Digital Commons Network^™

Some Bunny Loves You, Ruthanne Johnson

Serial - All Animals 2009-15

With proper care, a rabbit can become your best friend

Picky-Eater Pleaser, Catherine Hess

Serial - All Animals 2009-15

Cooking for kids can be tough. Try these quick, easy pita pockets.

Yes, In My Back (And Front!) Yard, Nancy Lawson

Serial - All Animals 2009-15

Even if you're part of a homeowner association, a wildlife-friendly garden in possible

Celebrating Animals

Serial - All Animals 2009-15

Honey - submitted by Bonny Dunham, Fairport NY

Human Preferences For Conformation Attributes And Head-And-Neck Positions In Horses, Georgina L. Caspar, Navneet Dhand, Paul Mcgreevy

Competitive Animal Racing Collection

Human preferences for certain morphological attributes among domestic animals may be entirely individual or, more generally, may reflect evolutionary pressures that favor certain conformation. Artificial selection for attributes, such as short heads and crested necks of horses, may have functional and welfare implications because there is evidence from other species that skull shape co-varies with behaviour. Crested necks can be accentuated by flexion of the neck, a quality that is often manipulated in photographs vendors use when selling horses. Equine head-and-neck positions acquired through rein tension can compromise welfare. Our investigation was designed to identify conformations and postures that people …

Encounters With Dead Pets: A Study Of The Evolution Of Grief, Harold Herzog

'Animals and Us' Blog Posts

False recognitions of dead dogs and cats are common among grieving pet owners.

Object Permanence In The Dwarf Goat (Capra Aegagrus Hircus): Perseveration Errors And The Tracking Of Complex Movements Of Hidden Objects, Christian Nawroth, Eberhard Von Borell, Jan Langbein

Memory Collection

Object permanence is the notion that objects continue to exist even when they are out of an observer’s sight. In mammals, the highest stage of object permanence (Stage 6) has been observed only in primates, whereas other species have shown difficulty in following once-hidden objects, particularly when complex movements are involved. We conducted four experiments to examine the ability of dwarf goats to mentally represent once-hidden objects. In Experiment 1, we investigated whether dwarf goats are prone to commit the A-not-B or perseveration error which is commonly used as a measure for self-control. Subjects here continue to search for an …

The First Shared Online Curriculum Resources For Veterinary Undergraduate Learning And Teaching In Animal Welfare And Ethics In Australia And New Zealand, Jane Johnson, Teresa Collins, Chris Degeling, Anne Fawcett, Andrew D. Fisher, Rafael Freire, Susan J. Hazel, Jennifer Hood, Jennifer K.F. Lloyd, Clive J.C. Phillips, Kevin J. Stafford

Professional Veterinary Ethics Collection

The need for undergraduate teaching of Animal Welfare and Ethics (AWE) in Australian and New Zealand veterinary courses reflects increasing community concerns and expectations about AWE; global pressures regarding food security and sustainability; the demands of veterinary accreditation; and fears that, unless students encounter AWE as part of their formal education, as veterinarians they will be relatively unaware of the discipline of animal welfare science. To address this need we are developing online resources to ensure Australian and New Zealand veterinary graduates have the knowledge, and the research, communication and critical reasoning skills, to fulfill the AWE role demanded of …

Strong Selection For Behavioural Resilience In Australian Stock Working Dogs Identified By Selective Sweep Analysis, Elizabeth R. Arnott, Lincoln Peek, Jonathan B. Early, Annie Y. H. Pan, Bianca Haase, Tracy Chew, Paul D. Mcgreevy, Claire M. Wade

Sport and Working Animal Welfare Collection

Background: Working dog handlers and breeders have strong opinions on characteristics that are desirable in the breeds that they use to handle stock. Most of these characteristics are related to conformation or behaviour. This study explored whether the genetics underlying desirable working behaviour traits might be identified by selective sweep analysis; a method that identifies long regions of strong homozygosity combined with allelic divergence from a comparison group. For this analysis, we compared genomic haplotype architecture in two breeds derived from common founder stock but subjected to divergent selective pressures. The breeds studied were the Australian Kelpie, which is registered …

Expectations For Methodology And Translation Of Animal Research: A Survey Of Health Care Workers, Ari Joffe, Meredith Bara, Natalie Anton, Nathan Nobis

Experimentation Collection

Background: Health care workers (HCW) often perform, promote, and advocate use of public funds for animal research (AR); therefore, an awareness of the empirical costs and benefits of animal research is an important issue for HCW. We aim to determine what health-care-workers consider should be acceptable standards of AR methodology and translation rate to humans.

Methods: After development and validation, an e-mail survey was sent to all pediatricians and pediatric intensive care unit nurses and respiratory-therapists (RTs) affiliated with a Canadian University. We presented questions about demographics, methodology of AR, and expectations from AR. Responses of pediatricians and nurses/RTs were …

The Beneficial Effects Of Animals On Children With Autism, Harold Herzog

'Animals and Us' Blog Posts

Do children with autism disorders respond differently to animals?

The Horrible Hundred 2015: A Sampling Of Problem Puppy Mills In The United States, The Humane Society Of The United States

Stop Puppy Mills

This report is a list of some of the nation’s dog breeding kennels that are of high concern to The HSUS due to repeated problems with animal health or animal care. It is not a list of all puppy mills, nor a list of all problematic facilities. The list does not include other problematic puppy mill dealers, such as brokers and pet stores, unless the operators are also breeding dogs.

Microhabitat Use Affects Brain Size And Structure In Intertidal Gobies, Gemma E. White, Culum Brown

Veterinary Science and Medicine Collection

The ecological cognition hypothesis poses that the brains and behaviours of individuals are largely shaped by the environments in which they live and the associated challenges they must overcome during their lives. Here we examine the effect of environmental complexity on relative brain size in 4 species of intertidal gobies from differing habitats. Two species were rock pool specialists that lived on spatially complex rocky shores, while the remainder lived on dynamic, but structurally simple, sandy shores. We found that rock pool-dwelling species had relatively larger brains and telencephalons in particular, while sand-dwelling species had a larger optic tectum and …

President's Note, Wayne Pacelle

Serial - All Animals 2009-15

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, the nation's biggest and best-known circus, will retire all of its elephants to sanctuary by the end of 2018.

To The Rescue: Curtis Ann (Montana), Ruthanne Johnson

Serial - All Animals 2009-15

No abstract provided.

Change Of Heart, Karen E. Lange

Serial - All Animals 2009-15

With help from HSI, Korean dog meat farmers get out of the business

To The Rescue (Cottonwood, Al), Ruthanne Johnson

Serial - All Animals 2009-15

No abstract provided.

Simple Living, Emily Smith

Serial - All Animals 2009-15

Fresh air, wide open spaces suit farmer and her cows just fine

From Tears To Triumph, Catherine Vincenti

Serial - All Animals 2009-15

Abandoned horses now thrive at Duchess Sanctuary

False Promise, Sarah Kowalski

Serial - All Animals 2009-15

Hunting is not the answer to Florida's bear incidents

Road To Release, Catherine Vincenti

Serial - All Animals 2009-15

The Fund for Animals Wildlife Center returns an orphaned bear cub to the wild

Inner Lives, Jonathan Balcombe

Serial - All Animals 2009-15

Do cats monitor our emotions?

We Are The Hsus, Catherine Hess

Serial - All Animals 2009-15

Frank Loftus: HSUS Senior Producer, Video & Multimedia

Just Rewards, Ruthanne Johnson

Serial - All Animals 2009-15

Anti-poaching efforts pay off to protect wildlife from illegal killing

In Good Faith

Serial - All Animals 2009-15

The HSUS Dharmic Leadership Council leads by example

Challenging Tradition, Emily Smith

Serial - All Animals 2009-15

One advocate's quest to change an animal sacrifice into a cultural celebration

Choose Your Adventure, Ruthanne Johnson

Serial - All Animals 2009-15

A dozen destinations for memorable wildlife watching

Laying Down The Law, Ruthanne Johnson

Serial - All Animals 2009-15

Sheriff’s deputy David Hanson discovered the horses in April 2013 while following up on calls from neighbors...

Fostering Hope, Karen E. Lange

Serial - All Animals 2009-15

Formerly “unadoptable” animals are finding their way home with the help of fosters

Plant This, Not That!, Nancy Lawson

Serial - All Animals 2009-15

Choose native plants to help put your garden to work for wildlife