
“Statistically significant increases in the frequency, depth and emotion of Kinship and Sentience/Individuality responses indicate that the animal portraits encouraged participants to conceptualize animals as conscious beings with emotional and mental states similar to humans. Encouraging students to view animals as sentient beings is a key goal of many humane and environmental education programs because it is often the prerequisite for perceiving animals as capable of suffering and worthy of protection. This study offers convincing evidence that certain approaches to animal portraiture can increase acknowledgement of animal sentience and individuality and thus play an important role in humane and environmental education.”
Association for Human-Animal Bond Studies is thrilled to attend the International Society for Anthrozoology conference in Chicago this weekend. We are looking forward to coming back with some great information on the Human-Animal Bond to share with you!
We are thrilled to announce that 30 organizations have been selected as semi-finalists for Advance San Diego! Each non-profit will be paired with a mentor, and participate in summer workshops designed to define measurable outcomes and craft a compelling story.
On October 9th, the final Advance San Diego event will give 15 finalists the opportunity to deliver their pitch to an audience comprised of 500 funders, business leaders, and community members. More than $75,000 in cash and in-kind services will be awarded.
When? October 9th, 5-9pm
Where? Museum of Contemporary Art in La Jolla
RSVP: Tickets will go on sale this summer. Stay tuned!
With all of the summer fun did you “fall” out of touch with San Diego’s nonprofits? Well here’s a way for you to start giving again and donate to an organization the benefits people and animals! That’s exactly what the Association for Human-Animal Bond Studies aims to do! Support our work and help to support your friends (human and furry). Call 619-405-3207 or just click here http://www.animalbondstudies.org/2012/01/22/43/ to donate…it’s tax deductable and that always makes people feel good. Thank you!
Association for Human-Animal Bond Studies has been accepted as a member into the International Society for Anthrozoology. We look forward to sharing more information with you from ISAZ.
What is ISAZ?
The International Society for Anthrozoology (ISAZ) was formed in 1991 as a supportive organization for the scientific and scholarly study of human-animal interactions. ISAZ is a nonprofit, nonpolitical organization with a worldwide, multi-disciplinary membership of students, scholars and interested professionals.
Author: Shannon Gusy, Founder of Love Tails Pet Care
Humane Education changes lives. Dr. Annie Petersen, who joined the San Diego Humane Society and SPCA’s (SDHS) ever-growing Communications and Community Engagement department in 2004, knows this firsthand. Spearheading the Humane Education youth programs at SDHS, she helps children to learn about and how to emotionally connect with animals. In their smiles and stories, she has seen that time spent with animals is not only a therapeutic comfort, but often an empowering and transformational experience
When Dr. Petersen heard of the Los Angeles SPCA’s program, TLC (Teaching Love and Compassion), she immediately sent for information. This violence-prevention program works with at-risk-youth to develop coping skills, increased self-esteem and empathy towards living beings. Annie observed the six-week TLC course in person and was struck by the way the children responded. No matter what they were going through in their personal lives, TLC became a positive outlet for them. Experiencing love and compassion for animals was a vehicle for change, helping them to develop more love and compassion towards themselves. Annie was inspired to create a similar program at the San Diego Humane Society: TRUST (Teaching Respect Using Sympathy and Training).
Educator Laura Leonard was hired to develop TRUST and now facilitates the three week after-school program in communities throughout San Diego. Most recently, Laura worked with a group of six middle schoolers at Pro Kids Learning Center in City Heights; an organization that supports San Diego’s underserved youth.
Helping someone in need, however small, is a fulfilling and empowering act. During this series of TRUST lessons at Pro Kids, the students primarily worked with rats, though rabbits have also been lesson participants. Divided into teams of two, each pair of students trained and bonded with one rat. At the completion of the program, their rat became available for adoption and was more likely to find a loving home as a result of his training and socialization.
In working together to help such small creatures find homes, the students were learning the very definition of compassion. For an hour and a half after school Wednesday through Friday, the students could focus on these small animals and get lost in their love for them. The rats quickly became an immense source of joy and entertainment. When a rat climbed up onto someone’s shoulder or bruxed (a sound that indicates pleasure, like purring for cats), the students beamed with smiles. They each grew to know their rat extensively and at any moment could name his sex, age, tricks, temperament, likes and dislikes. They wrote in their journals every night on the thoughts and feelings that working with the rats inspired. They learned animal behavior and body language. They also enjoyed a behind-the-scenes tour of the San Diego Humane Society where they interacted with an adoptable dog, visited the Veterinary Medical Suite and learned important lessons about spaying and neutering, microchipping and more.
At the end of the three-week session, the students had a formal graduation. Beforehand, Laura had told them that they could say a few words about what they had learned. She was thrilled to see that the students went above and beyond to prepare typed presentations. Each stood at the front of the room and read with visible passion about humane treatment towards all living beings. Family, friends and fellow classmates looked on and applauded them.
One student named Cookie said, “You treat the rat like you would want to be treated. You are patient and gentle with him. You don’t just say ‘do that.’ You have to set goals and take steps.” Jacob, another student said, “You don’t know someone until you spend time with them. You don’t want to judge someone by what they look like or how big or small they are.” Wendy said, “I didn’t have much confidence that I could help my rat in the beginning. But that changed. If he could talk now, I think he’d say I was his best friend.” Approaching their teenage years and its challenges, these were invaluable lessons for the group to experience, know in their hearts, and carry with them throughout their lifetimes.
TRUST lends to the opportunity to teach in layers. When the students learned that the average life-span for a rat is up to three years, a few became disheartened. Cookie whispered to Jacob. “But the rats are so special, I wish they lived a lot longer.”
Laura responded, “It’s true that just like you, each rat is special. There is no one exactly like him and he is a great friend to have. But the thing about animals is that they are always living in this moment. Their feelings concern only right now. And right now, you are all giving them so much love, and that’s what it’s about, right? Love and compassion.”
Cookie lifted her eyes from the rat she held in both of her hands, still petting him gently. “Totally,” she said. “That’s what it’s all about.”
TRUST is an after school program initiated by the San Diego Humane Society and SPCA. TRUST is a three-week course designed to help kids in middle-school learn about living creatures and the respect they deserve. For more information, visit www.sdhumane.org
