Theme Layout

Rightsidebar

Boxed or Wide or Framed

Theme Translation

Display Featured Slider

Yes

Featured Slider Styles

Display Grid Slider

No

Grid Slider Styles

Display Trending Posts

No

Display Author Bio

Display Instagram Footer

Dark or Light Style

Search This Blog
Do you Believe in Dog? (2018). Powered by Blogger.

Copyright Do You Believe in Dog (2018)

The content on Do You Believe in Dog? is copyrighted. If you are interested in using any content produced on Do You Believe in Dog? please email a request.

Strap line

It started when two canine scientists decide to become pen pals in an era of digital media...

Translate

Navigation Menu

All rights reserved
Do you believe in dog? 2016

Showing posts with label ASPCA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ASPCA. Show all posts

23 December 2013

Is It Okay To Give Pets As Gifts?

Is It Okay To Give Pets As Gifts?

Hi Mia!

By now, the world is well aware that a major benefit of an international pen-pal blog is presents! You introduced me to TimTams (a delicacy that I am beyond obsessed with), and just today I got Aussie Toast Stamps and an "ugly" Christmas sweater that is not ugly at all!!

But in all seriousness. I love packages. I love mail of any kind. I get very excited when I hear the crazy mailman in the hallway (although lately he has been putting our mail in other people’s mailboxes so I have to wait until our kind neighbors pass it along). Anyway, I love all mail. Mail is like a present.

All this talk of gifts actually relates to our favorite topic (dog science!) because there seems to be a subtle shift in the thinking about pets as gifts. For as long as I can remember, I’ve had the idea that it’s not a good idea to give a pet as a gift. A quick look around the Internet reifies this belief:

PAWS: “Giving a pet as a gift is usually an ill-advised decision that can end tragically.”

Dogs Trust: “A dog is for life, not just for Christmas.”

Dr. Andy Roark, VetStreet: "Friends Don’t Surprise Friends With Commitments. Pets = Commitments."

 Dr. Karen Becker: "5 Reasons Not to Give a Pet as a Christmas Gift This Year."

(Source)
But there's a new conversation brewing, and a few studies point in a different direction. A recent survey by the ASPCA found “no significant relationship between receiving a dog or cat as a gift, whether a surprise or not, and the receivers’ self-perceived love or attachment toward the pet.” Additionally, “receiving a dog or cat as a gift does not negatively impact that pet, either by altering the human-pet bond, or by shortening the time the pet is kept in the home.”

Maybe there is more to the story than, Don’t Give A Pet As A Gift! And if that’s the case, we should consider how pets could be gifted in ways that benefits both people and animals. 

I also wrote about this topic on Scientific American. If you're going to gift a pet, I highlighted two suggestions by Wisconsin Humane Society Executive Director, Anne Reed: 1) Carefully think about what the gift recipient wants and not what you want, and 2) Think about giving an adoption kit with all the necessary animal accouterments, and then take a trip to the animal shelter together. 

I'm excited that this topic is on the table for discussion. At the same time, we should keep in mind that this study comes from a small survey of 222 people scattered across the USA who received a dog or cat as a gift in the last 10 years. I would love more details into what makes for successful or unsuccessful pets as gifts. 

Speaking of presents, I'm off to eat some Tim Tams! Happy Holidays and Happy Belated Birthday to you!!

 Julie

Reference 
Weiss et al. 2013. Should Dogs and Cats Be Given as Gifts? Animals 3, 995-1001. Open Access

More Reading On Pets As Gifts 
Julie Hecht: Should Pets Be Given As Gifts? Scientific American 
Jessica Pierce. Giving Pets as Gifts: Should You or Shouldn't You. Psychology Today
ASPCA Blog: Pets As Gifts—Wrap ‘Em Up!
ASPCA Blog: Give a Gift of a Dog or Cat This Holiday Season!
Andy Roark: Video: Think Twice Before Giving Pets as Gifts. VetStreet
 
Continue Reading »
DoYouBelieveInDog
0 Comments

You Might Also Like

Wisconsin Humane Society

26 September 2013

A Good Death

A Good Death

Elke (center) and friends
Dear Mia, 

Elke’s passing has given us all pause. Not only is there the missing of who she is -- her apple core eating and play-spinning ways -- but it also makes me examine the purpose of our pen pal blog. Being “real” about dogs and being “science” about dogs are not separate from one another; they are part of the same coin. Maybe that’s obvious, but I’m very happy (if that’s the right word) that you shared Elke’s life and passing here on Do You Believe in Dog?. From the feedback on Facebook, others agree. 

I used to have conversations with my childhood dog, Brandy. We would lie next to one another as if we were girlfriends at a slumber party, and I would explain to her that if she ever died, I would kill her. I wanted her to understand that death wasn’t a viable option for her. She would have to find something else to do when she got old. 

Playing, "Find the real dog" with Brandy
Death is universal. It is not unique or unordinary. We bring companion animals into our lives knowing that there is a finite time we will be together. But what I do think is notable about Elke (and Brandy’s) deaths, is that they were "good" deaths. They didn’t experience prolonged discomfort or drawn out pain and suffering. How animals die is part of end-of-life care, regardless of whether we are talking about companion animals, lab animals or farm animals. This is why, when I heard about the work of Dr. Stephanie LaFarge, I paused and took interest.

Stephanie LaFarge runs the ASPCA Pet Loss Hotline which offers:
  • Assistance with the decision to euthanize. 
  • Comfort and support at the time of euthanasia. 
  • Help with grieving the loss. 
  • Advice on dealing with children, the elderly or disabled individuals who are facing a death of a companion animal. 
  • Helping the surviving animals in the household to cope.
  • Assistance in establishing a relationship with a new pet. 
The first area, “Assistance with the decision to euthanize” is incredibly important. They explain: “Coping with the impending loss of a pet is one of the most difficult experiences a pet parent will face. Whether your furry friend is approaching his golden years or has been diagnosed with a terminal illness, it’s important to calmly guide the end-of-life experience and minimize any discomfort or distress.” 

(Source)
Nowadays, it can be possible to extend a loved pet's life, which can be awesome! But sometimes the question becomes, "Are there any costs? Are we minimizing discomfort and distress?" 

There is nothing easy about end-of-life decisions, but a good death is as important as a good life.
  
Big hugs, 

Julie 


Continue Reading »
DoYouBelieveInDog
0 Comments

You Might Also Like

support

12 November 2012

Post-Sandy and The Power of Cute (Kawaii!!)

Post-Sandy and The Power of Cute (Kawaii!!)

(Post-Sandy reunited)
Hi there Mia, 

This is all incredibly moving. When natural disasters strike, the damage looks so different depending on geography. Our natural disasters don’t tend to include koalas, although Sandy did cause major trouble for the NYC Aquarium (water was the big problem).

Post-Sandy Support
The local aid and support has been tremendous.

Animal Aid and Grants
As of today, a Facebook group called Hurricane Sandy Lost and Found Pets has 25,158 likes, up from 7,200 likes on 11/2/2012.

The ASPCA has been involved in various relief efforts, and their Grant Department is fielding requests from shelters and other animal welfare groups affected by Sandy. The ASPCA is expediting the process for Emergency and Disaster Response Grants.

UWSiders Help out (Source @kittykatmc)
Apart from national relief programs, there are many local efforts (big and small) to get all kinds of supplies and goods to Staten Island and other areas hit hard.

This has been a trying time for many, and it reminds me that good stuff is often found in unexpected places.

Cute Helps?
A recent study explored the phenomenon of Kawaii. Kawaii is a Japanese word meaning “cute,” and it is often considered associated with positive feelings. But can this phenomenon be measured concretely? And what does it reveal?

A recent study (Nittono et al., 2012) explored whether humans perform better at certain tasks after looking at "cute" images.

Can cute help with tasks requiring focused attention and carefulness?
Study details
Participants performed a fine motor dexterity task, similar to the children’s game Operation (the actual game used was the Bilibili Dr. game -- sidenote: based on my success rate when fishing toast out of the toaster, I owe Operation the continued use of my fingers).

Participants then viewed images of cute puppies and kittens or "not-as-cute" adult dogs and cats.

Kawaii!!!! Cute!!!!
Cute effect?
Participants’ performance was enhanced after viewing cute images, particularly when the task required focused attention and carefulness.

You can use Kawaii!!!!!!
The authors note, “Kawaii things not only make us happier, but also affect our behavior.” Viewing cute images could improve performance on tasks requiring carefulness and focused attention.   

Possible applications?
  • About to go for a drive? Look at a cute puppy video
  • Prepping for some office work? Flip open a cute kitten calendar

I don’t know if the study authors would deem this “cute,” but it works for me.

Cute in my book!
What's up in your neck of the woods?

Julie


Reference
Nittono H., Fukushima M., Yano A. & Moriya H. (2012). The power of kawaii: viewing cute images promotes a careful behavior and narrows attentional focus., PloS one, PMID:

© Julie Hecht 2012 
Continue Reading »
DoYouBelieveInDog
0 Comments

You Might Also Like

welfare

10 October 2012

Size matters. ‘Specially when it comes to your tail

Size matters. ‘Specially when it comes to your tail

Hello hello Mia!

I'll come back to "cute" next week, but I want to stick with the topic you brought up.

As you mentioned, tail docking and ear cropping regulations differ across the globe. Both practices are common here in the States, but the American Veterinary Medical Association, “encourages the elimination of ear cropping and tail docking from breed standards.”

 Even so, docking and cropping are often seen as normal parts of dog pedigree and sometimes built into breed standards:
AKC Boxer Breed Standard: "The tail is set high, docked, and carried upward. An undocked tail should be severely penalized." When it comes to Boxers' ears, they "are customarily cropped, cut rather long and tapering, and raised when alert."
Some might not even notice that this dog was not born this way, that the tail has been docked.

Hello tail!
"But who cares about tails?" some might ask. You mention that "Tails are major communication tools for dogs," but some might wonder, Where's the proof?
The Bark

My latest article in Bark Magazine directly relates to this topic. The article's called, Skin Deep: Looks Do Play A Role In Intraspecies Communication, and you can view the article here. I know it sounds like a face cream advertisement, but it's not. It's about dogs. I promise.

The premise is, "Looks aren’t everything, but they do play a role in communication." Here's an excerpt from the article about tails:

 "When researchers went to explore how dogs respond to other dogs’ tails, they pulled out the big guns: a model robot dog resembling a Labrador Retriever. Apart from its tail, the 'dog' was motionless. 

The researchers found that when the robot dog had a long wagging tail, it was approached more than when it had a long still tail, which as you probably assumed, suggests that the tail conveys emotional state, and that wagging is more inviting than not wagging. When it came to short tails, the story changed. There was no difference between how the robot dog with a short/still and a short/wagging tail was approached. It appears that the longer tails were most effective at conveying emotional information, and since short tails are hard to read, they might not be read at all."

Left (short tail); Right (long tail). Leaver, & Reimchen. Behavioural responses of Canis familiaris to different tail lengths of a remotely-controlled life-size dog replica
Tails help dogs assess one another's emotional states and contribute to overall behavioral expression. Tails are not unnecessary add-ons like our appendix.

(For more details about this study, Con Slobodchikoff wrote a longer summary on his Dog Behavior Blog, and the post is accurately titled, Size Of Tail Messes Up Dog Language).

For any skeptics you might know, I too was surprised that a stuffed, robotic dog could offer insights into dog-dog communication. But stuffed animals and robots, particularly those covered in fur, are used in dog behavior research every now and again, and they seem to have good results. 

 While tails are not the beginning and end of dog-dog communication, they certainly do contribute to the whole package.

And how is the Sciencerewired conference? I think you are on your way there now. Updates updates!!
http://sciencerewired.org/
Bye for now! 
Julie

References / further reading:

ASPCA Canine Body Language

 Hecht, J. Skin Deep: Looks Do Play A Role In Intraspecies Communication, The Bark , September/October 2012.
  
Slobodchikoff, C. Size Of Tail Messes Up Dog Language. Dog Behavior Blog. January 6, 2011 

 Kubinyi, E., Miklósi, Á., Kaplan, F., Gácsi, M., Topál, J. & Csányi, V. (2004). Social behaviour of dogs encountering AIBO, an animal-like robot in a neutral and in a feeding situation, Behavioural Processes, 65 (3) 239. DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2003.10.003

 Leaver, & Reimchen, (2008). Behavioural responses of Canis familiaris to different tail lengths of a remotely-controlled life-size dog replica, Behaviour, 145 (3) 390. DOI: 10.1163/156853908783402894

© Julie Hecht 2012
Continue Reading »
DoYouBelieveInDog
1 Comments

You Might Also Like

The Bark
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)
[name=Do You Believe in Dog?] [img=https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih0oTdT87wf4V9ic3qh3r4nwYEQ2IsqFtweaU5RXbfIGujIMEg7n7jBmLq88mM9ZWZZ74jemUA2tK0UDNV-mLf4Mx7UzOEv6FISOcaffwhjDIU-9DgKhUj1VILdKBCInozoneqSXX6_kPP/s100/DYBID3+SPARCS2013.jpg] [description=Do You Believe in Dog? is a popular canine science platform presented by Mia Cobb and Julie Hecht. We think it's important that everyone be able to access and understand the latest canine research.] (facebook=https://www.facebook.com/DoYouBelieveInDog/) (twitter=https://www.twitter.com/doubelieveindog/) (instagram=https://www.instagram.com/mlcobb77/) (instagram=https://www.instagram.com/dogspies/)

Follow @SunriseSunsetBlog