This International Stress Awareness Week we take a look at some of the studies that have taken place with university students to look at the potential stress relieving effects of animal-assisted interventions on this group of people. Research in this area is vital to ensure the wellbeing of both students and animals. #InternationalStressAwarenessWeek #StressAwarenessWeek
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Many dogs are frightened of fireworks, and whilst this can be unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to prevent stress and fear if your dog has not experienced them before, or to try to minimise it, if you have a dog that is already fearful.
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Pet keepers in Maidstone will no longer be deemed to be making themselves ‘intentionally homeless’ if they reject a home that prohibits pets, as a result of the tireless work of Dee Bonett.
Continue readingThe Society for Companion Animal Studies (SCAS) is proud to announce the successful applicants to its 2021 round of research funding. This is the second of three annual funding rounds which supports research into furthering the understanding of the human-animal bond.
Continue readingThe Universities Federation for Animal Welfare (UFAW) International Conference, Advancing Animal Welfare Science, Edinburgh UK 28-29th June 2022
Call for papers and workshop proposals
The conference will be feature talks from established animal welfare researchers and those at the beginning of their career to hear about the latest research, innovations and thinking across the spectrum of animal welfare science.
Continue readingA Special Issue of Veterinary Sciences ‘Interdisciplinary Considerations in Human-Animal Interventions’ has new publications, including:
A review by Lisa Townsend and Nancy R. Gee ‘Recognizing and Mitigating Canine Stress during Animal Assisted Interventions’ Read here.
And a review by Lisa Maria Glenk and Sandra Foltin. ‘Therapy Dog Welfare Revisited: A Review of the Literature’ Read here.
Funding available for research that addresses evidence-based health benefits of human-animal interaction (HAI).
The Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) is issuing a call for research proposals from institutions and organizations across the globe to investigate the health outcomes of pet ownership and/or animal-assisted interventions (AAI) or therapy, both for the people and the animals involved.
Deadline 24 Feb 2022
For more information: Click here
Two recent publications are now available from the Frontiers special edition, Our Canine Connection: The History, Benefits and Future of Human-Dog Interactions.
The Animal Welfare Science of Working Dogs: Current Perspectives on Recent Advances and Future Directions
Written by Mia Cobb, Cynthia Otto and Aubrey Fine, this paper reviews the last decade of animal welfare science of working dogs in relation to modern ethics, human interaction, and the five domains of animal welfare: nutrition, environment, behavioral interaction, physical health, and mental state. Additionally, the article suggests areas of further research to help ensure that working dogs have the best lives possible.
Advancing Genetic Selection and Behavioral Genomics of Working Dogs Through Collaborative Science
By Frances Chen, Madeline Zimmermann, Jessica Hekman, Kathryn Lord, Brittney Logan, Jane Russenberger, Eldin Leighton and Elinor Karlsson. The authors encourage the modernization of canine breeding programs, especially as it relates to working dogs, and advocate for the implementation of a data-driven method called estimated breeding values (EBVs).
The Society for Companion Animal Studies’ Annual General Meeting (AGM) will take place online on Tuesday 14 December 2021 at 7pm (UK time). All SCAS members are welcome to attend; a link and documents will be sent out ahead of the event.
If you have any queries in the meantime, please contact us.
Our 2021 annual conference ‘Animal-Assisted Interventions: Research meets Practice’ was held on Sunday 19 September 2021. Thank you to everyone who attended, and to our speakers and chair for making the event such a success.
If you missed the conference, the recording is now available to purchase at a cost of £60 to non-members and £30 to SCAS members. Email Alison German on info@scas.org.uk
Next year’s conference will be held on Sunday 18 September 2022 – Save the date!