Have you read a good book lately that relates to the human-animal bond? We’d love to hear about it.
Long or short, kindle or paperback, fiction or non, book reviews are always welcome at SCAS and may be included in our journal.
What have been reading lately?
Abstract deadline Jan 31 for the 23rd Annual Conference of the
International Society for Anthrozoology (ISAZ) is approaching.
The meeting will be held July 19-21, 2014 – Vienna, Austria
Animals and Humans Together: Integration in Society.
The International Society for Anthrozoology (ISAZ) invites submission of
both oral (15 minutes total) and poster abstracts for its 23rd Annual
Conference which will be held in Vienna, Austria on July 19-21, 2014. The
conference will focus on the role of human-animal interactions (HAI) in
society, including a range of empirical evidence for the effects of HAI on
human, animals and society. We also encourage the submission of free
papers on all other relevant topics in the field of HAI.
Research abstracts include:
1. A list of authors, institutional affiliations, and email address for
correspondence;
2. An introduction to the study and its objectives;
3. Methodology – including a description of the participants (both human
and animal), such as number (n), type, age, gender, and species, and a
description of the study design, data collection, and data analysis; 4.
Main results, including statistical test, significance levels and test
value
5. Conclusions and implications for the field. Only abstracts reporting
results will be eligible for oral presentation.
Critical review abstracts include
1. A list of authors, institutional affiliations, and email address for
correspondence;
2. An introduction to the objectives of the review;
3. Key literature references that have been reviewed or re-evaluated; 4.
Main findings, and
5. Principal conclusions and implications for the field.
Abstracts must be in English (UK or US spelling is both fine, please be
consistent), concise, informative and no longer than 4000 characters,
including references
All abstracts need to be submitted via the online submission system at
http://isaz2014.univie.ac.at. Abstracts for oral presentations that are
not selected may be eligible for a posters. A sample abstract is provided
for reference at the abstract submission section.
Please indicate in the online submission system whether you want to
participate in the ISAZ Best Student Presentation/Poster Award.
Deadline for abstract submission: January 31st 2014.
Further information is available at the ISAZ website and on Facebook:
http://www.isaz.net/conferences.html
https://www.facebook.com/ISAZ2014
Many congratulations to Sue and Julie from Caring Canines, who have both been awarded a British Empire Medal in the New Year’s Honours List.
The citation includes the phrase “for services to dog assisted therapy…..”
Sue and Julie said that they have accepted the awards in the name of Caring Canines and hope that it will go a long way towards promoting the positive effects that therapy dogs can have on people. They both went on to thank everyone who has contributed to the success of the group.
Mars Petscare have a job vacancy that may be of interest to you.
Research Manager – Human-Animal Interaction (HAI)
£45,000 – £54,000 + 2 bonus opportunities, car bonus, healthcare and pension
Waltham, Melton Mowbray, Leics.
As Research Manager HAI reporting to our Head of Research, your brief will be to lead a global research and communications programme which underpins a strategic pillar of our Global Petcare Vision: to strengthen the human-animal bond and make the world a better place for pets. You’ll play a critical role in delivering this through high-quality scientific research in collaboration with key academics and opinion formers, as well as public-private partnerships. That’ll involve the development and execution of a five-year strategy to improve the quality of our HAI research continuously in alignment with business priorities. So you’ll need to:
With at least a PhD in an Ethological, Psychological, Veterinary or Health-related science discipline, you already have a proven track record within biological/veterinary scientific research, ideally involving close collaboration with NGOs/government bodies. Your hearty appetite for constantly acquiring new scientific knowledge will complement your skills in networking and setting strategic research goals and measures. With a clear passion for high-quality HAI research and its application, you’re readily be able to build and leverage professional networks. Your attributes will also include:
And of course, you’ll have that passion for pets.
More information about this post here:
http://www.mars.com/global/careers/job-search/job-details.aspx?JobReferenceNo=WAL00608
We are happy to announce that the “Introduction to Animal-Assisted Interventions” course is now open for applications for our January 2014 intake.
The course is delivered online over 13 weeks with full tutor support.
Full details of the course, the technical requirements and how to apply can be found HERE.
Places are limited so please do get your application in sooner rather than later. We will be announcing two further intake dates for later in 2014 soon.
After a break from publication as a result of our restructure, members should now be aware that the SCAS Journal for Autumn/Winter 2013 is now available for free download from the members-only area of our website.
If you are a SCAS member and have not yet registered on our new website in order to access the members-only area please do so HERE.
Hard copies of the journal are now also available and can be purchased securely online or by cheque. Please order your hard copies HERE.
From Spring 2014 the SCAS journal will continue to be published quarterly.
A networking event, hosted by Hereford Community Farm and Dogs for the Disabled will be held on Friday 15th November at Hereford Community Farm in Herefordshire.
SCAS will be presenting the Animal-Assisted Interventions Code of Practice as part of the day-long programme that will also include presentations and workshops from:
There is also a networking dinner in the evening.
Price to attend the day is £40 per person and an additional £15 per person to attend the dinner.
For full programme, details and booking arrangements please contact Katie Bristow-Wade via email katie.bristow-wade@dogsforthedisabled.org or phone Katie on 07841 517543.
Numbers are limited so prompt booking is recommended.
The Veteran’s Service Dog is an alert dog that is specially trained for veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This is a mental disorder that veterans may suffer as they are deployed to war zones.
The specially trained dogs help veterans to cope with stress caused by traumatic experiences in war zones. The dogs recognize the first symptoms of a nightmare and give a warning and also help to avoid stressful situations and are able to calm their “boss” and feel safe. This allows veterans with PTSD recover faster from their trauma and resume their normal lives.
For the pilot, the project team are looking for Veterans with PTSD who wish to qualify for a Veteran’s Service Dog to improve their general life welfare.
The following tasks can be a service dog to perform:
Other specific tasks can also be negotiated as part of the project.
Selection of participants will be undertaken by a psychologist and instructors collaborating on the pilot. Successful applicants will then be put on a waiting list.
The pilot will study fourteen veterans with PTSD – seven of which will work with a dog and seven will take part in the research without a dog for comparison.
The Veterans Dog project is a collaboration of Service Dogs Netherlands, The Veterans House, Royal PIT Pro Rege and Dr. A. Wiersema-Ouwehand. The partners are committed to promote the advantages of having a veteran dog with war veterans and raise awareness of the Veterans Dogs among a larger group of people in the Netherlands to raise funds for the training of the dogs.
For more information please visit the website http://www.hulphond.nl/pagina/
Two popular SCAS publications “Children and Pets” and “Older People and Pets” are once again available for purchase through our website.
“Older People and Pets: A Comprehensive Guide” (2005)
Compiled by SCAS, this book provides an invaluable resource for anyone who is concerned about the well-being of older people, including health and social care professionals, veterinary staff and housing providers.
The reader is given insight into how companion animals improve health, provide social support and enhance the quality of life for older people in different settings – those living in the community as well as those in sheltered housing and residential care homes – and in different ways. The book addresses a wide range of key issues, from animal-assisted therapy programmes, to the challenges faced by older pet owners moving into sheltered housing, to the impact of pet loss for older people. The book contains some very useful guidelines on pet policy for housing providers and staff working in institutions.
Price £12.50 + P&P
“Children and Pets: A guide for parents, teachers and therapists” (2003)
Parents have for many years recognised the benefits of pets for their children, but it is only in the last thirty years that the significant health and social benefits associated with animal companionship have been scientifically confirmed. We now have a greater understanding of the special bond that exists between children and companion animals and how this bond supports children in different ways throughout life.
SCAS realised that much of the information and research on child-animal interactions would be of immense value to those responsible for children and who work with children. Members of SCAS, experts in their respective fields, have collaborated to produce this publication, which will provide an informative, accessible guide to developing positive interactions between pets and children.
Price £5.99 + P&P
We also have a number of books and booklets available for purchase relating to pet bereavement support including:
The Animals and Society Institute (ASI) and Wesleyan Animal Studies (WAS) invite applications for the second annual undergraduate prize competition for undergraduate students pursuing research in Human-Animal Studies.
ASI and WAS will award a prize to an outstanding, original theoretical or empirical scholarly work that advances the field of human-animal studies. Papers can come from any undergraduate discipline in the humanities, social sciences or natural sciences, and must be between 4,000-7,000 words long, including abstract and references. The winning paper will be published in Society & Animals, aninterdisciplinary journal that publishes articles describing and analyzing experiences of and with non-human animals. Topics can include human-animal interactions in various settings (animal cruelty, the therapeutic uses of animals), the applied uses of animals (research, education, medicine and agriculture), the use of animals in popular culture (e.g. dog-fighting, circus, animal companion, animal research), attitudes toward animals as affected by different socializing agencies and strategies, representations of animals in literature, the history of the domestication of animals, the politics of animal welfare, and the constitution of the animal rights movement.
Eligibility
Applicants must be currently enrolled on a full or part-time basis in an academic program at a college or university, or have graduated from a college or university within the 12 months of the application. Prior first place winners are ineligible, as are papers that have won prizes in other competitions. Students may submit only one paper per year for consideration. Submissions are encouraged from the social sciences, humanities, and natural sciences, and must deal explicitly with non-human animals and/or the human-animal relationship. Students are responsible for keeping prize coordinator updated with current contact information. If student cannot be contacted, the prize is forfeited.
Application Specifications
Selection Process
The selection committee includes members from a range of disciplines connected to Human-Animal Studies, including editors from Society & Animals. Entries will be rated according to criteria associated with the quality of conceptualization, significance of topic, clarity and aptness of the methods (when applicable), quality of writing, command of relevant work in the field, originality, and contribution to Human-Animal Studies.
Awards
Submission Deadline: August 1, 2013
Applicants should email electronic copies of the paper and cover sheet to paperprize@animalsandsociety.org by the deadline.