tag:theconversation.com,2011:/africa/topics/dogs-5780/articles
Dogs – The Conversation
2024-03-07T18:17:29Z
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/223481
2024-03-07T18:17:29Z
2024-03-07T18:17:29Z
Many owners allow their dogs to lick their faces, but it could be unhealthy – and even fatal
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580085/original/file-20240306-20-4atcf6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=13%2C20%2C4653%2C3085&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/boy-his-dog-pomeranian-cup-ice-1142817122">RanQuick/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Any dog owners reading this will know the joy of getting home and being greeted with utter delight by their pet – tail wagging wildly before enthusiastic but face-drenching licks. While some owners will push their pooches away playfully to discourage face licking, others positively revel in their dog’s affection and may even offer up pursed lips for a canine kiss. </p>
<p>It’s a heartwarming scene. But think of what that doggy companion has been licking throughout the day. Their food and water, their paws, their toys and chews – and maybe their bottom and genitals. Do those cute kisses seem a little less appealing now? </p>
<p>Not matter what pets have licked, many owners are so taken with their dogs that they’re willing to overlook the potential hygiene issues. </p>
<p>And licking is important for dogs. It’s an instinctive canine behaviour. When dogs repeatedly lick their mouths, it can be a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0168159196011318">subtle sign of stress</a> or fear, especially when combined with ears back and a tense expression. In fact, observing lip licking frequency is a way to gauge dogs’ welfare during <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1558787814000070">training sessions</a> and when <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0031938407002582?via%3Dihub">kept in kennels</a>. </p>
<p>Dogs also use lip licking as a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2017.11.006">behavioural response</a> to humans’ emotional states. Evidence suggests that <a href="https://theconversation.com/woof-dogs-really-can-tell-how-their-owners-are-feeling-new-study-shows-53075">dogs are empathetic</a>. They can recognise emotions in both humans and other dogs using visual and audio cues. A study showed that dogs lick their lips more frequently when looking at <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2017.11.006">angry human faces</a>.</p>
<p>For dogs, then, lip licking is a natural instinct – and that applies to relationships with their humans, too. For anyone living with a dog, being licked is a common event, and many dogs will try to lick the faces and mouths of their humans. <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/12/4300">Almost half</a> of canine owners report being licked on their face by their dog. But, given the penchant that many dogs have for consuming items owners might not find appetising (quick <a href="https://theconversation.com/explaining-coprophagy-why-do-dogs-eat-their-own-poo-91273">poo snack</a>, anyone?) is it hygienic, or even safe, to let your dog lick your face? </p>
<h2>What hides within</h2>
<p>Owners usually love their dogs, and <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13607863.2019.1633620">dogs’ companionship</a> and affection can do wonders for their owners’ wellbeing and <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.903647/full">mental health</a>. But there’s no doubt that, for some humans, canine saliva might do more harm than good. </p>
<p>For people <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/specific-groups/high-risk/organ-transplant-patients.html">who are immunocompromised</a>, have open wounds, or a dog who likes to supplement their meals with a spot of coprophagia (poop eating), then it’s best to avoid those face licks. </p>
<p>Dogs’ mouths can harbour a <a href="https://www.cmaj.ca/content/187/10/736.short">range of microorganisms</a> that are usually low risk for humans. However, in rare cases, <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/zoonoses">zoonoses</a> (infectious diseases passed on between species) can be transmitted from dogs to humans by bites, licks and scratches.</p>
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<p>Most of the time, humans who come into contact with dog saliva do not become ill. In fact, many people manage to live alongside their pets, licks and all, without encountering any health issues. </p>
<p>However, there are rare cases where people have become seriously ill following contact with dog saliva. For example, <em>Capnocytophaga canimorsus</em>, a bacteria found in the mouths of <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-deadly-is-your-dogs-saliva-62074">up to three quarters</a> of otherwise healthy dogs and cats, has caused <a href="https://casereports.bmj.com/content/2016/bcr-2016-215450">life-threatening sepsis</a>.</p>
<p>Other microbes such as <em>Pasteurella multocida</em> can be spread by contact with dog saliva, potentially resulting in serious outcomes <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(19)30953-5/abstract">including meningitis</a>. </p>
<p>People considered to be at high risk from <a href="https://doi.org/10.1128/cmr.00024-13">zoonotic infections</a> are the immunocompromised, very young children, older adults and pregnant women. </p>
<p>If you fall into one of these groups, then it’s in your interest to dodge dog licks. Additional measures should also be implemented for at risk dog owners. Keep surfaces clean, minimise contamination of household items and maintain scrupulous household hygiene at all times, especially after contact with animals.</p>
<p>Antibiotic resistance is recognised as a major <a href="https://www.unep.org/topics/chemicals-and-pollution-action/pollution-and-health/antimicrobial-resistance-global-threat">global health challenge</a>. Canine saliva can be a potential <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/11/11/1490">source of bacteria</a> carrying antibiotic resistant genes. These bacteria are capable of colonising humans after <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2020.621597/full">exposure to dog saliva</a>. </p>
<p>However, in 2023 <a href="https://www.the-microbiologist.com/news/multi-drug-resistant-organisms-can-be-transmitted-between-healthy-dogs-and-cats-and-their-hospitalised-owners/761.article">a German study</a> of 2,800 hospital patients and their companion animals verified “that the sharing of multidrug-resistant organisms between companion animals and their owners is possible”, but the study only identified a handful of cases. The researches therefore <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/mar/19/dogs-and-cats-could-be-passing-on-drug-resistant-bugs-to-owners-study-finds">concluded that</a> “cat or dog ownership isn’t an important risk factor for multidrug-resistant organism colonisation in hospital patients.” </p>
<p>It is possible, then, that being licked by your dog could contribute to the spread of antibiotic resistance – but it isn’t likely.</p>
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<h2>Doctor dog</h2>
<p>Despite potential threats to health, can dog licks be beneficial? </p>
<p>Records suggest that in the past, <a href="https://ethnobiomed.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13002-017-0175-6">animal saliva</a> has been used for wound healing, with some dogs specially trained to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/014067369290480Q">lick open wounds</a>. However, there is no research to suggest that allowing animal companions to lick wounds will help them to heal. Allowing animals to lick open wounds, in fact, could put an owner at increased <a href="https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/vbz.2019.2558">risk of infection</a>.</p>
<p>The relationship between humans and their dogs can confer other potentially healing benefits. <a href="https://www.bacp.co.uk/about-therapy/types-of-therapy/animal-assisted-therapy/#:%7E:text=Animal%2Dassisted%20therapy%20can%20help,struggling%20with%20anxiety%20or%20depression.">Animal-assisted therapy</a> helps people with a range of issues, such as anxiety, eating disorders and trauma. Cuddling and stroking dogs, for example, <a href="https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-friend-who-keeps-you-young#:%7E:text=The%20cortisol%2Dlowering%20and%20oxytocin,%E2%80%9CIt's%20relaxing%20and%20transcendental.%E2%80%9D">can help patients</a> to feel calmer and lower blood pressure and heart rate. </p>
<p>Dog owners tend to benefit from their pets through increased <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1469029216300048">physical activity and social connections</a>, as well as companionship and improved mental health. Licking, however, is not essential to the close bond between human and canine.</p>
<p>Within reason, for most people, letting your dog lick you is probably safe. With good management, healthcare (for you and your dog) and excellent hygiene, the risks of an occasional lick are likely to be minimal. But it’s a good idea to enforce the “not on the mouth” rule, for everyone’s safety.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/223481/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jacqueline Boyd is affiliated with The Kennel Club (UK) through membership, as Chair of the Activities Health and Welfare Subgroup and member of the Dog Health Group. Jacqueline is a full member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT #01583) and she also writes, consults and coaches on canine matters on an independent basis, in addition to her academic affiliation at Nottingham Trent University</span></em></p>
Dogs may be a human’s best friend but there are limits – is face licking one of them?
Jacqueline Boyd, Senior Lecturer in Animal Science, Nottingham Trent University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/223862
2024-02-20T05:05:54Z
2024-02-20T05:05:54Z
Did your dog dig in asbestos-laden mulch? Here are the risks – and what to do next
<p>This week, disturbing news emerged about <a href="https://theconversation.com/asbestos-in-mulch-heres-the-risk-if-youve-been-exposed-223729">mulch containing asbestos</a> in parks, schools and homes across New South Wales (<a href="https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/8527611/test-samples-collected-to-check-act-mulch-asbestos-contamination/">and possibly Canberra</a>). So far, the discussion has focused on the risks to human health. </p>
<p>But the incidents have prompted me to worry about the effects on dogs. Dogs love to sniff, dig, lick and roll on the ground. That means dogs in the vicinity of the mulch may have been exposed to asbestos.</p>
<p>I research the environmental causes of cancer in animals. Animal exposure to asbestos is deeply worrying. Long-term exposure, even to low doses, can cause a type of cancer called mesothelioma. The disease also affects humans.</p>
<p>Here, I outline the risks of asbestos exposure in dogs, and what to do if you’re concerned.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">The experts trained to identify asbestos in mulch | 7.30, ABC, 19 February 2024.</span></figcaption>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/asbestos-in-mulch-heres-the-risk-if-youve-been-exposed-223729">Asbestos in mulch? Here's the risk if you've been exposed</a>
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<h2>What do we know about mesothelioma in dogs?</h2>
<p>Mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer that affects both animals and humans. It’s typically concentrated in the respiratory tract, but can affect all cells lining body cavities. </p>
<p>The illness is <a href="https://vsso.org/mesothelioma">rare in dogs</a>, causing less than 1% of all canine tumours. But it takes years to develop, by which time successful treatment is difficult. </p>
<p>Symptoms in dogs include difficulty breathing, enlarged abdomen and muffled heartbeat. A dog may cough, become lethargic, lose its appetite and become depressed. </p>
<p>In dogs, the incubation time – the period when the cancer is developing, is <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK234946/">less than eight years</a>, compared with more than 20 years in humans. So studying cancer in pet dogs can provide important <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6641667/">information about similar cancers</a> that might also affect humans. </p>
<p>Dogs can be exposed to asbestos in the same way as humans – for example, during home renovation projects. People can wear protective gear, but animals cannot. Dogs also tend to lick things, which means they may ingest asbestos fibres as well as breathe them in. </p>
<p>Asbestos is more dangerous when it is “friable” or easily crumbled and broken up into smaller pieces, releasing fibres into the air. </p>
<p>One study from the 1980s showed <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6641667/">dogs could be exposed to asbestos</a>, through “secondary contact” or the actions of someone else. This may occur, for example, if a dog inhaled asbestos fibres from the clothes of its owner.</p>
<p>So during house renovations, pets may need to stay mostly outside, or at someone else’s house or a boarding kennel.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576701/original/file-20240220-24-k79how.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A small dog looking up from digging a hole in the garden" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576701/original/file-20240220-24-k79how.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576701/original/file-20240220-24-k79how.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576701/original/file-20240220-24-k79how.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576701/original/file-20240220-24-k79how.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576701/original/file-20240220-24-k79how.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576701/original/file-20240220-24-k79how.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576701/original/file-20240220-24-k79how.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Dogs love to dig but this may can expose them to contaminants.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/dog-garden-digging-hole-2167039171">jarizPJ, Shutterstock</a></span>
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<h2>What about the mulch issue?</h2>
<p>At latest count, <a href="https://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/news/media-releases/2024/epamedia240220-asbestos-investigation-updates-20-february">47 sites in NSW</a> have tested positive for asbestos in mulch. In the Australian Capital Territory, environment officials are investigating <a href="https://www.accesscanberra.act.gov.au/city-services/potential-mulch-asbestos-contamination">potentially contaminated “cottage mulch”</a> sold to 24 companies and 27 addresses in and around Canberra.</p>
<p>In <a href="https://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/news/media-releases/2024/epamedia240220-asbestos-investigation-updates-20-february">all but one Sydney case</a>, the asbestos was considered lower-risk as it was mixed with cement or other hard bonding materials. However, “non-friable” or “bonded” asbestos <a href="https://www.asbestos.nsw.gov.au/identify-asbestos/what-is-asbestos/friable-and-non-friable-asbestos">can become friable if damaged or old</a>. Then, asbestos can be released into the air. </p>
<p>The more dangerous friable asbestos was found at a popular <a href="https://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/news/media-releases/2024/epamedia240220-asbestos-investigation-updates-20-february">public park in Glebe</a>. This is concerning.</p>
<p>The risk of an animal developing cancer is influenced by duration of exposure and the extent of contamination. We don’t know what level of exposure is required to develop mesothelioma in dogs. But in humans, there is <a href="https://www.health.wa.gov.au/%7E/media/Files/Corporate/general-documents/Asbestos/PDF/AsbestosinandaroundyourhomeOctober2014.pdf">no known safe asbestos exposure level</a>. </p>
<h2>What to do if you’re concerned</h2>
<p>Mesothelioma can progress rapidly in both dogs and humans. Early diagnosis increases the chance of survival. </p>
<p>If you think your dog has been exposed to asbestos, take it to see a vet. The vet may perform an x-ray to check the dog’s lungs and/or abdomen and windpipe. If damage is present, a vet would take samples of tissue and fluids from the thorax or abdomen, for further examination.</p>
<p>So what happens if a dog is diagnosed with mesothelioma?</p>
<p>In some cases, the cancer will be so far progressed that treatment is not an option. In that case, all effort should be made to ensure the dog is as comfortable as possible. </p>
<p>If it’s not too late to start treatment, dogs can undergo chemotherapy, usually in the form of injections. One study suggests chemotherapy <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9796774/">increases</a> a dog’s chance of survival.</p>
<p>The duration of treatment and side effects of chemotherapy vary depending on the severity of the dog’s case. <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6681408/">Deciding whether or not to proceed</a> with chemotherapy can be difficult and requires weighing up the costs and likely benefits. It is expensive, but many dogs cope remarkably well and <a href="https://adelaidevet.com.au/pet-library/chemotherapy-and-your-pet/">rarely lose their hair</a>. </p>
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<h2>A wake-up call</h2>
<p>Cancer in pets doesn’t always develop by chance. It can be caused by the air they breathe, the soil they dig in and the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9969847/">water</a> they drink.</p>
<p>The case of asbestos-contaminated mulch should be a wake-up call for regulators and industry. But it should also remind pet owners to carefully consider the substances their animals might be exposed to, both inside and outside the home. </p>
<p>Gathering data on canine exposure to environmental hazards is crucial to understanding the origin of spontaneous cancers. We have just launched a national survey on the topic. You can <a href="https://uniofqueensland.syd1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9YqjgniJezB8dym">find it here</a>.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-does-my-dog-eat-grass-and-when-is-it-not-safe-for-them-205658">Why does my dog eat grass? And when is it not safe for them?</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/223862/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Chiara Palmieri receives funding from philanthropic donations, the Australian Research Data Commons, Perpetual trust, canine research foundation, University of Queensland internal grant schemes, Meat & Livestock Australia, and Agrifutures.</span></em></p>
Exposure to asbestos can cause the same cancer in dogs as it does in humans. Recent cases of asbestos-contaminated mulch highlight the need to better protect our pets.
Chiara Palmieri, Professor, The University of Queensland
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/223248
2024-02-13T15:20:48Z
2024-02-13T15:20:48Z
How to help children and the family dog stay safe when they play together
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/575295/original/file-20240213-28-rl6h25.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=22%2C37%2C5034%2C3328&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/dog-ball-running-child-playing-catch-596137544">alexei_tm/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>It’s no wonder owning a family dog <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/6/1072">is popular</a> in the UK – research shows that <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08927936.2016.1152721?casa_token=0RjI6Y1Cr5sAAAAA:6StzU9JXuiAK3V1BpK-ym6L2wHfLg65_sKZ-zjfGA7D0IQ-d26jD1vZf4jF0IEqL0Mf39wl5o76Neg">our wellbeing</a> can increase with dog ownership, and there’s even evidence that <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41390-020-1007-2">children’s development</a> can benefit if they share their home with a dog. </p>
<p>Unfortunately though, hospital admissions for dog bites are more likely to be <a href="https://bmjpaedsopen.bmj.com/content/4/1/e000726">children than adults</a>. The majority of bites on children are from a dog <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1558787817301168">known to them</a>. And many bites happen while <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2017.00130/full">a parent or caregiver is actually present</a>. </p>
<p>Popular representations of dogs as the perfect addition to a family are everywhere, from the 1904 JM Barrie Novel Peter Pan <a href="https://peterpan.fandom.com/wiki/Nana">and Nana</a>, to today’s children’s television. The movie, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5113040/">The Secret Life of Pets 2</a> opens with Max, the charismatic terrier complaining that he doesn’t personally love kids and is grateful for not living with them and being “piled on” by “hordes of children”. Max is soon faced with a new child in the family, Liam, and he laments he doesn’t feel safe in his own home.</p>
<p>Although Max’s predicament is played for laughs, the truth is children can make dogs’ lives difficult and uncomfortable. We certainly don’t want our children to be bitten. But it’s easy to overlook the dog’s perspective. </p>
<h2>Power of play</h2>
<p>Safe play means no shouting or roughness. Fetch, for example, can be great but be mindful if your dog is “guarding” by not relinquishing or snapping for their favourite toys. You and your children should <a href="https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/dog-advice/training/basics/leave-training">teach your dog</a> a leave command by trading toys for treats. Immediately throwing a second toy as soon as they bring the first back can also discourage guarding. My own son finds this game lots of fun with our dog. </p>
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<img alt="Woman holding a child and shaking a dog's paw" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574919/original/file-20240212-30-nubo36.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574919/original/file-20240212-30-nubo36.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574919/original/file-20240212-30-nubo36.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574919/original/file-20240212-30-nubo36.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574919/original/file-20240212-30-nubo36.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574919/original/file-20240212-30-nubo36.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574919/original/file-20240212-30-nubo36.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Supervising play is important.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/beautiful-woman-little-girl-dog-outdoors-29925649">Alena Ozerova/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>During play all four paws <a href="https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/dog-advice/training/outdoors/jumping-up-training">should be on the floor</a>. If your dog becomes over excited during play, for example jumping up or <a href="https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/dog-advice/training/unwanted-behaviours/stop-your-dog-chewing-mouthing#:%7E:text=Dogs%20and%20puppies%20use%20their,chewing%20us%20or%20our%20belongings.">mouthing</a>, it’s better to just ask your child to step away and both have a bit of a time out, than shouting or punishing your dog. </p>
<p>But that doesn’t mean children should be discouraged from playing with the family dog. Play is something children are usually better at <a href="https://psychcentral.com/blog/the-importance-of-play-for-adults">than adults</a>. Parents I interviewed for my research into children’s interactions with a family dog said their kids <a href="https://www.cabidigitallibrary.org/doi/full/10.1079/hai.2023.0042">don’t tire of throwing</a> a ball or playing tug. And for dogs, play is a natural behaviour that they <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0376635714002289?casa_token=Am6cWW7sVq4AAAAA:MkFoAt2uCcZ0-PYiPHQ-ToZCvISguCm7yvWSTx3Z06WmYWSiiOt-ZY-gHwbL9LlQO8iuNCCQtN8">don’t grow out of</a>.</p>
<h2>Cuddles aren’t always cute</h2>
<p>While thousands of animal cuddly toys are squished by children the world over, it’s worth remembering that cuddling is a <a href="https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.1086/715754">mostly human behaviour</a>. </p>
<p>Research has shown that some dogs can learn to tolerate cuddles, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.2752/175303712x13316289505468?casa_token=a1Z8-vDAitUAAAAA:4uFCEi_Pq2jI0eoNJ_mup7gU66tWjQW6oVen-hgGeaUiaOWrvCkedVZKAFA_fUPrJczVyu1h2SQjQg">some even enjoy them</a>. But they are not something that dogs innately find enjoyable and research shows that many dogs don’t get an oxytocin (cuddle hormone) <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/9/10/792">response to it</a>. </p>
<p>Close physical contact between children and the family dog is <a href="https://www.cabidigitallibrary.org/doi/full/10.1079/hai.2023.0042">a common reason</a> dogs show aggression towards a child. So children should be discouraged from putting their arms around a dog, leaning on, or picking them up, in favour of other ways of showing affection in which the dog has more freedom of choice. </p>
<h2>A dog needs freedom of choice</h2>
<p>It’s impossible to allow dogs to do whatever they like all the time. Their behaviour has to fit into what we are willing to accept as their human owners after all. Nonetheless dogs living with children can react aggressively if children <a href="https://www.cabidigitallibrary.org/doi/full/10.1079/hai.2023.0042">restrict their ability</a> to choose what they want to do, for example physically restrictive cuddles, or interrupting them when they are in the middle of resting, eating or playing alone.</p>
<p>It isn’t difficult to allow your dog some choice in affectionate interactions from children. Simply encouraging the kids to call the dog over to them where they are sitting, rather than approaching the dog themselves, can make a difference. And remind children not to follow the dog if he or she moves away from them. <a href="https://www.cabidigitallibrary.org/doi/full/10.1079/hai.2023.0042">In my recent study</a> parents also found that their dogs were more likely to value their space from the kids at night time or when they were tired. </p>
<h2>Don’t expect children to read dogs</h2>
<p>Dogs can’t talk. Imagine if they could. Perhaps then we’d be better at understanding their needs. Instead, they mostly use their bodies to communicate. </p>
<p>Research has shown that young children are <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08927936.2019.1598656">generally not good at</a> recognising dog body language or facial expressions. My 2023 study of UK families showed that even if they could recognise their dog was unhappy about an interaction, it didn’t make the child <a href="https://www.cabidigitallibrary.org/doi/full/10.1079/hai.2023.0042">stop it</a>. <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08927936.2016.1228750?casa_token=Q7kmHelju5YAAAAA:xo3Iez6cAIp3piNnWSgTzxGK9dxtI_qg1zQWd7DtYkUELGbFi-bpe_6DBuAOnaL8fOzl5Ha3_jOt5Q">And a 2016 study found</a> that parents who owned a dog didn’t notice common signs of anxiety, such as a dog licking their lips or nose, wide eyes, yawning out of context or leaning away from the child. </p>
<p>If your child can learn how to spot how dogs show certain emotions that’s great. There’s lots of <a href="https://www.bluecross.org.uk/advice/dog/behaviour-and-training/be-safe-with-dogs#:%7E:text=Relaxed%3A%20My%20body%20is%20relaxed,jaw%20and%20a%20hanging%20tongue.">resources available online</a> . But don’t expect that alone to be a panacea of all interaction problems or risks.</p>
<p>The fact that dogs have emotions too means there is always a possibility an interaction might not go well. Which is why it is not just supervision, but involved supervision that will help your dog and kids become best of friends.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/223248/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Anna Baatz receives funding from Dogs Trust Canine Welfare Grants. </span></em></p>
People often think about how it’s good for children to have a pet dog around. But what about the dog?
Anna Baatz, PhD Candidate and Associate Lecturer in human-animal interactions, University of Salford
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/222024
2024-02-06T13:53:28Z
2024-02-06T13:53:28Z
Danish dog owners are medicating their pets with unlicensed cannabis products – is it safe?
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573280/original/file-20240204-27-f7ceiz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C21%2C7184%2C4764&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/hand-giving-dog-cbd-oil-by-2192674331">24-K Production/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Medical cannabis, often in the form of cannabidiol (CBD) oil, is one of the most recent trends in the human health and wellness world. Unsurprisingly, this trend has made its way to our pets, with a recent study suggesting that <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0296698">38% of surveyed Danish dog owners</a> routinely gave their pets some form of cannabis product.</p>
<p>Because many people actively promote the use of CBD to support their own health and wellbeing, the use of <a href="https://www.bluecross.org.uk/advice/dog/health-and-injuries/cbd-for-dogs">CBD oil for pets</a> is attracting increased attention from vets and pet owners alike.</p>
<p>Previous studies suggest that <a href="https://www.veterinarycannabis.org/uploads/1/1/6/0/116053487/dog_owner_use___perceptions.pdf">80% of dog owners</a> in the US and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6563876/">Canada</a> had bought cannabis products for their pet. While availability and regulatory differences might account for this variance, it is clear that cannabinoids are regularly being given to pets globally.</p>
<p>It is important to note that CBD doesn’t contain the psychoactive substance THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) that is responsible for some of the serious effects seen in pets after accidental ingestion of <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0261909">cannabis and derivatives</a>, so its use won’t make your pet high or give them the munchies.</p>
<p>But, is CBD safe for our pets and could it be a useful addition to our pet’s healthcare regime? </p>
<h2>Can CBD help our pets?</h2>
<p>The use of CBD oil by people to support conditions such as <a href="https://doi.org/10.7326/M21-4520">chronic pain</a>, <a href="https://headachejournal.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/head.13345">migraines</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.7812/TPP/18-041">anxiety</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.5167/uzh-197549">epilespy</a> has led many people to consider its use for their pets, who often suffer from similar conditions.</p>
<p>While anecdotal reports of the benefits of CBD use are typically positive, many studies have failed to find an <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK425767/">effect</a>. This means that its value as a potential therapeutic aid remains poorly understood.</p>
<p>However, in line with increased interest in CBD to support human health, research is <a href="https://www.waltham.com/new-study-shows-cannabidiol-cbd-effective-reducing-stress-dogs">exploring potential</a> benefits for pets, too, with some interesting outcomes.</p>
<h2>Pet benefits</h2>
<p>CBD oil has been shown to significantly reduce the <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2023.1112604/full">signs of stress</a> in dogs during travel and separation – two areas of concern for many pet owners. </p>
<p>For dogs suffering from osteoarthritis, CBD oil resulted in <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2018.00165/full">increased activity and decreased pain scores</a>, as assessed by a vet. Indeed, <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0296698#pone.0296698.ref016">36% of respondents in the Danish study</a> indicated that they used cannabinoids for pain management in their pets. This group also reported <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0296698#pone.0296698.ref016">high perceived efficacy</a> of CBD in managing their dog’s pain.</p>
<p>For dogs with skin irritation as the result of allergy, CBD <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/vde.13077">reduced itching</a> but not skin damage or lesions. In the Danish study, <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0296698#pone.0296698.ref036">11% of respondents</a> reported using CBD to help their dog with allergies, and the perceived outcome was good.</p>
<p>While CBD is typically given as drops or oil added to food, hemp-based treats can also be used. Giving <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2020.569565">CBD-infused treats</a> to pets suffering from noise anxiety, however, failed to show a positive outcome.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Hemp-based dog treats" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573281/original/file-20240204-17-mb9uh1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573281/original/file-20240204-17-mb9uh1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573281/original/file-20240204-17-mb9uh1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573281/original/file-20240204-17-mb9uh1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573281/original/file-20240204-17-mb9uh1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573281/original/file-20240204-17-mb9uh1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573281/original/file-20240204-17-mb9uh1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">CBD-infused treats won’t help with noise anxiety.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/close-macro-treat-dogs-green-hemp-1733258240">PRO Stock Professional/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>CBD challenges</h2>
<p>In many countries, treating pets with CBD is <a href="https://www.bsavalibrary.com/content/chapter/10.22233/9781910443514.chap8#html_fulltext">not authorised or approved</a>. In the UK, only a vet can prescribe a <a href="https://www.bluecross.org.uk/advice/dog/health-and-injuries/cbd-for-dogs">human CBD preparation</a> for a pet.</p>
<p>Cannabidiol is considered a complementary medicine and vets advise that it should not be used <a href="https://www.bsavalibrary.com/content/chapter/10.22233/9781910443514.chap8#html_fulltext">in place of proven treatments</a>. CBD could also <a href="https://www.ejinme.com/article/S0953-6205(18)30004-9/fulltext">interact</a> with prescribed drugs in ways that aren’t currently known.</p>
<p>Toxicity reports are rare, and healthy dogs appear to tolerate long-term, <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2022.977457/full">daily doses of CBD</a>. However, side-effects such as <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2023.1204526/full">vomiting, diarrhoea, lethargy and difficulty moving</a> have been recorded in dogs. <a href="https://www.bsavalibrary.com/content/chapter/10.22233/9781910443514.chap8#html_fulltext">Side-effects</a> in cats include excess licking and salivation, pacing, vomiting and grimacing. We still don’t have good safety and efficacy data, and effective dose rates are unclear.</p>
<p>A significant challenge in being able to identify consistent outcomes in CBD use is the variability in quality, <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2023.1204526/full#ref26">preparations and potency</a> of the active ingredient. CBD can also be provided in <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/9/10/832">edible treats</a>, oils and supplements or as <a href="https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cvma/cjvr/2018/00000082/00000003/art00002">topical creams</a> to be applied to the skin. These all have different uses, making outcome comparisons tricky.</p>
<p>There is also the potential for <a href="https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(19)30007-2/fulltext">mislabelling and contamination of CBD products</a>, and production and distribution regulation is <a href="https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(19)30007-2/fulltext">poor</a>. This can make it difficult for pet owners to make informed, safe and effective choices for their pets.</p>
<p>While the use of CBD for pets appears to be common, the potential downsides and concerns do need to be considered. How much CBD can be safely administered to our pets for effective use across a range of conditions remains largely unknown. </p>
<p>If you are thinking about using CBD for your pet, always speak to your vet in the first instance – they will be able to <a href="https://vmd.blog.gov.uk/2022/06/28/can-i-buy-cbd-oil-cannabidiol-for-my-pet/">advise you</a> on the safest and most legally appropriate way to do so.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222024/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jacqueline Boyd is affiliated with The Kennel Club (UK) through membership, as Chair of the Activities Health and Welfare Subgroup and member of the Dog Health Group. Jacqueline is a full member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT #01583) and she also writes, consults and coaches on canine matters on an independent basis, in addition to her academic affiliation at Nottingham Trent University.</span></em></p>
Thirty-eight per cent of Danish dog owners surveyed said they dosed canines with cannabis products.
Jacqueline Boyd, Senior Lecturer in Animal Science, Nottingham Trent University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/216975
2024-02-06T13:29:24Z
2024-02-06T13:29:24Z
Perils of pet poop – so much more than just unsightly and smelly, it can spread disease
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571526/original/file-20240125-23-k5liyr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=16%2C37%2C959%2C684&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Responsible pet owners are on diligent poop patrol.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Hannah Sussman</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Have you ever been out on a walk and as you take that next step, you feel the slippery squish of poop under your foot?</p>
<p>It’s not just gross. Beyond the mess and the smell, it’s potentially infectious. That’s why signs reminding pet owners to “curb your dog” and scoop their poop have been joined in some places by posted warnings that pet waste can spread disease.</p>
<p><a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=QiTnXH8AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">As a small-animal primary care veterinarian</a>, I deal with the diseases of dog and cat poop on a daily basis. Feces represent potential <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/zoonotic-disease">zoonotic hazards</a>, meaning they can transmit disease from the animals to people.</p>
<p>The reality is that waste left to wash into the soil, whether in a neighborhood, trail or dog park, <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28316698/">can spread life-threatening</a> <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/transmission/index.html">parasites</a> not just among dogs and cats, but also <a href="https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.02532-21">to wild animals</a> and <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/transmission/index.html#animal">people of all ages</a>. A 2020 study found <a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-020-04147-6">intestinal parasites in 85% of off-leash dog parks</a> across the United States.</p>
<p>While human diseases caused by soil-transmitted parasites are considered uncommon in the U.S., they infect as many as an <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/ascariasis/index.html">estimated billion people worldwide</a>. Signs that remind you to pick up after your pet are not just trying to keep public spaces clean; they’re urging you to help safeguard your community’s health.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571223/original/file-20240124-27-qinn2d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="bottom of a child's foot showing open lesions by the toes" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571223/original/file-20240124-27-qinn2d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571223/original/file-20240124-27-qinn2d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=395&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571223/original/file-20240124-27-qinn2d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=395&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571223/original/file-20240124-27-qinn2d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=395&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571223/original/file-20240124-27-qinn2d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=496&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571223/original/file-20240124-27-qinn2d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=496&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571223/original/file-20240124-27-qinn2d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=496&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Parasites can enter your body through broken skin and set up shop, as in this hookworm infection.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://phil.cdc.gov/Details.aspx?pid=5204">CDC</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Abandoned poop’s impact on people</h2>
<p>Common dog poop parasites include <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/resources/roundworms_hookworms.html">hookworms, roundworms</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/coccidium">coccidia</a> and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/whipworm">whipworms</a>. Hookworms and roundworms can thrive in a variety of species, including humans.</p>
<p>Their microscopic larvae can get into your body through small scratches in your skin after contact with contaminated soil or via accidental oral ingestion. Remember that next time you’re outside and wipe sweat from your face with a dirty hand and then lick your lips or take a drink – it’s that simple. After hose or rain water has rinsed contaminated poop into the soil, these parasite eggs can <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/toxocariasis/epi.html">survive and infect for months or years</a> to come.</p>
<p>Once in the human body, both hookworm and roundworm larvae can mature and migrate through the bloodstream into the lungs. From there, coughs help them gain access to <a href="https://www.merckmanuals.com/home/infections/parasitic-infections-nematodes-roundworms/hookworm-infection">the digestive tract of their host</a>, where they leach nutrients by attaching to the intestinal wall. People with healthy immune systems may show no clinical signs of infection, but in sufficient quantities these parasites <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/hookworm/disease.html">can lead to anemia and malnourishment</a>. They can even <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.revmed.2015.12.023">cause an intestinal obstruction</a> which may require surgical intervention, especially in young children.</p>
<p>Additionally, larval stages of roundworms <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.apar.2020.01.001">can move into the human eye</a> and, in rare cases, <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/toxocariasis/disease.html">lead to permanent blindness</a>. Hookworms can create a <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/zoonotichookworm/disease.html">severely itchy condition called cutaneous larva migrans</a> <a href="https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook/2024/infections-diseases/cutaneous-larva-migrans">as the larval worm moves</a> just under the skin of its host.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571669/original/file-20240126-27-e6h7di.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="about a dozen little white worms next to a wooden match" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571669/original/file-20240126-27-e6h7di.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571669/original/file-20240126-27-e6h7di.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571669/original/file-20240126-27-e6h7di.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571669/original/file-20240126-27-e6h7di.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571669/original/file-20240126-27-e6h7di.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571669/original/file-20240126-27-e6h7di.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571669/original/file-20240126-27-e6h7di.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Adult hookworms.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/adult-hookworms-of-a-dog-in-the-institute-for-parasitology-news-photo/162781943">Agency-Animal-Picture via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Once the parasite’s life cycle is complete, it may exit the host’s body as an intact adult worm, which looks like a small piece of cooked spaghetti.</p>
<h2>The impact on other animals</h2>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/s0195-5616(87)50005-5">Dogs and cats can also develop</a> the same symptoms people do due to parasitic infections. In addition to risks of hookworms and roundworms, pets are also vulnerable to whipworm, giardia and coccidia.</p>
<p>Beyond parasites, unattended poop may also be contaminated with canine or feline viruses, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetmic.2020.108760">such as parvovirus</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/B0-72-160422-6/50016-4">distemper virus and canine coronavirus</a>, that can create life-threatening disease in other dogs and cats, especially in adult animals that are unvaccinated and puppies and kittens.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/pet-owners/petcare/canine-distemper">These viruses</a> <a href="https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/pet-owners/petcare/canine-parvovirus">attack rapidly dividing cells</a>, in particular the intestinal lining and bone marrow, leaving them unable to absorb nutrients appropriately and unable to produce replacement red and white blood cells that help defend against these and other viruses. Vaccination can protect pets.</p>
<p>Many species of local wildlife are within the canid and felid family groups. They, too, are susceptible to many of the same parasites and viruses as pet dogs and cats – while being much less likely to have received the benefit of vaccinations. Coyotes, wolves, foxes, raccoons, minks and bobcats are <a href="https://cwhl.vet.cornell.edu/disease/parvovirus#:%7E:text=Parvoviruses%20are%20capable%20of%20infecting,infect%20domestic%20cats%20and%20dogs">at risk of contracting parvovirus</a>, coronavirus <a href="https://vtfishandwildlife.com/learn-more/living-with-wildlife/wildlife-diseases/canine-distemper">and distemper</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571667/original/file-20240126-15-giuwd9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="person dropping a bag of dog poop into bin with dog watching" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571667/original/file-20240126-15-giuwd9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571667/original/file-20240126-15-giuwd9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571667/original/file-20240126-15-giuwd9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571667/original/file-20240126-15-giuwd9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571667/original/file-20240126-15-giuwd9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571667/original/file-20240126-15-giuwd9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571667/original/file-20240126-15-giuwd9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Be prepared to deal with poop on every walk.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/teenager-putting-a-filled-biodegradable-dog-poop-royalty-free-image/1335287112">Elva Etienne/Moment via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Responsible pet poop management</h2>
<p>So, wherever your dog or cat relieves himself – at the park, in the woods, on the sidewalk, or even in your yard – pick up that poop but always avoid contact with your skin. It’s safest to use a shovel to place the poop directly into a plastic bag, or put a baggie over your hand to grab the poop and then pull the plastic bag over it. While it’s tempting to leave the “soft-serve” or watery poops behind, these are often the more likely culprits for spreading diseases.</p>
<p>Tie up the bag and make sure to place it in a trash can – not on top – to avoid inadvertent contamination of a neighbor or sanitation worker. Promptly <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/when-how-handwashing.html">wash your hands</a>, particularly before touching your face or eating or drinking. Hand sanitizers can take care of many viruses on your skin, but they <a href="https://doi.org/10.3347/kjp.2016.54.1.103">won’t kill parasite eggs</a>.</p>
<p>Other potential sources of poop – and parasite – exposure are the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1155/1994/786090">sandbox, beaches and park sand</a> found under and around playgrounds. Sand is comfortable to lounge on, fun to construct into castles, and softens the impact if you fall off a play structure. But cats and other small mammals love to use it as a litter box since it’s easy to dig and absorbs moisture. Covering sandboxes when not in use and closely monitoring your environment at the beach and playground are key steps toward minimizing the risks of exposure for everyone.</p>
<p>By <a href="https://capcvet.org/guidelines">keeping your pets on regular parasite prevention</a> protocols, with annual testing for intestinal parasites and routine removal of fecal material from the environment, you can help to minimize the potential for these diseases among all the mammals in your environment – human, pet and wild.</p>
<p>Key points to remember to avoid parasites and minimize the impact on your ecosystem:</p>
<ul>
<li>Pick waste up and safely throw it out regardless of where your pet poops. Sanitize your hands afterward.</li>
<li>Wash your hands before eating or touching your face while gardening or working in the yard.</li>
<li>Avoid rinsing poop into the soil. Using rain or a garden hose only removes the visible mess, not the microscopic issues.</li>
<li>Make sure sandboxes are covered when not in use.</li>
<li>Keep your pets on <a href="https://capcvet.org/guidelines">monthly intestinal parasite deworming</a> schedules.</li>
<li>Have your vet test your pet’s poop annually for intestinal parasites.</li>
</ul><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/216975/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Julia Wuerz does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
The signs that remind you to pick up after your pet are not just trying to keep public spaces clean; they’re urging you to help safeguard your community’s health.
Julia Wuerz, Clinical Assistant Professor of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, University of Florida
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/221817
2024-02-06T12:29:36Z
2024-02-06T12:29:36Z
Is your pet exposed to secondhand smoke? Here are the (serious) health risks
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573211/original/file-20240203-21-iufaha.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=24%2C32%2C5439%2C3604&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/man-relaxes-at-home-with-his-dog-december-5-2022-in-news-photo/1447421907?adppopup=true">Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Our pets share our homes, lifestyles, and sometimes even our food <a href="https://theconversation.com/there-are-benefits-to-sharing-a-bed-with-your-pet-as-long-as-youre-scrupulously-clean-221536">and beds</a>. For many pets, this close contact with humans can include exposure to secondhand smoke from cigarettes and other air pollutants. This may have <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-61865311">serious health consequences</a> for our animal companions.</p>
<p>So, how significant a risk is passive smoking for our pets and should we be concerned?</p>
<p>Smoking is well understood to come with negative health outcomes for people. Between <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nrc2190">80 and 90%</a> of lung cancer cases are associated with exposure to cancer-causing componds from first-or second-hand smoking.</p>
<p>Passive smoking is also linked increased risks of other forms of cancer including <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10549-015-3628-4">breast</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1010539516650724">colorectal cancer</a>, <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.2c00991">heart</a> and <a href="https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iuatld/ijtld/2004/00000008/00000005/art00002;jsessionid=1k6bnal73xupb.x-ic-live-03">respiratory disease</a>. </p>
<p>Children’s <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8060945/">oral health</a>, <a href="https://journals.lww.com/co-pediatrics/abstract/2017/04000/tobacco,_e_cigarettes,_and_child_health.16.aspx">development, and future health outcomes</a> are also negatively affected by exposure to secondhand smoke.</p>
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<p>More than 50% of bladder cancer cases in humans are <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3271/8/1/15">attributed to cigarette smoking</a>, making exposure a significant risk factor. The recent identification of passive smoking associated with <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1090023323000953">dogs developing bladder cancer</a> highlights the potentially serious health consequences of secondhand smoke for our furry friends too.</p>
<h2>Canine cancer risk</h2>
<p>Cancer is commonly <a href="https://academic.oup.com/aje/article-abstract/135/3/234/97261?redirectedFrom=fulltext&login=false">diagnosed in dogs</a> and is a significant cause of death. While many factors may predispose a pet to <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2022.1004122/full#B26">developing cancer</a>, evidence suggests that passive smoking is a key risk.</p>
<p>Scottish terriers living in homes where they were exposed to cigarette smoke were <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1090023323000953">six times more likely</a> to develop bladder cancer than those not routinely exposed.</p>
<p>Nasal cancer in dogs is also <a href="https://academic.oup.com/aje/article/147/5/488/158913?login=false">linked to passive smoking</a>, and is a particular problem for dogs with long muzzles, such as collies. This is compared to a <a href="https://academic.oup.com/aje/article/147/5/488/158913?login=false">lower incidence of nasal cancer</a>, but <a href="https://academic.oup.com/aje/article-abstract/135/3/234/97261?redirectedFrom=fulltext&login=false">higher risk of lung cancer</a> in brachycephalic, or short-nosed breeds such as pugs.</p>
<p>The difference in cancer type might be linked to how dogs are exposed to the many toxic compounds found in cigarette smoke. In dogs with longer noses, more of these compounds will potentially become <a href="https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/the-effects-of-second-hand-smoke-on-pets">trapped in their nasal tissues</a>. Conversely, dogs with short snouts may be more likely to <a href="https://academic.oup.com/aje/article-abstract/135/3/234/97261?redirectedFrom=fulltext&login=false">inhale these compounds</a> into their lungs.</p>
<h2>Not just dogs</h2>
<p>All domestic pets living in the home are potentially at risk from exposure to secondhand smoke. This includes dogs, cats, birds, small pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs and even fish.</p>
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<p>Cats exposed to passive smoking have an increased incidence of <a href="https://academic.oup.com/aje/article/156/3/268/71617">malignant lymphoma</a>. Nicotine concentrations <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jsap.12616">are higher</a> in the hair of cats living with smokers than non-smokers. Similar findings have been found for <a href="https://bvajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1136/vr.f2468?saml_referrer">dogs living with smokers</a>, regardless of whether pet owners smoked inside or outside.</p>
<p>Because cats tend to self-groom by licking, they may be at particular risk of <a href="https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/the-effects-of-second-hand-smoke-on-pets">ingesting even more toxic substances</a> from passive smoking than simply inhaling them.</p>
<p>Birds have <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/story-real-canary-coal-mine-180961570/">particularly sensitive</a> respiratory systems and exposure to smoke and air pollutants can be extremely distressing and harmful – think about canaries in mines. Indeed, our pets may well act as <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/18/2923#B99-animals-13-02923">useful sentinels</a> for air pollution more generally.</p>
<p>Toxic compounds found in cigarette smoke can also <a href="https://www.pdsa.org.uk/pet-help-and-advice/looking-after-your-pet/all-pets/passive-smoking-and-our-pets">dissolve into the water</a> in fish tanks, creating risks for the health and welfare of fish or amphibious pets, too.</p>
<h2>Minimising hazards for health</h2>
<p>Passive smoking alone is not responsible for health concerns in people and pets. <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/vco.12186">Genetics</a>, <a href="https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/227/1/javma.2005.227.94.xml">diet</a> and <a href="https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/224/8/javma.2004.224.1290.xml">exposure to other potentially toxic substances</a> in the environment all combine to affect overall disease susceptibility.</p>
<p>But evidence repeatedly indicates more than just a casual link between <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41748090">secondhand smoke exposure</a> and serious health concerns in our pets such as <a href="https://academic.oup.com/aje/article-abstract/135/3/234/97261?redirectedFrom=fulltext&login=false">cancer</a> and <a href="https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/the-effects-of-second-hand-smoke-on-pets">respiratory illnesses</a>.</p>
<p>Owners concerned about the wellbeing of their pet may be encouraged to be more <a href="https://www.asthmaandlung.org.uk/living-with/indoor-air-pollution/improving">aware of air quality</a> in their home generally and make appropriate lifestyle changes. </p>
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<p>Choosing to <a href="https://www.nhsinform.scot/healthy-living/stopping-smoking/reasons-to-stop/dangers-of-second-hand-smoke">smoke outdoors</a> can reduce some risk. Opening windows, improving ventilation and using air filters may help too, although it is important to note that even low level exposure <a href="https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/the-effects-of-second-hand-smoke-on-pets">can be harmful</a> to our furry and feathered friends.</p>
<p>Indeed, awareness raising and education about the dangers of pet exposure to secondhand smoke could be an <a href="https://doi.org/10.1136/tc.2008.028282">important motivator for smoking cessation</a>. </p>
<p>Exposure to secondhand smoke is a common but avoidable risk factor for health concerns in pets and people alike. Reducing exposure to secondhand smoke, can enhance overall health, welfare and longevity for both pets and their people.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/221817/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jacqueline Boyd is affiliated with The Kennel Club (UK) through membership, as Chair of the Activities Health and Welfare Subgroup and member of the Dog Health Group. Jacqueline is a full member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT #01583) and she also writes, consults and coaches on canine matters on an independent basis, in addition to her academic affiliation at Nottingham Trent University.</span></em></p>
The dangers of passive smoking for humans may be well-known but second – and even third-hand – smoke is also hazardous to our pets. Here’s what you need to know.
Jacqueline Boyd, Senior Lecturer in Animal Science, Nottingham Trent University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/222446
2024-02-02T16:38:10Z
2024-02-02T16:38:10Z
How long might your dog live? New study calculates life expectancy for different breeds
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/572481/original/file-20240131-25-hw9am.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Survival curves for eight pure breeds. Border collie (dark blue), border terrier (light blue), bulldog (green), French bulldog (red), labrador retriever (orange), mastiff (purple), miniature dachshund (pink) and pug (brown). All purebreds vary significantly from crossbreds (light purple). </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/dog-breeds-whippet-greyhound-hunting-437336992">Liliya Kulianionak/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The UK has long been considered to have some of the strongest animal welfare laws in the world. Beginning with <a href="https://edm.parliament.uk/early-day-motion/59989/200th-anniversary-of-the-cruel-treatment-of-cattle-act-1822">Martin’s act</a> on the cruel treatment of cattle, through to the <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/45/contents">Animal Welfare Act 2006</a> and then <a href="https://www.parliament.uk/business/news/2019/april/royal-assent-finns-law/">Finn’s law</a> to protect service animals, UK animal welfare laws have sought to reduce harm and cruelty to animals. But what happens when companion animals suffer or live shorter lives simply because of their genetic make-up?</p>
<p>On average, <a href="https://www.rvc.ac.uk/Media/Default/VetCompass/Infograms/220422%20Life%20Tables.pdf">dogs live for 10-13 years</a>, which is considered roughly equivalent to between 60-74 human years.</p>
<p>Small, long-nosed dogs have the highest life expectancies in the UK, while male dogs from medium-sized, flat-faced breeds such as English bulldogs have the lowest, according to a new study published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-50458-w">Scientific Reports</a>. The research team’s results were based on data from more that 580,000 individual dogs from over 150 different breeds and could help identify those dogs most at risk of an early death. </p>
<p>The study is an important one, not least because of its size and scope, but also because very little research of this type had been done previously. We have <a href="https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/mortality-and-global-health-estimates/ghe-life-expectancy-and-healthy-life-expectancy">life expectancy tables</a> and research for humans that show how long we might be expected to live according to a range of factors. But there has been very little research into dog life expectancy that considered how different factors affect lifespan. </p>
<p>The research team created a database of 584,734 dogs using data from 18 different UK sources. These included breed registries, vets, pet insurance companies, animal welfare charities and academic institutions. </p>
<p>Dogs included were from one of 155 pure breeds or classified as a crossbreed, and 284,734 of the dogs had died before being added to the database. Breed, sex, date of birth, and date of death (if applicable) were included for all dogs. </p>
<p>Pure-bred dogs were assigned to size (small, medium or large) and head shape (short-nosed, medium-nosed and long-nosed) categories based on the <a href="https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/search/breeds-a-to-z/">Kennel Club’s literature</a>. The researchers then calculated median life expectancy for all breeds individually and then for the crossbreed group. Finally, they calculated life expectancy for each combination of sex, size and head shape.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573116/original/file-20240202-29-nnz0m1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Line graph showing probability different dog breeds will reach certain ages." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573116/original/file-20240202-29-nnz0m1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573116/original/file-20240202-29-nnz0m1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573116/original/file-20240202-29-nnz0m1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573116/original/file-20240202-29-nnz0m1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573116/original/file-20240202-29-nnz0m1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=508&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573116/original/file-20240202-29-nnz0m1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=508&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/573116/original/file-20240202-29-nnz0m1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=508&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Survival curves for 8 purebreds: Border Collie (dark blue, x̃ = 13.1), Border Terrier (light blue, x̃ = 14.2), Bulldog (green, x̃ = 9.8), French Bulldog (red, x̃ = 9.8), Labrador Retriever (orange, x̃ = 13.1), Mastiff (purple, x̃ = 9.0), Miniature Dachshund (pink, x̃ = 12.2) and Pug (brown, x̃ = 11.6).</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-50458-w/figures/3">McMillan, K.M., Bielby, J., Williams, C.L. et al. / Scientific Reports</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>How long do dogs live?</h2>
<p>This study from researchers at the Dogs Trust provides us with new information about the life expectancy of our canine companions. The researchers found that small, long-nosed female dogs tended to have the longest lifespans among pure breeds overall, with a median lifespan of 13.3 years. But breeds with flat-faces had a median lifespan of 11.2 years, and a 40% increased risk of shorter lives than dogs with medium-length snouts, such as spaniels.</p>
<p>Amongst the 12 most popular breeds, which accounted for more than 50% of all recorded pure breeds in the database, labradors had a median life expectancy of 13.1 years, jack russell terriers had a median life expectancy of 13.3 years, and cavalier king charles spaniels had a median life expectancy of 11.8 years. </p>
<p>Pure breeds had a higher median life expectancy than crossbreeds (12.7 years compared to 12.0 years), while female dogs had a slightly higher median life expectancy than males (12.7 years compared to 12.4 years).</p>
<h2>The ethics of ageing</h2>
<p>Research has previously suggested a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/feb/07/popularity-of-pug-flat-nosed-dogs-could-be-fuelling-rise-in-canine-fertility-clinics">growing popularity of small nose dogs</a> such as bulldog breeds and pugs. These dogs have become fashionable and highly prized as pets, but are prone to various health problems, including brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (Boas). </p>
<p>This potentially life-threatening condition includes <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jsap.12286#:%7E:text=The%20brachycephalic%20breeds%20have%20been,nares%20and%20overlong%20soft%20palate.">symptoms</a> such as panting, overheating, exercise intolerance, retching, gastrointestinal signs and disturbed sleep patterns. So for some of these dogs, their life is potentially marked by suffering. This latest study shows they are also likely to live shorter lives. </p>
<p>This raises some questions about dog ownership and the ethics of breeding dogs likely to suffer from Boas. It might be seen as cruel to breed dogs that are either prone to or bound to suffer. </p>
<p>Other countries, including the Netherlands, have considered whether to <a href="https://www.fecava.org/news-and-events/news/dutch-prohibition-of-the-breeding-of-dogs-with-too-short-muzzles/">limit the breeding of these dogs</a> to prevent such suffering and we might expect UK law to consider this. But while the Animal Welfare Act creates an offence of <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/45/section/4">causing unnecessary suffering</a>, this relates to suffering of a protected animal that is already alive. </p>
<p>So, the act of breeding an animal with Boas is unlikely to be caught by these provisions and once in ownership of a dog with Boas, the owner has to treat that companion animal in accordance with its normal functions. Even though these conditions may be problematic if they are a natural part of the dog’s make-up, there is no offence of unnecessary suffering simply by having the dog. </p>
<p>The animal welfare acts include a duty to <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/45/section/9">provide for good animal welfare</a>. This means that dog owners should understand the needs of their chosen companion animal and should be confident that they can provide for them. </p>
<p>In addition to identifying possible directions for future research and animal welfare interventions, this study provides some important information that might help some potential owners decide which dog is right for them.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222446/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Angus Nurse has previously received funding from the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs to investigate the issue of dangerous dogs and responsible dog ownership.</span></em></p>
New research shows that certain breeds tend to live longer than others, and this could help potential owners decide which companion is best for them.
Angus Nurse, Professor of Law and Environmental Justice, Anglia Ruskin University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/221536
2024-02-02T16:35:54Z
2024-02-02T16:35:54Z
There are benefits to sharing a bed with your pet – as long as you’re scrupulously clean
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/573096/original/file-20240202-19-bguuni.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=50%2C7%2C4848%2C3759&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Should your dog share your bed? Some owners have better quality sleep alongside their furry friends</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/small-boy-asleep-with-his-pet-dog-circa-1950-news-photo/110169318?adppopup=true">Keystone View/FPG/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>When heading off for a night’s slumber, does your pet follow? Perhaps the cat curls up at the end of your bed. Maybe the dog dives under the duvet or pops their head on your pillow. Alternatively, your pet might have their own devoted sleeping space.</p>
<p>But if you do share your bed with Fluffy or Fido, what what does science suggest is best practice?</p>
<p>Pets increasingly have new roles and expectations in society. Dogs, cats and a multitude of other companion animal species have become <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/08927936.2019.1621516">family members</a>, a role far removed from their original purposes as <a href="https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/paij/vol1/iss1/6/">protectors, hunting partners</a>, <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0171593">pest-exterminators</a> and in some cases, <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10460-021-10272-4">food sources</a>.</p>
<p>Owners now spend much more time in close contact with their pets, which <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17124300">confers many benefits</a>. Positive associations with pets are linked with <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1295517/">improved health</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0122085">social contact</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1196199">physical activity</a>, and decreased perceptions of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-022-02332-9">loneliness</a>.</p>
<p>While people typically share living spaces with their pets, sharing beds is a much more intimate proposition. Nevertheless, <a href="https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/17/2/10-1070_article">research shows</a> that of the estimated 90 million European households who own a least one pet, 45% of dogs and 60% of cats are allowed on the bed – and 18% of dogs and 30% of cats sleep with their owner inside the covers. </p>
<p>While it might be enjoyable and relaxing to share resting time with your pet, it could come with risks to pet and human health, not to mention impacts on sleep hygiene and human relationships too.</p>
<h2>Disturbed Sleep</h2>
<p>One challenge of sharing your bed with your pet could be <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2017.06.014">disturbed sleep</a>. The movement of sleeping partners (two or four-legged) may lead to reduced sleep efficiency, although a bed large enough to accommodate all can mitigate this. </p>
<p>Encouraging your pet to sleep elsewhere, but within the bedroom could also be beneficial if sleep disturbance is affecting your wellbeing. Our pets also need <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0163620">quality sleep</a>, so their own sleeping space might be good for them too.</p>
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<p>But shared sleeping areas can have positives. Many owners like to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2352721820303053">sleep with their pets</a>, who can offer companionship, security and even warmth. More than 80% of dogs examined in studies preferred to be <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/7/1172#B3-animals-10-01172">close to people at night</a>, suggesting a mutual benefit. Different species of pets also appear to <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0237822">spend time resting together</a>, so if you have a multi-pet household, all might enjoy shared sleeping.</p>
<h2>Bed bugs</h2>
<p>Pets sometimes bring unwanted guests into our homes such as fleas, ticks, mites and lice. These ectoparasites might <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/zph.12369">hop from our pets to us</a> and either cause transient or more prolonged irritation. In extreme cases, they can transmit other, potentially serious diseases such as <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jid/article-abstract/136/4/489/2189513?redirectedFrom=fulltext&login=false">plague</a> or <a href="https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/jcm.34.8.1952-1956.1996">“cat scratch disease”</a>, an infection caused by bacteria in cat saliva.</p>
<p>Pets often also harbour <a href="https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/17/2/10-1070_article#r2">internal parasites</a> such as the roundworm Toxocara canis – a parasite that affects both cats and dogs – some of which can be passed to humans, resulting in illness. Microscopic eggs that can cause infection can be <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0304401709002003?via%3Dihub">carried on the fur of our pets</a> and close contact increases the potential of spread between pets and people.</p>
<p>The potential for other disease-causing organisms including bacteria, viruses and fungi to spread between our pets and us is also of concern, especially <a href="https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/36/2/e26/317343?login=false">antibiotic-resistant bacteria</a> such as <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/11/10/1110">MRSA</a>. Indeed, we can even share infections with our pets – <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11357-020-00248-3">including COVID-19</a> – so it’s not all one-sided.</p>
<h2>Allergies and injuries</h2>
<p>Sharing intimate contact with pets does raise the potential for <a href="https://doc.woah.org/dyn/portal/index.xhtml?page=alo&aloId=36892">increasing allergic responses or injury risk</a>. Minor, unintentional injuries such as scratches can occur. Contact with dust and dander from pet hair can be prolonged when in close proximity. This material can also <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-3164.2010.00882.x">accumulate in the environment</a>, potentially increasing the risk of allergic reactions.</p>
<p>Some pets may <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0168159195010084">develop behavioural concerns</a> such as separation-related behaviours as a result of sharing intimate spaces and prolonged contact with their human. Conversely, some owners choose to allow their pet access to sleeping areas to <a href="https://humanimalia.org/article/view/9930">reduce problem behaviours</a> such as door scratching or nighttime vocalising. Fair, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-97743-0">consistent training</a> and expectations between a pet and their owner can go a long way to mitigate any such concerns, no matter where a pet sleeps.</p>
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<h2>Keeping it clean</h2>
<p>If you do share your bed with your pet, good hygiene and regular cleaning is a must. Advice suggests that at <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-61259074">least weekly washing</a> of bed sheets is good practice. If you share your bed with pets, washing bedclothes <a href="https://www.sleepfoundation.org/best-sheets/how-to-wash-sheets">every three to four days</a> is suggested.</p>
<p>The fur and feet of our pets can be <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/11/10/1149">contaminated with dirt and pathogens</a> too. This leads to potential contamination “hotspots” in sleeping areas. Bacteria from faeces was <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/11/10/1149">isolated from the paws of 86% of dogs</a> in one study. Cleaning pet paws after being outdoors is a good strategy to reduce contamination risk. </p>
<p>Regular grooming and bathing (when appropriate) is <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2022.827348/full#B1">important for pet health monitoring</a> and wellbeing. It can also support a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0195561695501263?via%3Dihub">positive human-pet bond</a> and reduce the potential for spreading potential infection.</p>
<p>The use of <a href="https://www.bsava.com/position-statement/parasite-control/">anti-parasitic treatments</a> under veterinary advice can also minimise the carriage and spread of internal and external parasites to pet owners and other pets.</p>
<hr>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-long-might-your-dog-live-new-study-calculates-life-expectancy-for-different-breeds-222446">How long might your dog live? New study calculates life expectancy for different breeds</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>It’s bedtime</h2>
<p>Whether you choose to share your bed with your pet depends on a number of factors, including lifestyle, health and even the relationship with your pet.</p>
<p>Balancing the potential downsides of sharing a bed with your pet, with possible benefits is important to assess whether it is a good choice for you or not. Indeed, sleep disruption due to bed-sharing with pets is <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0025619615006746">not as detrimental to sleep quality</a> as often thought.</p>
<p>With good hygiene and management, the choice to share your sleep with your pet might just give you both a great night’s sleep.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/221536/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jacqueline Boyd is affiliated with The Kennel Club (UK) through membership, as Chair of the Activities Health and Welfare Subgroup and member of the Dog Health Group. Jacqueline is a full member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT #01583) and she also writes, consults and coaches on canine matters on an independent basis, in addition to her academic affiliation at Nottingham Trent University.</span></em></p>
While some people blanch at the thought of bed-sharing bed with a pet, others can’t sleep without their animal companions – an expert explains the pros and cons of sharing a bed with a pet (or two).
Jacqueline Boyd, Senior Lecturer in Animal Science, Nottingham Trent University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/208367
2024-02-02T13:19:41Z
2024-02-02T13:19:41Z
Training an animal? An ethicist explains how and why your dog − but not your frog − can be punished
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571993/original/file-20240129-15-anu9es.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=3%2C3%2C2114%2C1406&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Only one of these guys deserves to be in timeout.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/pekingese-and-bullfrog-first-meeting-royalty-free-image/538018993?phrase=frog+dog&adppopup=true">Wild Horse Photography/Moment via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>People talk to their pets every day: offering praise when they’re good, reassurance when they’re confused and affection when they’re cuddling. We also speak to animals when they misbehave. “Why did you do that?” someone might ask their dog. Or we might scold the cat – “Don’t touch that!” – as we move a family heirloom across the room.</p>
<p>But is it ever appropriate <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/05568641.2018.1563499">to punish or rebuke an animal</a>? </p>
<p>When people talk about “punishment,” this implies more than a loss of privileges. The term suggests someone <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/2265412">is being asked to learn a lesson</a> after breaking a rule they can understand. But an animal’s understanding is different from a human’s, which raises questions about what lessons they can learn and what, if any, rebukes of animals are ethical.</p>
<p>These issues involve what researchers know about different animals’ cognition. But they also go beyond this by raising questions about <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/kant-and-animals-9780198859918?cc=us&lang=en&#">what kind of moral standing animals have</a> and how people who interact with animals should train them.</p>
<p>As <a href="https://philosophy.utk.edu/people/jon-garthoff/">an ethical theorist</a>, I’ve explored these and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/10888683211065921">related questions</a>, including with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/rev0000200">some of my colleagues in psychology</a> and anthropology. I would argue it is important to distinguish three types of learning: conditioning, instruction and education.</p>
<h2>Conditioning</h2>
<p>One type of learning, called “classical conditioning,” <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/psychology/pavlovian-conditioning">was popularized by the psychologist Ivan Pavlov</a> just after the turn of the 20th century. By repeatedly ringing a bell while presenting food, Pavlov famously induced dogs to salivate from the bell ring alone. Such learning proceeds merely from associating two types of stimuli: a sound and a snack, in this case. </p>
<p>When scientists talk about punishment, they normally mean “operant conditioning,” which was <a href="https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.55072">popularized by the psychologists Edward Thorndike</a> and <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1939-00056-000">B. F. Skinner</a> shortly thereafter. In operant conditioning, positive or pleasurable stimuli are used to reinforce desired behavior, and negative or painful stimuli are used to deter undesired behavior. We may give a dog a treat, for example, to reward it for following a command to sit.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/572216/original/file-20240130-19-rahaf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A girl with colorful bracelets and a white t-shirt holds a white mouse eating cheese." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/572216/original/file-20240130-19-rahaf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/572216/original/file-20240130-19-rahaf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/572216/original/file-20240130-19-rahaf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/572216/original/file-20240130-19-rahaf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/572216/original/file-20240130-19-rahaf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/572216/original/file-20240130-19-rahaf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/572216/original/file-20240130-19-rahaf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Reward for a job well done.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/little-hamster-eating-cheese-in-a-girls-hands-royalty-free-image/695407204?phrase=mouse+cheese&adppopup=true">Sol de Zuasnabar Brebbia/Moment via Getty Images</a></span>
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<p>The kind of learning that operant conditioning aims to achieve, however, lacks a crucial ingredient of human punishment: responsibility. <a href="https://doi.org/10.2307/1143080">When people punish</a>, it is not just to discourage an undesired behavior. They are trying to drive home that <a href="https://doi.org/10.5840/monist196852436">someone has transgressed</a> – that <a href="https://doi.org/10.5840/jphil197875114">the individual’s behavior merits punishment</a>.</p>
<p>But can nonhuman animals transgress? Do they ever deserve rebuke? I would argue they do – but with key differences from human wrongdoing. </p>
<h2>Instruction</h2>
<p>Training for many animals, such as horses and dogs, goes beyond conditioning. It involves a more sophisticated kind of learning: instruction.</p>
<p>One important way instruction differs from conditioning is that an instructor addresses their trainee. Pet owners and animal trainers speak to cats and dogs, and though these animals have no knowledge of grammar, <a href="https://theconversation.com/yes-your-dog-can-understand-what-youre-saying-to-a-point-173953">they can understand what many human words refer to</a>. Caretakers also often listen to their animals’ vocalizations in an attempt to understand their meaning.</p>
<p>To be sure, people condition cats and dogs – consider spraying a cat with water when it nibbles on a houseplant. The goal is for the cat to associate an off-limits snack with an unpleasant experience, and so to leave the plant alone.</p>
<p>But training pets can go beyond changing their behavior. It can aim to improve <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198528272.003.0007">animals’ ability to reason about what to do</a>: a trainer teaches a dog how to navigate an agility course, for example, or how to get through a new pet door. Instruction involves understanding, whereas learning based on mere conditioning does not.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/572210/original/file-20240130-29-qehghc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A fluffy orange cat sits on a coffee table, staring intently at a potted plant next to it." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/572210/original/file-20240130-29-qehghc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/572210/original/file-20240130-29-qehghc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=407&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/572210/original/file-20240130-29-qehghc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=407&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/572210/original/file-20240130-29-qehghc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=407&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/572210/original/file-20240130-29-qehghc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=512&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/572210/original/file-20240130-29-qehghc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=512&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/572210/original/file-20240130-29-qehghc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=512&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Don’t do it.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/cute-ginger-cat-on-table-indoors-royalty-free-image/1793454702?phrase=cat+plant+eat&adppopup=true">Yuliia Kokosha/Moment via Getty Images</a></span>
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<p>An animal’s ability to be instructed stems from the nature of their mental life. Scientists do not know exactly which animals’ cognition <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/mind/65.1.289">involves understanding</a>, <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/5827/5827-h/5827-h.htm">genuine problem-solving and the ability to reason or infer</a>.</p>
<p>But <a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262514620/vision/">research on perception</a> – on how humans and other animals <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1520-8583.2007.00124.x">convert sensory information</a> into <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199581405.001.0001">mental representations of physical objects</a> – has helped philosophers and psychologists distinguish thought from more basic mental capacities such as vision and hearing.</p>
<p>It is extremely likely that some nonhuman animals – including dolphins, apes and elephants – do think, as <a href="https://liberalarts.tamu.edu/philosophy/profile/gary-varner/">philosopher Gary Varner</a> argued in the 2012 book “<a href="https://academic.oup.com/book/6454">Personhood, Ethics, and Animal Cognition</a>.” My research suggests the distinction between thinking and nonthinking animals <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/05568641.2018.1563499">tracks well with the distinction</a> between animals that can be instructed and those that can, at most, be conditioned. </p>
<p>This difference is crucial to how different pets should be treated. An owner <a href="https://jesp.org/index.php/jesp/article/view/52">should have concern for their pet frog</a>, of course, <a href="https://rintintin.colorado.edu/%7Evancecd/phil308/Anderson.pdf">and care for its needs</a>. But they do not need to recognize the frog the same way they should recognize a dog: by addressing it, listening to it and comforting it. </p>
<p>Though an owner may rebuke the dog to hold it responsible for its actions, they must also hold themselves responsible to the animal, including by considering how the pet has interpreted events.</p>
<h2>Education</h2>
<p>Some nonhuman animals have demonstrated <a href="https://academic.oup.com/book/6454">impressive cognitive abilities</a> in experimental settings, such as recognizing their bodies in mirrors and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1428-6_743">recalling past experiences</a>. Some birds, for example, display sensitivity to details about food they have cached, such as its perishability and how long ago it was stored.</p>
<p>Still, scientists <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-012273965-1/50016-9">do not possess strong evidence</a> that animals have <a href="https://doi.org/10.2307/3131086">critical thinking abilities</a> or <a href="https://www.pdcnet.org/jphil/content/jphil_2011_0108_40701_0287_0315">a concept of self</a>, the key requirements for genuine education. Unlike conditioning and instruction, education aims to enable a learner to explain the world, to evaluate and debate rationales for decisions. It also prepares people to ask – and to try to answer – ethical questions like, “How should I live” and “Was that action justified?”</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/572207/original/file-20240130-21-8s9des.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A woman with long black hair in shorts and a tank top sits as she talks and holds the hands of a young boy who also wears a tank top and shorts." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/572207/original/file-20240130-21-8s9des.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/572207/original/file-20240130-21-8s9des.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/572207/original/file-20240130-21-8s9des.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/572207/original/file-20240130-21-8s9des.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/572207/original/file-20240130-21-8s9des.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/572207/original/file-20240130-21-8s9des.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/572207/original/file-20240130-21-8s9des.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Learning not just what not to do but why.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/mother-teaches-her-son-a-difficult-lesson-royalty-free-image/1325618731?phrase=parenting+toddler+share+upset&adppopup=true">FatCamera/E+ via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A cat or dog cannot pose these questions. Much of the time, human beings do not concern themselves with these questions, either – but they can. In fact, caretakers pay great attention to these matters during child-rearing, as when they ask children, “How would you like it if someone did that to you” or “Do you really think it’s OK to act that way?” </p>
<p>Assuming that animals do not reflect and criticize, and therefore are not capable of education, I would say that they have no <a href="https://doi.org/10.5840/jphil20111086/716">moral obligations</a>. It is fair to say a pet has transgressed, since animals such as dogs and cats can come to understand how to act better. But morally speaking, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198753858.001.0001">an animal cannot commit wrongdoing</a>, for it lacks a conscience: It may understand some of its behavior, but not its own mind.</p>
<p>In my view, addressing an animal and acting with an understanding of how it interprets events is central to the ethical training of pets. But if someone treats an animal as though it were responsible for justifying itself to us, as though it could offer excuses and apologies, they anthropomorphize the animal and ask too much of it. Pet owners often do this in a mock way, saying things like, “Now you know you shouldn’t have done that” – the same phrases they might use with a child. </p>
<p>Unlike a child, however, the animal’s transgression is not a failure to fulfill a moral obligation. In human relationships we aspire to relations of mutual justification, where reasons are exchanged and excuses and apologies evaluated. But that’s not the nature of our relationships with our pets – however tempted we may be to think otherwise.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/208367/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jon Garthoff does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Questions about how to ethically train different kinds of pets depend on the nature of those animals’ inner lives and their abilities to learn.
Jon Garthoff, Professor of Philosophy, University of Tennessee
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/221709
2024-01-30T13:35:00Z
2024-01-30T13:35:00Z
Dog care below freezing − how to keep your pet warm and safe from cold weather, road salt and more this winter
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571552/original/file-20240125-22431-dyxkh4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=21%2C0%2C4715%2C3067&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Dogs get cold in the winter too, but there are things pet owners can do to help them feel comfortable. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/NYColdWeather/de8019836ce9475e91bf816b1401fa3b/photo?Query=dog%20in%20snow&mediaType=photo&sortBy=&dateRange=Anytime&totalCount=310&digitizationType=Digitized&currentItemNo=NaN&vs=true&vs=true">AP Photo/David Duprey</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Time outside with your dog in the spring, summer and fall can be lovely. Visiting your favorite downtown café on a cool spring morning, going to a favorite dog park on a clear summer evening or going on walks along a river when the leaves are changing color are all wonderful when the weather is favorable. But in much of the country, when winter rolls around, previously hospitable conditions can <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-winter-miserable-for-wildlife-108734">quickly turn chilly and dangerous</a> for people and pups alike. </p>
<p>Winter brings some unique challenges for dog owners, since dogs still need activity and socialization during colder seasons. Studies have shown that dog owners are almost 50% less likely to walk their dogs <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11113302">when the weather gets cold</a>. Knowing the basics of winter safety is critical to maintaining a healthy lifestyle for your dog. </p>
<p>I am an <a href="https://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/faculty/erik-olstad">assistant professor</a> at the University of California Davis School of Veterinary Medicine who weathered polar vortexes with my dog while living in Michigan early in my career. While I’ve since moved to sunny California, I’ve seen how quickly frigid temperatures can turn dangerous for pets.</p>
<h2>Breed and age differences</h2>
<p>Not all dogs have the same abilities to deal with cold weather. A short-coated dog like a Chihuahua is much more susceptible to the dangers of cold weather than a thick-coated husky. When the weather dips below 40 degrees Fahrenheit (4 degrees Celsius), the well-acclimated husky may be comfortable, whereas the Chihuahua would shiver and be at risk of hypothermia. </p>
<p>Additionally, if your dog is used to warm weather, but you decide to move to a colder region, the dog will need time to acclimate to that colder weather, even if they have a thick coat. </p>
<p>Age also affects cold-weather resilience. Puppies and elderly dogs can’t withstand the chill as well as other dogs, but every dog is unique – each may have individual health conditions or physical attributes that make them more or less resilient to cold weather. </p>
<h2>When is my dog too cold?</h2>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571548/original/file-20240125-29-dudlyh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A small dog wearing a thick, fluffy red coat." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571548/original/file-20240125-29-dudlyh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571548/original/file-20240125-29-dudlyh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=441&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571548/original/file-20240125-29-dudlyh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=441&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571548/original/file-20240125-29-dudlyh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=441&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571548/original/file-20240125-29-dudlyh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=554&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571548/original/file-20240125-29-dudlyh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=554&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571548/original/file-20240125-29-dudlyh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=554&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Dog jackets can keep pets warm in the cold.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/WinterWeatherTexas/b82392611da74eb69750dd2a12c73817/photo?Query=dog%20jacket&mediaType=photo&sortBy=&dateRange=Anytime&totalCount=320&digitizationType=Digitized&currentItemNo=1&vs=true&vs=true">AP Photo/David J. Phillip</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Pet owners should be able to recognize the symptoms of a dog that is getting too cold. Dogs will shiver, and some may vocalize or whine. Dogs may resist putting their feet down on the cold ground, or burrow, or try to find warmth in their environment when they are uncomfortable. </p>
<p>Just like people, <a href="https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/frostbite-in-dogs">dogs can get frostbite</a>. And just like people, the signs can take days to appear, making it hard to assess them in the moment. The most common sites for frostbite in dogs are their ears and the tips of their tails. Some of the initial signs of frostbite are skin discoloring, turning paler than normal, or purple, gray or even black; red, blistered skin; swelling; pain at the site; <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/ulcer">or ulceration</a>.</p>
<p>Other <a href="https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/frostbite-in-dogs">serious signs of hypothermia</a> include sluggishness or lethargy, and if you observe them, please visit your veterinarian immediately. A good rule to live by is if it is too cold for you, it is too cold for your dog. </p>
<p>Getting your dog a <a href="https://www.cnn.com/cnn-underscored/pets/best-winter-dog-coats-jackets">sweater or jacket</a> and <a href="https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/vets-corner/protect-dogs-paws-snow-ice-salt/">paw covers</a> can provide them with protection from the elements and keep them comfortable. Veterinarians also recommend closely monitoring your dog and limiting their time outside when the temperature nears the freezing point or drops below it.</p>
<h2>Road salt dangers</h2>
<p>Road salt that treats ice on streets and sidewalks <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/ice-salt-toxic-for-pets-1.5020088">can also harm dogs</a>. When dogs walk on the salt, the sharp, rough edges of the salt crystals can irritate the sensitive skin on their paws. </p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571542/original/file-20240125-19-4pvz2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A fluffy dog sits in the snow wearing two cloth, polka dot paw covers." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571542/original/file-20240125-19-4pvz2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571542/original/file-20240125-19-4pvz2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=559&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571542/original/file-20240125-19-4pvz2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=559&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571542/original/file-20240125-19-4pvz2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=559&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571542/original/file-20240125-19-4pvz2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=703&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571542/original/file-20240125-19-4pvz2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=703&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571542/original/file-20240125-19-4pvz2g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=703&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Paw covers for dogs can keep their feet warm and protected from road salt.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/PetsColdFeet/711807120a854c5787e5dfdaba307a44/photo?Query=dog%20boots&mediaType=photo&sortBy=&dateRange=Anytime&totalCount=379&digitizationType=Digitized&currentItemNo=12&vs=true&vs=true">AP Photo/Jim Cole</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Dogs will often lick their feet when they’re dirty, wet or irritated, and if they ingest any salt doing that, they may face GI upset, dehydration, kidney failure, seizures or even death. Even small amounts of pure salt can <a href="https://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/pet-tips/my-dog-ate-road-salt-will-they-be-okay/">disrupt critical body functions</a> in dogs.</p>
<p>Some companies make pet-safe salt, but in public it can be hard to tell what type of salt is on the ground. After walking your dog, wash off their feet or boots. You can also keep their paw fur trimmed to prevent snow from balling up or salt collecting in the fur. Applying a thin layer of petroleum jelly or <a href="https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/lifestyle/how-to-make-your-own-paw-balm-for-winter/">paw pad balm</a> to the skin of the paw pads can also help protect your pet’s paws from irritation.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571553/original/file-20240125-28-o148ri.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A snowy sidewalk covered in tiny chunks of salt." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571553/original/file-20240125-28-o148ri.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571553/original/file-20240125-28-o148ri.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=376&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571553/original/file-20240125-28-o148ri.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=376&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571553/original/file-20240125-28-o148ri.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=376&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571553/original/file-20240125-28-o148ri.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=473&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571553/original/file-20240125-28-o148ri.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=473&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571553/original/file-20240125-28-o148ri.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=473&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Road salt can be harmful to dogs’ sensitive paws.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Road_salt_in_Moscow_01.jpg">Stolbovsky/Wikimedia Commons</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Antifreeze risks</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/antifreeze-chemical-substance">Antifreeze, or ethylene glycol</a>, is in most vehicles to prevent the fluids from freezing when it gets cold out. Some people pour antifreeze into their toilets when away from their home to prevent the water in the toilet from freezing.</p>
<p>Antifreeze is an exceptionally dangerous chemical to dogs and cats, as it tastes sweet but can be deadly when ingested. If a pet ingests even a small amount of antifreeze, the substance causes a chemical cascade in their body that results in severe kidney damage. If left untreated, the pet may have <a href="https://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/pet-owner-blog/antifreeze-poisoning/">permanent kidney damage or die</a>.</p>
<p>There are safer antifreeze options on the market that use ingredients other than ethylene glycol. If your dog ingests antifreeze, please see your veterinarian immediately for treatment.</p>
<p>When temperatures dip below freezing, the best thing pet owners can do is keep the time spent outside as minimal as possible. Try some <a href="https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/lifestyle/great-indoor-games-to-play-with-your-dog/">indoor activities</a>, like hide-and-seek with low-calorie treats, fetch or even an interactive obstacle course. Food puzzles can also keep your dog mentally engaged during indoor time.</p>
<p>Although winter presents some unique challenges, it can still be an enjoyable and healthy time for you and your canine companion.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/221709/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Erik Christian Olstad does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Dogs might have furry coats, but they can still get cold when the temperature drops.
Erik Christian Olstad, Health Sciences Assistant Professor of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/221454
2024-01-26T13:35:37Z
2024-01-26T13:35:37Z
Dogs in the middle ages: what medieval writing tells us about our ancestors’ pets
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570196/original/file-20240118-27-br2vl6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=38%2C5%2C681%2C387&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Dogs being taken care of in an image from Livre de la Chasse (Book of the Hunt). </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.themorgan.org/collection/livre-de-la-chasse/32">The Morgan Library and Museum/Faksimile Verlag Luzern</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In the middle ages, most dogs had jobs. In his book <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/27050/27050-h/27050-h.htm">De Canibus</a>, the 16th-century English physician and scholar John Caius described a hierarchy of dogs, which he classified first and foremost according to their function in human society. </p>
<p>At its apex were specialised hunting dogs, including greyhounds, known for their “incredible swiftnesse” and bloodhounds, whose powerful sense of smell drove them “through long lanes, crooked reaches, and weary ways” in pursuit of their prey. </p>
<p>But even the “mungrells” that occupied the bottom rungs of the canine social ladder were characterised in terms of their labour or status. For example as street performers, or turnspits in kitchens – running on wheels that turned roasting meat.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A dog with a spiked collar and a greyhound with a long leash" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570854/original/file-20240123-29-53mp9s.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570854/original/file-20240123-29-53mp9s.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570854/original/file-20240123-29-53mp9s.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570854/original/file-20240123-29-53mp9s.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570854/original/file-20240123-29-53mp9s.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=563&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570854/original/file-20240123-29-53mp9s.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=563&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570854/original/file-20240123-29-53mp9s.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=563&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A dog with a spiked collar and a greyhound with a long leash from the Helmingham Herbal and Bestiary (c. 1500).</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://collections.britishart.yale.edu/catalog/orbis:9452785">Yale Centre for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The place of dogs in society <a href="https://brill.com/display/title/25199?language=en">changed</a> when hunting became an aristocratic pastime, rather than a necessity. Simultaneously, dogs were welcomed inside noble homes – especially by women. In both cases, dogs were signifiers of <a href="https://brill.com/display/title/25199?language=en">elite social rank</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570198/original/file-20240118-19-na6vez.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Manuscript drawing of a nun holding a lapdog." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570198/original/file-20240118-19-na6vez.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570198/original/file-20240118-19-na6vez.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=481&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570198/original/file-20240118-19-na6vez.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=481&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570198/original/file-20240118-19-na6vez.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=481&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570198/original/file-20240118-19-na6vez.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=605&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570198/original/file-20240118-19-na6vez.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=605&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570198/original/file-20240118-19-na6vez.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=605&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A nun holding her lapdog, in Stowe MS 17, f. 100r .</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://blogs.bl.uk/digitisedmanuscripts/2013/09/dogs-medieval-mans-best-friend.html">British Library</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Indeed, in his ranking, Caius positions the “delicate, neate, and pretty” indoor dogs below hunting dogs but above the base mongrels, because of their association with the noble classes. As for puppies: “the smaller they be, the more pleasure they provoke”. </p>
<p>Although the church formally disapproved of pets, clerics themselves <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7722/j.ctt1x738m">often owned dogs</a>. Like women, clerics’ dogs were generally lapdogs, ideally suited to their indoor pursuits.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/cats-in-the-middle-ages-what-medieval-manuscripts-teach-us-about-our-ancestors-pets-195389">Cats in the middle ages: what medieval manuscripts teach us about our ancestors' pets</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>In praise of dogs</h2>
<p>Not everyone had such affection for dogs. Concerned about potential violence, <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/26630015">urban authorities in England</a> regulated the keeping of guard dogs, as well as violent popular entertainments, such as boar, bear and bull-baiting.</p>
<p>In the Bible, dogs are often characterised as filthy scavengers. <a href="https://www.bibleref.com/Proverbs/26/Proverbs-26-11.html#:%7E:text=ESV%20Like%20a%20dog%20that,fool%20who%20repeats%20his%20foolishness.">Proverbs 26:11</a> famously describes how they return to their own vomit. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A miniature of Sir Lancelot, in conversation with a lady holding a small dog" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570201/original/file-20240118-21-lzdfhk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570201/original/file-20240118-21-lzdfhk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=509&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570201/original/file-20240118-21-lzdfhk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=509&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570201/original/file-20240118-21-lzdfhk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=509&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570201/original/file-20240118-21-lzdfhk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=640&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570201/original/file-20240118-21-lzdfhk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=640&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570201/original/file-20240118-21-lzdfhk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=640&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A miniature of Sir Lancelot, in conversation with a lady holding a small dog (c. 1315-1325).</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://blogs.bl.uk/digitisedmanuscripts/2013/02/nothin-but-a-hound-dog.html">British Library</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>On the other hand, the story of St Roch in <a href="https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/basis/goldenlegend/GoldenLegend-Volume5.asp#Rocke">The Golden Legend</a>, a popular 13th century collection of saints’ lives, tells of a dog who carried bread to a starving saint, then healed his wounds by licking them. One of Roch’s saintly attributes, a motif by which viewers can recognise him, is <a href="https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/473871">a devoted dog</a>.</p>
<p>The trope of dogs defending their owners or lamenting dead ones can be traced back to the classical period, to texts like Pliny the Elder’s <a href="http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0137%3Abook%3D8%3Achapter%3D61">Natural History</a>.</p>
<p>This theme is repeated in the medieval <a href="https://bestiary.ca/intro.htm">bestiary</a> tradition, a moralising compendium of knowledge about animals both real and mythical. One common story tells of the legendary <a href="https://www.abdn.ac.uk/bestiary/ms24/f18v">King Garamantes</a> who, when captured by his enemies, is tracked down and rescued by his faithful dogs. Another tells of a dog who publicly identifies his master’s murderer and attacks him. </p>
<p>The tale of one greyhound, Guinefort, even <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/The_Holy_Greyhound.html?id=XwJTqyskSRQC&redir_esc=y">inspired an unofficial saint’s cult</a>. Writing in the 13th century, Dominican inquisitor and preacher <a href="https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/guinefort.asp.">Stephen of Bourbon</a> described a noble family who, falsely believing the dog to have killed their infant, killed Guinefort in retribution. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Dogs in a battle with kings" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570200/original/file-20240118-29-td76te.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570200/original/file-20240118-29-td76te.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570200/original/file-20240118-29-td76te.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570200/original/file-20240118-29-td76te.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570200/original/file-20240118-29-td76te.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=627&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570200/original/file-20240118-29-td76te.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=627&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570200/original/file-20240118-29-td76te.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=627&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Detail of a miniature of King Garamantes, being rescued by his dogs, from the Rochester Bestiary ( c.1230).</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://blogs.bl.uk/digitisedmanuscripts/2013/02/nothin-but-a-hound-dog.html">British Library</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Upon discovering the child unharmed (the dog had really saved it from a venomous snake), they honoured the “martyred” canine with a proper burial, which led to its veneration and alleged healing miracles. Although Stephen’s story intended to reveal the sin and folly of superstition, it nonetheless underlines what medieval people perceived as the special qualities that distinguished dogs from other animals. </p>
<p>According to the <a href="https://www.abdn.ac.uk/bestiary/">Aberdeen Bestiary</a> (c. 1200): “No creature is more intelligent than the dog, for dogs have more understanding than other animals; they alone recognise their names and love their masters.”</p>
<p>The association between dogs and loyalty is also expressed in the art of the period, including <a href="https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O64856/tobias-and-sara-on-their-panel-unknown/">in relation to marriage</a>. In tomb monuments, depictions of dogs <a href="https://brill.com/display/book/edcoll/9789004328617/B9789004328617_012.xml?language=zh&print=">indicate</a> fidelity of a wife to the husband who lies beside her.</p>
<p>In the case of clerical tombs, however, they may suggest the faith of the deceased, such as Archbishop William Courtenay (d. 1396), buried in Trinity Chapel, Canterbury Cathedral. Courtenay’s alabaster effigy reposes atop a tomb chest on the south side of the chapel. The archbishop wears the robes and mitre of his office, and two angels support his cushioned head. A long-eared dog wearing a belled collar lies obediently at his feet.</p>
<p>Although it’s tempting to wonder whether the dog depicted on Courtenay’s tomb may represent an actual pet owned by the archbishop, the belled collar was a popular convention of contemporary iconography, especially for lapdogs.</p>
<h2>Pampered pooches</h2>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570197/original/file-20240118-15-r925rs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A nude painting in which a woman looks in a mirror. At her feet is a white, pampered-looking dog." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570197/original/file-20240118-15-r925rs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570197/original/file-20240118-15-r925rs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=950&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570197/original/file-20240118-15-r925rs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=950&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570197/original/file-20240118-15-r925rs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=950&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570197/original/file-20240118-15-r925rs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1194&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570197/original/file-20240118-15-r925rs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1194&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570197/original/file-20240118-15-r925rs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1194&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Allegory of Vanity by Hans Memling (c. 1490).</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hans_Memling_Vanité_ca_1490.jpg">Museum of Fine Arts of Strasbourg</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Like their modern counterparts, medieval dog owners with means kitted out their companions with a variety of accessories, including leashes, <a href="https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O73327/the-devonshire-hunting-tapestries-tapestry-unknown/?carousel-image=2006BF7088">coats</a> and cushions made from fine materials. </p>
<p>Such material investment <a href="https://www.academia.edu/27942359/_Coats_Collars_and_Capes_Royal_Fashions_for_Animals_in_the_Early_Modern_Period_in_Medieval_Clothing_and_Textiles_Vol_12_2016_pp_61_94">was central</a> to the aristocratic culture of <em>vivre noblement</em> (the art of living nobly), where the deliberate consumption of luxury commodities publicly demonstrated one’s status.</p>
<p>Popular perceptions of dog owning and accessorising also fed gendered stereotypes. Whereas men were more likely to own active dogs for the protection of their life and property, women preferred lapdogs they could cradle and pamper. Toy dogs, then, could also be <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/347765860_Arnolfini%27s_best_friend_Fellowship_and_familiarity_in_Jan_van_Eyck%27s_Arnolfini_portrait">associated with female idleness and vice</a>, as seen in Hans Memling’s painting <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hans_Memling_Vanit%C3%A9_ca_1490.jpg">Allegory of Vanity</a> (c. 1485).</p>
<p>But even working dogs needed meticulous care and attention if they were to perform at their best. A miniature in a lavish 15th-century copy of Gaston Phébus’s influential book <em>Livre de la Chasse</em> (Book of Hunting) shows kennel attendants examining dogs’ teeth, eyes, and ears – while another bathes the paws of <a href="https://www.themorgan.org/collection/livre-de-la-chasse/32">a very good boy</a>.</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Emily Savage does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
The place of dogs in society changed when hunting became an aristocratic pastime, rather than a necessity.
Emily Savage, Associate lecturer in the school of art history, St Andrews Institute of Medieval Studies, University of St Andrews
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/220838
2024-01-16T20:51:12Z
2024-01-16T20:51:12Z
Remembered by our pets: More animals are getting a mention in obituaries
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569427/original/file-20240115-15-82sgl2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=40%2C30%2C6700%2C5022&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Over the years, more obituaries have grown longer, providing more room to mention a person's pets, hobbies and passions.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Animals occupy many different roles in our lives. Some consider them members of the family, while others appreciate the reminder to take daily walks.</p>
<p>From <a href="https://theconversation.com/service-dogs-play-vital-roles-for-veterans-but-canadas-lack-of-standards-makes-travel-and-access-difficult-219470">service dogs</a> and <a href="https://a-z-animals.com/blog/animals-that-have-been-made-into-service-animals/">emotional support animals</a> to the pet waiting to greet us at the front door, animals can bring joy, comfort and companionship to our lives. So naturally, these relationships that form throughout our lives would continue — or at least be commemorated — in death.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/insight/this-humane-society-needs-a-bigger-home-what-happens-to-the-650-pets-buried-in/article_b25eba3a-99f7-11ee-a7f5-473bdce48588.html"><em>Toronto Star</em></a> recently reported on efforts to excavate and move over 600 animals from an Oakville, Ont. pet cemetery. As that story highlighted, and as <a href="https://muse.jhu.edu/book/46086/">many others will note</a>, burying, embalming or cremating animals is hardly a new practice. These funerary practices offer ways to honour a pet and everything they meant to us.</p>
<p>But what about when the owner dies first? As it turns out, animals are more frequently getting mentioned in the obituaries of their human companions.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569423/original/file-20240115-67455-vfr8d9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A smiling woman carries a bulldog" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569423/original/file-20240115-67455-vfr8d9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569423/original/file-20240115-67455-vfr8d9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569423/original/file-20240115-67455-vfr8d9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569423/original/file-20240115-67455-vfr8d9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569423/original/file-20240115-67455-vfr8d9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569423/original/file-20240115-67455-vfr8d9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569423/original/file-20240115-67455-vfr8d9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">From service dogs and emotional support animals to the pet waiting to greet us at the front door, animals can bring joy, comfort and companionship.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>How obituaries are changing</h2>
<p>Writing an obituary is one of the many practices people conduct when a loved one dies. Formerly, they were reserved for society’s elite, but the <a href="https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203015964">democratization of the obituary</a> has resulted in more people being memorialized in this way.</p>
<p>We write obituaries for different purposes. Some of these are purely practical; to announce that someone died, or invite family and friends to the funeral.</p>
<p>More importantly though, obituaries give the bereaved a chance to tell a story about someone they loved. Who were they? What did they enjoy? What were their values?</p>
<p>As one of the studies within the <a href="https://nonreligionproject.ca/">Nonreligion in a Complex Future</a> project, our team has <a href="https://nonreligionproject.ca/obituaries/">analyzed Canadian obituaries</a> over the last century to understand transformations in how people commemorate the dead. As it turns out, animals are appearing more frequently with each passing year.</p>
<p>As recently as 1990, not a single one of the 53 obituaries published on a given Saturday in the <em>Toronto Star</em> mentioned any pets. This steadily started to change, however. We learn that, in 1991, Harriet will be “sadly missed by all of her friends and animals.” Likewise, Berton — who died in 1998 — was “sadly missed by his ‘good boy Scamp.’”</p>
<p>By the mid-2000s, roughly one to four per cent of obituaries mentioned pets. Since 2015, this number has climbed as high as 15 per cent.</p>
<p>Granted, these figures are not exactly overwhelming. In a sample from 1980 to 2022 containing 3,241 obituaries, only 79 mention animals. However, this minor uptick points to a transformation in how people compose obituaries.</p>
<h2>Telling personal stories</h2>
<p>Our research shows that, since the early 1900s, obituaries have grown progressively longer. The old standard was short notices stating the deceased’s name, age and where they died — all in the space of about four lines. In recent years, the mean length has grown to around 40 lines, with some reaching over 100 lines.</p>
<p>This added space leaves room for more information about the deceased. For example, over 80 per cent of recent obituaries mention the deceased’s children. This is up from about 50 per cent prior to 1960.</p>
<p>Recent obituaries are also more likely to mention the deceased’s education, occupation or hobbies. Beyond just listing attributes, it is common to see rich, detailed descriptions. Rather than be defined by their job title, we read that one man was “a dedicated visionary who remained proud of and loyal to his many employees and colleagues.”</p>
<h2>Our furry friends</h2>
<p>As obituaries grow longer and more detailed, it only seems fair that animals get some attention. It has become more common to mention someone’s pet, or love of animals. Passages also grow more detailed. Beyond the pet’s name, we learn whether they were a “hoity-toity poodle,” a “loyal companion” or “the best dog ever.”</p>
<p>Occupation is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2015.1056562">another staple of obituaries</a>. For Mary, who died in 2019, a career highlight while working at Nestle Purina was “inducting various heroic pets and service dogs into the Purina Hall of Fame.” Not just a professional passion; Mary also had six black Labradors at home.</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13576275.2020.1784122">Hobbies and interests</a> are becoming more common in death notices. For Bobby, these included “sitting in his garden with his dog, Chloe” and “being entertained by his beloved parrot, Pookie.”</p>
<p>Rather than send the family flowers, many obituaries now close by requesting <a href="https://www.lovetoknow.com/life/grief-loss/lieu-flowers-wording-ideas-etiquette">donations in the deceased’s memory</a>. Unsurprisingly, groups like the <a href="https://ontariospca.ca/">Humane Society</a>, the <a href="https://www.farleyfoundation.org/">Farley Foundation</a> and various nature conservancy groups are growing in popularity.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569428/original/file-20240115-67455-4xa2ar.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A smiling golden retriever" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569428/original/file-20240115-67455-4xa2ar.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569428/original/file-20240115-67455-4xa2ar.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569428/original/file-20240115-67455-4xa2ar.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569428/original/file-20240115-67455-4xa2ar.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569428/original/file-20240115-67455-4xa2ar.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569428/original/file-20240115-67455-4xa2ar.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569428/original/file-20240115-67455-4xa2ar.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">It has become more common to mention someone’s pet or their love of animals in their obituary.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The new ways we grieve</h2>
<p>This trend in death notices hints at a broader societal shift. Namely, <a href="https://academic.oup.com/socrel/article-abstract/78/1/9/3053446">people are placing greater value on nature</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/00377686231170993">non-human animals</a>. The reasons behind this turn are varied and complex. But the evidence — in <a href="https://doi.org/10.2752/175303713X13636846944204">obituaries</a> and <a href="https://nonreligionproject.ca/trekking/">beyond</a> — suggests people are finding meaningful connection through the natural world and with other-than-human creatures.</p>
<p>Animals aside, obituaries also reveal important transformations in how we commemorate the dead. These were once brief, formulaic texts (and some still are). But more frequently, obituaries are windows into the life of a person. They can be <a href="https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/an-ontario-woman-s-scathing-obituary-for-her-dad-raises-questions-do-we-have-to/article_aaaf6d28-0224-5c9a-9eaa-c124482e04bc.html">sad or tragic</a>, but also <a href="https://www.lex18.com/news/he-up-and-died-on-us-sons-hilarious-obituary-goes-viral">funny, sarcastic and heartwarming</a>.</p>
<p>Above all, obituaries are now more personal. To commemorate the lasting memory of someone they loved, families want to share with the world what made that person special. This can be told through the activities, people or pets that brought them joy throughout their lives. For some, this means cheering for their favourite hockey team, or recalling the time they scored a hole-in-one, and, often, the furry friend they curled up with at the end of a long day.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/220838/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Chris Miller does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Writing an obituary is one of the many things people do when a loved one dies. And animals are more frequently mentioned in the obituaries of their human companions.
Chris Miller, Postdoctoral fellow, Nonreligion in a Complex Future project, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/220926
2024-01-16T14:55:36Z
2024-01-16T14:55:36Z
Why South Korea is banning the sale of dog meat
<p>The South Korean dog meat trade will officially end in 2027 after a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/09/south-korea-votes-to-ban-production-and-sale-of-dog-meat">bill was passed</a> making the slaughter of dogs and the sale of dog meat for human consumption illegal in the country (though the consumption of dog meat will still be legal). People who violate this new law could be fined up to 30 million won (about £18,000) and be jailed for three years.</p>
<p>The news has been embraced in South Korea as a long-awaited victory by many animal protection organisations. But it has also been received very negatively by pro-dog-meat associations, as the livelihoods of dog meat farmers and retailers will be directly affected by this legislation. </p>
<p>Dog meat is the <a href="https://www.press.purdue.edu/9781612497075/">fourth-most consumed meat</a> in South Korea after pork, beef and chicken. However, the practice of eating dogs has been in sharp decline over the past few decades and has divided South Korean society for more than half a century. </p>
<p>For some, the trade represents resistance against cultural imperialism. For others, it is an obstacle to modernity. All the while, little attention is given to the fate of other animals whose death and commodification as meat are largely normalised and accepted.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A bowl of dog meat soup." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569279/original/file-20240115-23-jei9my.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569279/original/file-20240115-23-jei9my.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569279/original/file-20240115-23-jei9my.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569279/original/file-20240115-23-jei9my.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569279/original/file-20240115-23-jei9my.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=507&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569279/original/file-20240115-23-jei9my.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=507&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569279/original/file-20240115-23-jei9my.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=507&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Bosintang is a traditional Korean soup that uses dog meat as its primary ingredient.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/boshintang-korean-soup-that-includes-dog-499106899">Fanfo/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Stigmatisation of a practice</h2>
<p>Dog consumption has a long history in Korea. Some Korean scholars point to the excavation of dog bones from Korean relics dating to the Neolithic age (roughly from 6000BC to 2000BC) as <a href="https://www.press.purdue.edu/9781612497075/">evidence</a> that dogs have been eaten since at least that period.</p>
<p>But an important moment of national and international friction around the practice occurred in the run-up to the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games. The South Korean government at the time <a href="https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/D/bo3637968.html">banned the sale</a> of dog meat temporarily in the traditional markets of the capital and asked dog meat retailers to remove dog carcasses from their stalls to avoid offending foreigners. </p>
<p>This decision was <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10649867.2018.1547959">widely criticised</a> by part of South Korean civil society who saw it as a form of cultural imperialism reminiscent of colonial times when many Korean cultural traditions were erased or stigmatised. This episode aroused feelings of national pride and protection towards the consumption of dog meat.</p>
<p>It was followed by a stronger reaction during the 2002 Fifa World Cup (which was co-hosted by South Korea). Influential South Korean public and political figures <a href="https://muse.jhu.edu/article/629658">took a public stance</a> in favour of dog meat as a national cultural symbol. </p>
<p>Tensions were further reignited before the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, a city in the country’s north-east. It was <a href="https://koreandogs.org/pc2018-sign-project/">reported</a> that the hiding of dog meat restaurant signs and dog carcasses had once again been introduced by the government. </p>
<h2>A practice in sharp decline</h2>
<p>However, there’s no denying that dog meat consumption in South Korea has slumped dramatically, particularly since 2000. In 2002, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07256868.2010.491272">3 million dogs</a> were slaughtered for consumption in South Korea per year. According to animal protection group, Kara, this had fallen to <a href="https://www.animals.or.kr/report/press/51382">just under 1 million</a> by the early 2020s – a third of what it was more than 20 years ago. </p>
<p>In recent decades, a <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07256868.2010.491272">civil movement</a> led by animal protection charities has campaigned for the end of the trade. This movement has largely been supported by younger generations who, perhaps also influenced by the development of “pet culture”, are more inclined to challenge centuries of tradition than previous generations.</p>
<p>It could be argued that the COVID pandemic has also played a part in the sharp fall in dog meat consumption in recent years. Until the outbreak of COVID, live animals, including dogs, were often sold and slaughtered in traditional markets. Since then, municipal authorities have opened a dialogue with dog retailers to negotiate the demolition of dog slaughtering facilities. </p>
<p>Ongoing research conducted by one of us (Julien Dugnoille) alongside colleagues (Frédéric Keck and Miwon Seo-Plu) suggests that the pandemic may have facilitated a move away from the status quo on dog meat consumption. This shift has created a discussion around the end of the practice as a way to keep urban spaces free from the risk of diseases that can be spread between animals and humans.</p>
<h2>The perspective of the dog farmers</h2>
<p>Since 2014, some of these municipalities have agreed to compensate dog meat retailers for closing dog meat stalls in traditional markets. However, now that a full ban is coming into effect, dog meat farmers are requesting compensation schemes as this new law will directly affect their livelihoods.</p>
<p>The Korean Dog Meat Association has been <a href="https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2023/12/113_364963.html">arguing</a> that the bill represents an abuse of power that overlooks the perspective of many South Koreans, and that it infringes on the right to choose what one wants to eat. Last December, the Association demanded compensation for farmers of 2 million won per individual dog (about £1,200) and a grace period of ten years after the ban.</p>
<p>While the ban may be good news for Korean dogs, dog lovers and for animal protectionists, it adversely affects those whose livelihoods depend on the domestic trade and who have practised the profession for generations. </p>
<p>The change does not necessarily mean an end to the consumption of dog meat in South Korea. Dog meat consumption will continue to be lawful (presumably supplied by imported meat). </p>
<p>Still, this is a milestone for the Korean relation to dogs that cements the dog’s privileged status, in contrast to other animals whose commodification as meat remains normalised and invisible.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/220926/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Julien Dugnoille received funding from the Korea Foundation and the Academy of Korean Studies to conduct part of the research on which this paper is based.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>John Knight does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
A new law has been introduced that officially brings dog meat to an end as a commodity in South Korea.
Julien Dugnoille, Senior Lecturer in Anthropology, University of Exeter
John Knight, Reader in Anthropology and Ethnomusicology, Queen's University Belfast
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/219470
2024-01-08T21:22:07Z
2024-01-08T21:22:07Z
Service dogs play vital roles for veterans, but Canada’s lack of standards makes travel and access difficult
<iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/service-dogs-play-vital-roles-for-veterans-but-canadas-lack-of-standards-makes-travel-and-access-difficult" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>It is becoming common to see dogs assisting people with their mental health in Canadian communities. Over the past five years, our <a href="https://www.pawsitiveconnectionslab.com">research lab</a> has been studying the <a href="https://doi.org/10.21061/jvs.v7i1.194">benefits of service dogs for Canadian veterans</a> dealing with post-traumatic stress injuries and other mental health challenges. </p>
<p>Our findings align with research from the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.22587">United States</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2023.115212">Australia</a> emphasizing the valuable role of service dogs in veterans’ treatment plans. For example, service dogs can wake a veteran from a traumatic nightmare. </p>
<p>This finding also aligns with studies examining the positive effects of owning a pet on mental health. While there is a need for <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0274960">more research</a>, most anyone with a pet in their family can attest to some benefit. </p>
<p>Our research team is not only adding to the growing evidence about the benefits of specific tasks a trained service dog can assist a veteran with, but we are also uncovering the positive impacts of the human-animal bond. The <a href="https://www.avma.org/one-health/human-animal-bond">human-animal bond</a> is understood as a mutually beneficial relationship between people and animals. </p>
<h2>Approaches to training and standards</h2>
<p>In early 2023, our research lab identified nearly <a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/629f8dcf8cbdb56e047bb866/t/642b0b527763c50e7c2be22a/1680542550706/UofS+-+Canadian+Service+Dogs.pdf">100 service dog training organizations</a> in Canada. The number is likely even higher today. This ranged from not-for-profit organizations that train a person’s pet dog to be a service dog, to for-profit organizations that provide a service dog to a veteran for a fee they are commonly asked to fundraise — this can be upwards of $30,000. </p>
<p>Considering this difference alone, it is easy to see why there is a need for service dog standards in Canada. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.scc.ca/en/standards/what-are-standards">Standards</a> are generally agreed upon rules, guidelines or characteristics for activities or their results. Basically, they offer guidance, just like a recipe to make dog biscuits would! An example of a standard for service dogs is requirements for their selection, training, safety and welfare. </p>
<p>Given that there are very different approaches among organizations in how service dogs are trained and matched with veterans, neither the service dog industry nor Canada’s federal, provincial or territorial governments have come to any consensus on what the standards should be. </p>
<p>In fact, in 2017, the <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/service-dogs-ptsd-standards-1.4625484">Canadian General Standards Board</a> continued a process that was initiated by members of the service dog community in <a href="https://www.cf4aass.ca/application/files/7516/6665/7748/firstcndmilassistdogsummitreport2013finalversion.pdf">2013</a>. The aim was to reach a consensus, but it was unsuccessful and may have inadvertently increased confusion and tension in the field. <a href="https://cf4aass.ca/application/files/6616/7651/1209/consensus-_standards_-are_they_going_to_the_dogs.pdf">The need for service dog standards was identified</a> at least two decades earlier in Canada. </p>
<h2>Impact of lack of standards</h2>
<p>The lack of national standards has led provinces and territories to take <a href="https://www.cf4aass.ca/resource-one/resource-six">assorted approaches</a>, if any, to public access for service dogs. This has resulted in numerous challenges for veterans, such as <a href="https://www.alberta.ca/service-dogs-in-public">travelling between provinces</a> with their service dogs. </p>
<p>It has prompted <a href="https://policies.usask.ca/documents/procedures-student-service-animals.pdf">businesses and organizations</a> lacking expertise about service dogs to create their own policies. It has also made human rights commissions and tribunals busy with <a href="https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2022/12/02/service-dog-user-urged-to-file-human-rights-case">complaints</a>. </p>
<p>The impact of the lack of standards extends beyond its effects on veterans with service dogs. It also affects others matched with service dogs, including first responders and current Canadian Armed Forces members, as well as other forms of service dogs who are trained to assist, like <a href="https://autismdogservices.ca/">autism service dogs</a> and <a href="https://www.dogguides.com/programs/diabetic-alert/">diabetes alert</a> service dogs.</p>
<h2>Taking action to improve veteran health</h2>
<p>There may not be consensus in Canada right now about national and/or provincial and territorial service dog standards, but we are confident the field can agree upon one thing — our commitment to improving veteran health. </p>
<p>In the meantime, we propose a shift toward practical approaches that government, service dog organizations and trainers, businesses and members of the general public can take to improve veteran health. These suggestions recognize the value of the human-animal bond. </p>
<h2>Role of governments:</h2>
<ul>
<li><p>Recognize the merits of developing standards through a process that honours the human-animal bond experiences of veterans and service dogs. Consider the guidance offered from the 2023 voluntary process undertaken by the <a href="https://www.cf4aass.ca/application/files/7216/9543/2723/CAN.HRSO-500.01-2023-A.1-EN.pdf">Canadian Foundation for Animal Assisted Support Services</a> to develop a management system for all animal-involved human support services. </p></li>
<li><p>Be familiar with the value of accreditation for organizational quality standards. In 2023, two service dog programs, <a href="https://www.canadianaccreditation.ca/accreditation/accredited-organizations/?wpv_view_count=937&wpv-wpcf-organization=audeamus&wpv_filter_submit=Submit&wpv_aux_current_post_id=932&wpv_aux_parent_post_id=932">Audeamus Inc.</a> and <a href="https://www.canadianaccreditation.ca/accreditation/accredited-organizations/?wpv_view_count=937&wpv-wpcf-organization=courageous+comp&wpv_filter_submit=Submit&wpv_aux_current_post_id=932&wpv_aux_parent_post_id=932">Courageous Companions Inc.</a>, achieved several accreditation standards (for example, Governance & Management) for the first time in Canada through the <a href="https://www.canadianaccreditation.ca/accreditation/accredited-organizations/">Canadian Accreditation Council</a>. Both Audeamus and Courageous Companions recognize the bond between a veteran and their service dog. </p></li>
<li><p>Accreditation in this case is not to be confused with service dog standards. <a href="https://www.canadianaccreditation.ca/">Accreditation typically reviews an organization’s general structures, programs and practices involving humans against the accrediting body’s standards</a>. </p></li>
<li><p>Review the <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/programs/about-canada-revenue-agency-cra/federal-government-budgets/budget-2018-equality-growth-strong-middle-class/medical-expenses-tax-credit.html#wb-cont">Medical Expense Tax Credit — Service Animals</a> program that applies to veterans and consider the applicability of such a program to pets. Service dogs are specially trained to perform technical tasks well beyond what a pet can. However, recognition of the health benefits of the human-animal bond with pets is likewise important. </p></li>
<li><p>The <a href="https://otc-cta.gc.ca/eng/content/canadian-transportation-agency-issues-final-decision-about-travelling-emotional-support">Canadian Transportation Agency</a> can be looked to for guidance with its recent decision on how individuals being treated for a mental disability can travel in an air, rail or ferry passenger cabin with an <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/pov-sorting-out-the-service-dog-confusion-ainsley-hawthorn-1.5471013">emotional support animal</a>, and specifically dogs in an approved animal carrier. These passengers are recognized by a mental health professional to have a beneficial emotional connection or bond with their pet.</p></li>
</ul>
<h2>Role of service dog organizations and trainers:</h2>
<ul>
<li><p>Service dog trainers embrace a <a href="https://www.saskhealthauthority.ca/our-organization/our-direction/engagement/sha-engagement-framework/trauma-informed-engagement">trauma-informed approach</a> to provide services to people with a mental health concern. The online, three-hour <a href="https://servicedogtoolkit.ca/">Connecting for Veteran Wellness</a> certificate course recognizes the role of trauma and the beneficial influence of the human-animal bond on client health. It is now available at no cost.</p></li>
<li><p>Acknowledge the interconnectedness of human and animal welfare by exploring a
<a href="https://www.animalhealthcanada.ca/work-areas/one-welfare">One Welfare framework</a> to challenge the influence of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/speciesism">speciesism</a>, the assumption of human superiority over animals, in the service dog field. This aligns with <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/h6040078">Indigenous worldviews</a> of the relationship between human, animal and planetary health.</p></li>
</ul>
<h2>Role of the general public:</h2>
<ul>
<li><p>Recognize the challenges veterans face when in public with their service dogs, such as being denied access to a business because of <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/this-service-dog-isn-t-a-golden-retriever-or-lab-is-that-why-this-woman-wasn-t-allowed-in-an-ontario-hotel-1.6711426">stigma</a> or having a stranger <a href="https://www.alberta.ca/service-dogs-in-public">ask them to disclose their disability</a> for their own interest by inquiring about the reason they need a service dog. </p></li>
<li><p>Be informed about what service dogs do and who they are, including that they can be any breed of dog. </p></li>
</ul>
<p>A recent <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13193091">Canadian survey</a> by our research lab found that the Canadian public generally holds positive views of service dogs, with some groups (for example, women) more supportive than others. In this area, Canada is doing well!</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/219470/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Colleen Dell receives funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and has received funding from Health Canada and Veterans Affairs Canada to study service dogs.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Linzi Williamson receives funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). </span></em></p>
Organizations have very different approaches to training service dogs and matching them with veterans. Neither the industry nor Canada’s provinces and territories have come to a consensus on standards.
Colleen Dell, Professor and Research Chair in One Health & Wellness, University of Saskatchewan
Linzi Williamson, Assistant Professor, Psychology & Health Studies, University of Saskatchewan
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/204813
2024-01-07T19:03:59Z
2024-01-07T19:03:59Z
Dogs are incredible – if unlikely – allies in conservation
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/565576/original/file-20231213-15-j64ksb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=10%2C10%2C6699%2C4436&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source"> UniSC Detection Dogs for Conservation</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Dogs have been working with people for centuries. Think hunting dogs, herding dogs, police dogs or search and rescue dogs. But have you heard of conservation dogs?</p>
<p>Conservation dogs fall mainly into two categories: guardian dogs and sniffer dogs (also called scent, detection or detector dogs).</p>
<p>Guardian dogs protect vulnerable species from predators, while sniffer dogs locate targets of interest using their powerful sense of smell.</p>
<p>In the past 15 years, dogs have begun to play a <a href="https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/2041-210X.13560">crucial role in conservation</a> around the world. So let’s take a closer look at them, with a focus on their work in Australia. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/koala-detecting-dogs-sniff-out-flaws-in-australias-threatened-species-protection-121118">Koala-detecting dogs sniff out flaws in Australia's threatened species protection</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>The nose that knows</h2>
<p>Guardian dogs were made famous by the 2015 movie <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3401748/">Oddball</a>. The film is based on the true story of <a href="http://www.warrnamboolpenguins.com.au/maremma-dogs#:%7E:text=In%20a%20world%2Dfirst%2C%20Maremma,for%20the%20Middle%20Island%20Project.">Maremma dogs</a>, trained to protect little penguins from foxes on Middle Island near Warrnambool in southwest Victoria. The penguin population had dwindled to fewer than ten before the Maremma dogs got involved. The breed was chosen for its long association with guarding sheep in Europe. </p>
<p>But most conservation dogs are sniffer dogs, because there are so many uses for them. They can be trained to find animals or plants, or “indirect” signs animals have left behind such as poo or feathers. </p>
<p>Dogs can detect <em>anything</em> with an odour – and <em>everything</em> has an odour.
<a href="https://www.ecolsoc.org.au/?hottopic-entry=detection-dogs-provide-a-powerful-method-for-conservation-surveys">Sniffer dogs</a> are trained to detect a target scent and point it out to their human coworker (sometimes referred to as handler or <a href="https://roguedogs.org/iwanttobeabounder">bounder</a>).</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/565582/original/file-20231213-26-j686k1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A photo of a sniffer dog during training, dropping to the ground to show where she found the target odour in a jar" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/565582/original/file-20231213-26-j686k1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/565582/original/file-20231213-26-j686k1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565582/original/file-20231213-26-j686k1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565582/original/file-20231213-26-j686k1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565582/original/file-20231213-26-j686k1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565582/original/file-20231213-26-j686k1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565582/original/file-20231213-26-j686k1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">During training, sniffer dog Billie Jean drops to the ground when she finds her target odour.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Russell Miller, UniSC Detection Dogs for Conservation</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Sniffer dogs have been trained for various missions such as:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>finding rare and endangered species</p></li>
<li><p>detecting invasive animals during eradication or containment such as <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-16/sniffer-dogs-help-fight-battle-against-fire-ants-in-queensland/6623876">fire ants</a> or <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/python-sniffing-dogs-floridas-newest-weapon-fighting-invasive/story?id=74776821">snakes</a> </p></li>
<li><p>locating <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/canberra-saturdaybreakfast/oakley-the-conservation-dog-helping-the-act/102722540">pest plants</a></p></li>
<li><p>supporting wildlife surveys by detecting scats (<a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-17/koala-poo-sniffing-dog-recruitment/7176218">poo</a>), urine, <a href="https://blog.csiro.au/sniffing-out-solutions-detection-dogs-are-helping-threatened-species/">vomit</a>, nests, carcasses and even <a href="https://molecularecologyblog.com/2019/08/19/interview-with-the-author-detecting-pathogens-in-koalas-dogs-versus-qpcr/">diseases</a>. </p></li>
</ul>
<p>They have worked in extreme conditions on land (including on <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-11/wonder-dog-protects-island-from-rodents/12338438">sub-Antarctic islands</a>) and <a href="https://whalesanctuaryproject.org/dio-the-dog-goes-sniffing-for-whale-poop/">at sea</a>, and can even detect <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/sniffer-dogs-conservation-sea-turtles-florida">scent located underground</a>. Sniffer dogs have also trained to recognise <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/4496200">individual animals such as tigers</a> by scent.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566063/original/file-20231215-23-tvog7v.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A sniffer dog poses with an open copy of a french book about the incredible nose of the dog by Frank Rosell" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566063/original/file-20231215-23-tvog7v.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566063/original/file-20231215-23-tvog7v.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566063/original/file-20231215-23-tvog7v.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566063/original/file-20231215-23-tvog7v.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566063/original/file-20231215-23-tvog7v.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566063/original/file-20231215-23-tvog7v.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566063/original/file-20231215-23-tvog7v.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Sniffer dog Maya poses with a french copy of a book about the incredible nose of the dog by Frank Rosell.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Romane Cristescu, UniSC Detection Dogs for Conservation</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The ultimate scent detection machine</h2>
<p>A dog’s nose is estimated to be <a href="https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/S/bo27611471.html">100,000 to 100 million times</a> more sensitive than a human nose (depending on the dog breed). A much larger proportion (seven to 40 times larger) of the dog’s brain is dedicated to decoding scent. </p>
<p>That means dogs can detect very low scent concentrations – the equivalent of <a href="https://www.exploratorium.edu/blogs/spectrum/dogs-smell-time#:%7E:text=With%20up%20to%20300%20million,continuously%2C%20even%20as%20they%20exhale">a teaspoon of sugar in five million litres of water (or two Olympic-sized swimming pools)</a>. They can also differentiate between very similar odours. </p>
<p>Dogs analyse the air from each of their nostrils independently, detecting tiny variations in scent concentration. This gives them a directional sense of smell that can guide them left or right until they’ve honed in on the origin of the scent.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2871809/">Thanks to very sophisticated nostrils</a>, dogs can avoid contaminating an odour with their own breath (exhaling air through the nostrils’ sides). They also can analyse odours continuously regardless of whether they are inhaling or exhaling. </p>
<p>Besides being the ultimate scent detection machine, dogs are great ambassadors for conservation – melting hearts all the way to <a href="https://ew.com/movies/2019/11/28/tom-hanks-twitter-nice-tweets/">Hollywood</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/565570/original/file-20231213-27-awguev.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A still from a video on twitter featuring Hollywood actor Tom Hanks reading and responding to tweets including one about the koala detection dog Bear." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/565570/original/file-20231213-27-awguev.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/565570/original/file-20231213-27-awguev.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=361&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565570/original/file-20231213-27-awguev.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=361&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565570/original/file-20231213-27-awguev.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=361&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565570/original/file-20231213-27-awguev.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=453&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565570/original/file-20231213-27-awguev.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=453&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565570/original/file-20231213-27-awguev.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=453&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">While reading a tweet about our IFAW / UniSC koala detection dog Bear, Hollywood actor Tom Hanks said: ‘This is a Disney movie that must be made’, before suggesting a title: ‘The story of Bear: The Koala Detection Dog’. ‘I like bear!’</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">X/Twitter</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1723910643353587775"}"></div></p>
<h2>Finding the right candidate for the job</h2>
<p>Some organisations rescue their dogs. They look for the toy-obsessed kind – those dogs that never stop playing.</p>
<p>In many cases these dogs were abandoned for that very reason. They require constant entertainment and become difficult to care for in a normal family setting, where people have to leave for work and devote time to activities other than entertaining their dog. </p>
<p>A sniffer dog gets to be with their handlers almost every day of the week. That work consists of long walks with lots of play. </p>
<p>Trainers use toys and play as a reward, so dogs learn to associate this reward with the target scent.</p>
<p>Learning through association – called <a href="https://open.lib.umn.edu/intropsyc/chapter/7-1-learning-by-association-classical-conditioning/">classical or pavlovian conditioning</a> – is very easy for dogs. It’s so easy that the scent-learning part of the job is usually the quickest. Training a dog to feel confident and be safe in the natural environment is more challenging. And if the dog had a troubled background before being rescued, rehabilitation is the most time-consuming and difficult component of the training. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/565581/original/file-20231213-25-h9ef4v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Rear view of two sniffer dogs sitting with their handler in a grassy hilltop gazing into the distance" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/565581/original/file-20231213-25-h9ef4v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/565581/original/file-20231213-25-h9ef4v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=393&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565581/original/file-20231213-25-h9ef4v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=393&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565581/original/file-20231213-25-h9ef4v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=393&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565581/original/file-20231213-25-h9ef4v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=493&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565581/original/file-20231213-25-h9ef4v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=493&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565581/original/file-20231213-25-h9ef4v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=493&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Sniffer dogs with their handler Russell Miller near Gympie region in Queensland, Australia.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Katrin Hohwieler, UniSC Detection Dogs for Conservation</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>What type of dog can become a sniffer dog?</h2>
<p>The most important aspect of the association learning process is having the right dog – one with obsessive behaviour. And <a href="https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/2041-210X.13560">any breed, sex and age of dog</a> can present this personality type.</p>
<p>Some breeds might tend to have higher proportions of obsessed and toy-focused dogs, but all breeds, including crossbreeds, have been successfully deployed as sniffer dogs.</p>
<p>Some breeds do have better sniffers – the bloodhound is the champion of olfactory performance – but depending on the target scent, most dogs’ noses are still extremely efficient and more than capable of the task.</p>
<p>Robust, agile and high-energy breeds are better suited to working outdoors. Medium-sized breeds are usually better able to crawl under and jump over obstacles, while also light enough to be easily carried by their human coworker as needed.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/553803/original/file-20231015-23-54t3en.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A wildlife rescuer wearing fire protective gear carries detection dog Bear" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/553803/original/file-20231015-23-54t3en.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/553803/original/file-20231015-23-54t3en.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/553803/original/file-20231015-23-54t3en.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/553803/original/file-20231015-23-54t3en.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/553803/original/file-20231015-23-54t3en.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/553803/original/file-20231015-23-54t3en.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/553803/original/file-20231015-23-54t3en.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">International Fund for Animal Welfare IFAW / UniSC koala detection dog ‘Bear’ was deployed during the Black Summer fires (2019-20) to find survivors. Pictured here with the author Romane Cristescu at Two Thumbs Wildlife Trust sanctuaries in Cooma, New South Wales.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Kye McDonald, UniSC Detection Dogs for Conservation</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/scientists-find-burnt-starving-koalas-weeks-after-the-bushfires-133519">Scientists find burnt, starving koalas weeks after the bushfires</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Top jobs for conservation dogs</h2>
<p>Meet dogs working in conservation around the world:</p>
<ul>
<li><p><a href="https://whalesanctuaryproject.org/dio-the-dog-goes-sniffing-for-whale-poop/">detecting orca poo</a></p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://www.australiandoglover.com/2016/06/detector-dogs-saved-macquarie-island.html?m=0">making</a> and <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-11/wonder-dog-protects-island-from-rodents/12338438">keeping</a> World Heritage-listed islands and Antarctica pristine </p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://theconversation.com/scientists-find-burnt-starving-koalas-weeks-after-the-bushfires-133519">wildlife search and rescue</a></p></li>
<li><p>working as <a href="https://www.warrnamboolpenguins.com.au/maremma-dogs">guardians</a></p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-16/sniffer-dogs-help-fight-battle-against-fire-ants-in-queensland/6623876">containing fire ants</a></p></li>
<li><p>leading weed eradication on <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2022-01-23/weed-sniffing-dogs-unleashed-n-tasmanian-central-highlands/100773942">land</a> or <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/canberra-saturdaybreakfast/oakley-the-conservation-dog-helping-the-act/102722540">water</a></p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/aec.13220">monitoring wind farms</a></p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/how-a-vomit-sniffing-dog-is-helping-save-endangered-owls-20190124-p50tg6.html">finding vomit</a> (rejected owl pellets, to be precise)</p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-13/sniffer-dogs-could-help-win-the-battle-against-extinction/7163098">supporting environmental assessments</a></p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://theconversation.com/meet-moss-the-detection-dog-helping-tassie-devils-find-love-142909">helping Tasmanian devils find mates</a></p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://molecularecologyblog.com/2019/08/19/interview-with-the-author-detecting-pathogens-in-koalas-dogs-versus-qpcr/">detecting diseases</a>.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>These are just a few of the dogs making a difference in our fight to protect biodiversity. But we have barely scratched the surface of their potential!</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/204813/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Romane H Cristescu works for Detection Dogs for Conservation, at the University of the Sunshine Coast. She is receiving external funding through multiple government-funded, foundation association, not-for-profit group, and research council grants. She is a founding member and current executive of the Australasian Conservation Dogs Network.</span></em></p>
Conservation dogs perform vital roles across Australia. Some are guardians protecting wildlife from predators while others put their powerful sense of smell to use as sniffer dogs or detection dogs.
Romane H Cristescu, Researcher in Koala, Detection Dogs, Conservation Genetics and Ecology, University of the Sunshine Coast
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/214722
2024-01-02T20:15:58Z
2024-01-02T20:15:58Z
Our dogs can terrify (and even kill) wildlife. Here’s how to be a responsible owner this summer
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566769/original/file-20231220-15-tjfs6b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=22%2C22%2C7326%2C4880&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In Australia, dog ownership often goes hand-in-hand with a love for the great outdoors. Whether it’s walking on the beach, going camping, or having a barbecue in the park, we tend to keep our canine companions close as we soak up the sun.</p>
<p>But many of us forget a key fact about our dogs: they are predators. Even the fluffy little 5kg ball that spends most of its time in your lap derives from an apex predator – and its predatory instincts can kick in at any time. </p>
<p>And while many of our dogs don’t have the same hunting skills as their distant ancestors (who had to hunt for a living), wildlife doesn’t know that. </p>
<p>The impacts of domestic dogs on wildlife aren’t well studied, and likely vary depending on the environment. Nonetheless, there’s good evidence domestic dogs, when left unobserved, can have detrimental effects in the places they visit. </p>
<p>With that in mind, here are some things to consider next time you take your pup out for a bushwalk. </p>
<h2>How dogs impact ecosystems</h2>
<p>There are <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006320717305967">five main ways</a> domestic dogs can negatively impact the natural environments they visit. These are:</p>
<ol>
<li>direct physical harm through predatory behaviour</li>
<li>disturbance through chasing and harassment</li>
<li>increased exposure to diseases</li>
<li>interbreeding, which can alter the gene pool of wild canid populations</li>
<li>increased competition for resources.</li>
</ol>
<p>The good news is the last three points aren’t particularly relevant in Australia. For one thing, there’s little overlap between diseases common in domestic dogs and Australian wildlife. There’s also little resource overlap, except perhaps in some areas where feral or semi-feral dogs live alongside dingoes.</p>
<p>And regarding potential interbreeding, while it was once thought this could threaten the dingo gene pool, <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/mec.16998">recent research</a> suggests it’s not nearly as common as we thought.</p>
<p>As such, the main harms Aussie dog owners should focus on are physical harms through predatory behaviour and disturbance to ecosystems. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566775/original/file-20231220-25-hurgjv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566775/original/file-20231220-25-hurgjv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566775/original/file-20231220-25-hurgjv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=355&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566775/original/file-20231220-25-hurgjv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=355&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566775/original/file-20231220-25-hurgjv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=355&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566775/original/file-20231220-25-hurgjv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=446&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566775/original/file-20231220-25-hurgjv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=446&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566775/original/file-20231220-25-hurgjv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=446&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Owners have a responsibility to minimise their dog’s impact on people, wildlife and the environment.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Dogs can kill</h2>
<p>We know dogs are capable of injuring and killing wildlife, but it’s difficult to determine how common this is, because many events go unreported. While smaller animals such as lizards, gliders and possums are at higher risk, larger species such as koalas can also fall prey to dogs.</p>
<p><a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0206958">One study</a> that looked at wildlife coming into care at Queensland rehabilitation centres reported dog attacks as the cause in about 9% of cases. These cases often resulted in severe injury or death. </p>
<p>Dog owners should be especially wary of small, localised populations of vulnerable species. A <a href="https://ri.conicet.gov.ar/bitstream/handle/11336/202640/CONICET_Digital_Nro.29048152-7a5c-4ea2-8068-e73d42cba01d_B.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=y">study</a> in Argentina’s Patagonia region details several cases of dogs decimating local penguin populations after gaining access to protected island areas during low tide.</p>
<p>Not to mention, dog attacks on wildlife can bring risk to dogs as well. Kangaroos can defend themselves with <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-16/mildura-man-fights-kangaroo-to-protect-dog/102983926">their powerful limbs</a>, monitor lizards are equipped with sharp claws and teeth, and many snake species <a href="https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/dogs-twice-as-likely-to-die-from-snake-bite-as-cats-research-finds-20200519-p54ufd.html">are highly venomous</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/do-dog-talking-buttons-actually-work-does-my-dog-understand-me-heres-what-the-science-says-219807">Do dog 'talking buttons' actually work? Does my dog understand me? Here's what the science says</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>The impact of harassment</h2>
<p>You might think it’s harmless for your dog to chase wildlife if it never manages to catch the animals it chases, but that isn’t true. Wild animals optimise their behaviours to meet their needs for foraging, breeding and resting, and being chased by a dog can disrupt this.</p>
<p>For example, certain threatened bird species will nest on the beach and find foraging opportunities based on the tides. One dog forcing one bird to abandon this important activity may have a small impact. But if it happens repeatedly throughout the day, it can become a <a href="https://wilderness-society.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Dogs-as-agents-of-disturbance-Michael-A.-Weston-and-Theodore-Stankowich.pdf">much bigger problem</a>. It may even drive animals out of the area. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2391219/">Research</a> conducted in Sydney has shown the mere presence of a leashed dog is enough to temporarily, yet dramatically, reduce the number of bird species detected.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566774/original/file-20231220-29-bhw14b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566774/original/file-20231220-29-bhw14b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566774/original/file-20231220-29-bhw14b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566774/original/file-20231220-29-bhw14b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566774/original/file-20231220-29-bhw14b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566774/original/file-20231220-29-bhw14b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566774/original/file-20231220-29-bhw14b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566774/original/file-20231220-29-bhw14b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=565&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Research shows wildlife are sensitive to the presence of domestic dogs.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Keep an eye on your furry pal</h2>
<p>Responsible dog ownership involves making sure our dogs have a minimal impact on others, including wildlife. How can we achieve this when our dogs are simply engaging in behaviours that come naturally to them, and may even be rewarding for them?</p>
<p>Training your dog to have general obedience – especially to come when called – is worth sinking considerable time and effort into. This can save both your dog and any wildlife they may be after. For instance, calling a dog away from a snake is one of the most effective ways of managing snake bite risk.</p>
<p>One <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/333344634_Applying_Social_Marketing_to_Koala_Conservation_The_Leave_It_Pilot_Program">pilot study</a> in Victoria found positive outcomes from a program that helped owners train their dogs to be more obedient around wildlife. </p>
<p>That said, recall training is an art form, and recalling a dog that likes to run off and chase animals can be a huge challenge. </p>
<p>Another solution is to rely on leashes when passing sensitive areas, or where there’s a risk of wildlife harassment. In Australia, many beaches that allow dogs have signs with information about vulnerable birds in the area and how to protect them from your dog. </p>
<p>This could mean keeping your dog off rock platforms, leashing them when you see birds foraging on the beach, or keeping them out of fenced areas. Some areas are simply too vulnerable for dogs to run amok, so always look for signs and read them carefully.</p>
<p>If you’re hiking, use a long line (a leash that’s more than five metres long) and look for signs of your dog detecting something of interest. Often their ears will come up high and forward, and they will freeze and stare intently. </p>
<p>At this point, it doesn’t matter what they’re excited about: take the opportunity to leash them or shorten their leash, and get their attention before they can take off. Investing in a long leash will allow your dog more freedom without putting wildlife at risk. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566771/original/file-20231220-17-gfkjl5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566771/original/file-20231220-17-gfkjl5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566771/original/file-20231220-17-gfkjl5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566771/original/file-20231220-17-gfkjl5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566771/original/file-20231220-17-gfkjl5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566771/original/file-20231220-17-gfkjl5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566771/original/file-20231220-17-gfkjl5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566771/original/file-20231220-17-gfkjl5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Keep an eye out for signs your dog may be about to bolt.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>If your dog does injure an animal, you should quickly contact a wildlife rescue organisation or take the animal to a veterinary practice or sanctuary. For small animals, even minor injuries from a dog will usually require veterinary attention.</p>
<p>It’s our responsibility to be respectful visitors when we’re out in nature, and to make sure our dogs are too. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/if-humans-disappeared-what-would-happen-to-our-dogs-218703">If humans disappeared, what would happen to our dogs?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/214722/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Melissa Starling owns Creature Teacher, an animal behaviour and training consulting business.</span></em></p>
Being out in nature is beneficial for both us and our dogs – but we can’t forget about the wildlife that calls it home.
Melissa Starling, Postdoctoral Researcher in Veterinary Science, University of Sydney
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/219807
2023-12-18T19:09:26Z
2023-12-18T19:09:26Z
Do dog ‘talking buttons’ actually work? Does my dog understand me? Here’s what the science says
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566241/original/file-20231218-26-xks3j4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=38%2C54%2C5134%2C3389&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Is your dog bothered by something but you can’t work out what? Do you wish they could tell you?</p>
<p>There’s a <a href="https://www.bestproductsaustralia.com/best-dog-talking-buttons?targetid=dsa-469483434121&matchtype=&device=c&campaignid=18074730918&creative=617050046549&adgroupid=143033333449&feeditemid=94269287247&loc_physical_ms=9070871&loc_interest_ms=&network=g&devicemodel=&placement=&keyword=$&target=&aceid=&adposition=&trackid=au_all_top_1_1&mId=407-132-4411&trackOld=true&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAsvWrBhC0ARIsAO4E6f_1-Amk1AXOLSVbsEPQYiZU5mviL8Q0wWoDhotFyeyRz8hwcIWjv-QaAk--EALw_wcB">huge range</a> of dog “talking” buttons on the market that now claim to let your dog do this. A very basic kit will set you back about $15, while more sophisticated ones can cost hundreds of dollars.</p>
<p>But is there any evidence these products work? </p>
<h2>How the buttons work</h2>
<p>The idea behind these buttons is simple. You record yourself speaking a word such as “treat” or “outside” into each button, after which the word is played back each time the button is pressed. Your dog can supposedly be trained to understand the words coming from the buttons, and use them to communicate with you. </p>
<p>Talking buttons are an example of <a href="https://www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/Communication_Hub/Resources/Fact_Sheets/Augmentative-and-Alternative-Communication.aspx#:%7E:text=Types%20of%20AAC&text=These%20include%3A,phones%20to%20help%20you%20communicate">augmentative and alternative communication</a>. To put it simply, they’re a method of communication that doesn’t use speech. In humans, similar devices are valuable for people with autism or intellectual disability, or those suffering from a stroke or other neurological condition. </p>
<h2>Can dogs learn complex communication?</h2>
<p>A dog <a href="https://youtu.be/2qkEyvzcVkc?si=ac1iWCGxfjRrjmx_">could figure out</a> to press talking buttons through a process called <a href="https://thedecisionlab.com/reference-guide/management/reinforcement-theory">operant conditioning</a> – the same process used to teach dogs simple commands such as “sit”. When a dog performs a behaviour and receives something they want, such as a treat, they’re more likely to continue that behaviour.</p>
<p>The idea of dogs “talking” to humans with buttons was started by Christina Hunger, a speech language pathologist who understood the use of augmentative and alternative communication devices. Hunger claims to have taught her dog Stella more than 50 words and phrases <a href="https://www.hungerforwords.com/">up to five-words long</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/anxious-dogs-have-different-brains-to-normal-dogs-brain-scan-study-reveals-201775">Anxious dogs have different brains to normal dogs, brain scan study reveals</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Alternative explanations</h2>
<p>There are simple explanations for what may seem like complex behaviour in animals. For one thing, animals excel in picking up our body language. As a result, they may appear to understand more than they actually do. </p>
<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clever_Hans">Clever Hans the horse</a> is the perfect example. Hans <a href="https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/first/d/dehaene-number.html.">gained prominence</a> in the early 1900s for allegedly being able to do mathematics. Even his trainer believed he could count. It was only when the trainer was no longer present that people realised Hans was relying on involuntary cues in the trainer’s body language to “solve” problems, and couldn’t actually count. </p>
<p>Dogs are probably even better than horses at picking up on our body language cues. As the first <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2020.00103/full#:%7E:text=Dogs%20were%20the%20first%20animal,origins%20and%20events%20of%20domestication.">domesticated species</a>, they’ve spent thousands of years working out what we’re likely to do next. Just think of all the times your dog has rushed to the door even before you’ve picked up their leash.</p>
<p>When we train dogs to use talking buttons, they’re probably learning using operant conditioning to some extent. For example, they learn that pressing a button can lead to a reward. </p>
<p>But in cases where dogs seem to be able to string multiple buttons together to say something advanced, or where they can press the “right” button when asked, they’re likely just responding to their owner’s body language. And they probably wouldn’t be able to replicate the behaviour if a new pet-sitter was making the command. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="TiktokEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.tiktok.com/@whataboutbunny/video/7305801384241138986?is_from_webapp=1\u0026sender_device=pc\u0026web_id=7247360749801375234"}"></div></p>
<h2>We need more data</h2>
<p>Federico Rossan, director of the Comparative Cognition Lab at UC San Diego, is working on a <a href="https://www.theycantalk.org/research">large project analysing results</a> from dogs using talking buttons. </p>
<p>Although <a href="https://fluent.pet/">FluentPet</a> (a business that sells pet communication products) is involved, the study is reported to be independent. That means a person who doesn’t have a conflict of interest will analyse and report the results.</p>
<p>Data collection started in late 2020, but so far no evidence has been published. Until then, the best “evidence” we have for these products is anecdotal reporting coming from dog owners who are probably biased (since they’d like to think their dog is very clever). </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/if-humans-disappeared-what-would-happen-to-our-dogs-218703">If humans disappeared, what would happen to our dogs?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Could it do any harm?</h2>
<p>It matters when we treat our dogs differently depending on what <em>we</em> think <em>they</em> are thinking.</p>
<p>One example is when we assume dogs feel guilty for certain actions. For instance, when you come home and your dog has chewed up your favourite rug, they might look “guilty” as you scold them, but they’re actually just responding to your reaction. Studies have shown dogs can’t experience the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-08-23/dog-shaming-falls-on-deaf-ears-for-canines/6715932">human emotion of guilt</a>.</p>
<p>That’s why you shouldn’t punish your dog when you come home to a chewed-up carpet. They won’t associate your yelling or smacking with their action from hours earlier. </p>
<p>The reality is some dogs will simply be more interested in interacting with talking buttons than others. There’s no good reason to think these dogs are therefore smarter than others.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="TiktokEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.tiktok.com/@lyndibuttons/video/7079788076142234885?lang=en\u0026q=dog%20talking%20buttons\u0026t=1702878026732"}"></div></p>
<h2>Should I buy talking buttons?</h2>
<p>If you can recognise and account for the potential risks mentioned above, then buying talking buttons won’t do any harm to you or your dog (apart from putting a dent in your wallet). </p>
<p>That said, there are myriad ways to communicate with your dog without needing such a device. Chaser the border collie learned how to retrieve 1,022 toys by name without <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaser_(dog)">an augmentative device</a>.</p>
<p>However you do it, spending time with your dog using positive reinforcement training will benefit both of you. Dogs are amazing, unique animals with whom we can communicate in all kinds of ways, and they don’t need to understand our language for this.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566243/original/file-20231218-21-2ed1pw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566243/original/file-20231218-21-2ed1pw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/566243/original/file-20231218-21-2ed1pw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566243/original/file-20231218-21-2ed1pw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566243/original/file-20231218-21-2ed1pw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566243/original/file-20231218-21-2ed1pw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566243/original/file-20231218-21-2ed1pw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/566243/original/file-20231218-21-2ed1pw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Talking buttons could be harmful if a dog’s refusal to use them changes their owner’s attitude towards them.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p><em>Correction: this article previously included a line saying human language is “too complex” for a dog to understand. This has now been removed as it doesn’t correctly reflect the state of research on dog communication.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/219807/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Susan Hazel receives funding from the Waltham Foundation and is associated with the Dog & Cat Management Board of South Australia, RSPCA South Australia and Animal Therapies Ltd. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Eduardo Fernandez receives funding from the Waltham Foundation.</span></em></p>
There are simple explanations for what may seem like complex behaviours in dogs.
Susan Hazel, Associate Professor, School of Animal and Veterinary Science, University of Adelaide
Eduardo J Fernandez, Visiting Assistant Professor, Florida Institute of Technology
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/217868
2023-12-14T19:00:58Z
2023-12-14T19:00:58Z
Mutton, an Indigenous woolly dog, died in 1859 − new analysis confirms precolonial lineage of this extinct breed, once kept for their wool
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/562497/original/file-20231129-22-cxtdyy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C444%2C2995%2C2883&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Indigenous Coast Salish women wove woolly dogs' fur into blankets.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Artist's reconstruction by Karen Carr</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Dogs have been in the Americas for more than 10,000 years. They were already domesticated when they <a href="https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aao4776">came from Eurasia with the first people</a> to reach North America. In the coastal parts of present-day Washington state and southwestern British Columbia, archaeologists have found dog remains dating back as far as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaa.2020.101209">about 5,000 years ago</a>.</p>
<p>Dogs performed many different roles in North American Indigenous communities, including transportation, that in other parts of the world were done by multiple other domestic animals. </p>
<p>Prior to the arrival of Europeans, the <a href="https://www.burkemuseum.org/collections-and-research/culture/contemporary-culture/coast-salish-art/coast-salish-people">Indigenous Coast Salish peoples</a> of the Pacific Northwest had traditionally maintained a breed of long-haired dog for the purpose of harvesting their hair, or wool, for textile fibers. Along with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/0305-4403(95)90012-8">alpacas and llamas</a>, these woolly dogs are one of only a few known animals intentionally bred for their fleece in all of the Americas.</p>
<p>But the practice of keeping woolly dogs and weaving textiles made from woolly dog yarn declined throughout the 19th century, and the dogs were considered extinct by the beginning of the 20th century. What had happened to them? </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/562505/original/file-20231129-19-wyniuw.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="dog paw on furry pelt with handwritten tag" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/562505/original/file-20231129-19-wyniuw.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/562505/original/file-20231129-19-wyniuw.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/562505/original/file-20231129-19-wyniuw.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/562505/original/file-20231129-19-wyniuw.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/562505/original/file-20231129-19-wyniuw.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/562505/original/file-20231129-19-wyniuw.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/562505/original/file-20231129-19-wyniuw.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Mutton’s pelt has been preserved at the Smithsonian Institution for more than 160 years.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Audrey Lin</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Today, the only confirmed woolly dog specimen is “Mutton,” whose pelt has been housed <a href="http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/3299968b9-99b2-4db0-9aee-b8ee388fcb57">in the Smithsonian’s collection</a> since his death in 1859. In life, this “Indian dog” was the companion of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Gibbs_(ethnologist)">George Gibbs</a>, a naturalist working on the Northwest Boundary Survey expedition to map out British Columbia and the American Pacific Northwest. In death, Mutton offered the opportunity to learn more about woolly dog ancestry, selection and management.</p>
<p>We are <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=th7mXK0AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">an archaeologist</a>, an <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=5sYVrEsAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">evolutionary molecular biologist</a> and a <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=G5OGkjUAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">molecular anthropologist</a> who are part of a large research team. It’s important to note that although we collaborated with a number of Indigenous people on our study, the scientists, including the three of us, are not Indigenous. Alongside historical documents and interviews of Coast Salish elders, knowledge keepers, weavers and artists, our team utilized “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/faf.12516">Two-Eyed Seeing</a>” – viewing the world through the combined strengths of Indigenous knowledge and western science – to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adi6549">bring Mutton’s story and legacy back to life</a>.</p>
<h2>A prestigious part of Indigenous culture</h2>
<p>Prior to the arrival of Europeans, there were <a href="https://archpress.lib.sfu.ca/index.php/archpress/catalog/download/52/23/1900?inline=1">several types of dogs</a> in the Pacific Northwest: larger “village” dogs and hunting dogs and smaller <a href="https://hakaimagazine.com/features/the-dogs-that-grew-wool-and-the-people-who-love-them/">woolly dogs</a>, kept separately to prevent interbreeding. Woolly dogs were a little larger than the modern <a href="https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/american-eskimo-dog/">American Eskimo dog breed</a> and had curled tails, pricked ears and a pointed foxlike face. Instead of barking, they howled. </p>
<p>Traditionally, only high-status Coast Salish women were allowed to keep woolly dogs, and a woman’s individual wealth could be measured by how many she had. Blankets woven of dog hair, often mixed with hair from mountain goats and waterfowl or plant fibers, were important trade and gift items.</p>
<p>Historians and economists, looking back, first claimed the disappearance of the woolly dog breed was the result of simple capitalist forces: The availability of cheap manufactured blankets offered by businesses like the <a href="https://www.hbcheritage.ca/things/fashion-pop/hbc-point-blanket">Hudson’s Bay Company</a> meant the Coast Salish didn’t need to make their own blankets. Why go through the immense time and labor in keeping wool dogs and crafting blankets in the traditional way when you could just buy a machine-woven blanket? </p>
<p>But the Coast Salish don’t agree. <a href="https://vanmuralfest.ca/blog/debra-sparrow">Debra qwasen Sparrow</a>, a master weaver of the <a href="https://www.musqueam.bc.ca/">Musqueam Nation</a>, explained to us, “The blankets really tell a story of our history, our families, the way in which they identified in the communities, (they’re) all reflected in the blankets.”</p>
<p>And Coast Salish people say they would never have willingly parted with their beloved canine friends. The simple economic explanation ignores the massive role colonialism played in the demise of the woolly dogs. Repressive government policies <a href="https://www.washington.edu/uwired/outreach/cspn/Website/Classroom%20Materials/Pacific%20Northwest%20History/Lessons/Lesson%2012/12.html">tried to control and subdue</a> <a href="https://www.kitsapsun.com/story/news/2022/05/12/indian-boarding-schools-operated-washington-state-interior-department-deb-haaland/9749676002/">Indigenous cultural practices</a>.</p>
<p>“They were told they couldn’t do their cultural things. There was the police, the Indian agent and the priests,” <a href="https://www.stolonation.bc.ca">Stó:lō Nation</a> elder Xweliqwiya Rena Point Bolton told our research team. “The dogs were not allowed. (My grandmother) had to get rid of the dogs. And so the family never ever saw them.”</p>
<p>Eventually, there were no more Coast Salish woolly dogs.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/565318/original/file-20231212-23-cut1vu.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="pelt fur-side down on a paper-covered table" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/565318/original/file-20231212-23-cut1vu.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/565318/original/file-20231212-23-cut1vu.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=468&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565318/original/file-20231212-23-cut1vu.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=468&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565318/original/file-20231212-23-cut1vu.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=468&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565318/original/file-20231212-23-cut1vu.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=588&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565318/original/file-20231212-23-cut1vu.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=588&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565318/original/file-20231212-23-cut1vu.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=588&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Researchers used a portable X-ray fluorescence analyzer as part of their investigation of Mutton’s remains.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Audrey Lin</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Piecing together a picture of Mutton’s life</h2>
<p>We did have access to Mutton’s pelt, though, which had been archived for more than 160 years. No one knows exactly how Gibbs initially acquired Mutton, but it’s likely he got the dog while working with local communities in <a href="https://www.stolonation.bc.ca/">Stó:lō territory</a> in present-day British Columbia. Using modern techniques, we set out to answer questions about Mutton’s breed and ancestry.</p>
<p>First we used <a href="https://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/the-use-of-stable-isotopes-in-the-96648168/">stable isotope analysis</a>, a chemical analysis of once-living tissues, to understand more about Mutton’s environment when he was alive: what kinds of foods he ate and the state of his health.</p>
<p>Interviews of the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adi6549">elders and knowledge keepers confirmed</a> that the woolly dog diet was very different from village dogs, including special foods that kept the dogs healthy and their coats shiny. For example, salmon, elk or certain local plants would be set aside for the woolly dogs. </p>
<p>The stable isotope values of Mutton’s fur suggested he’d been eating maize for some time, but less and less up to the point when he died. The <a href="https://www.trafford.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/407988-Joseph-S-Harris-and-the-U-S-Northwest-Boundary-Survey-1857-1861">letters of one expedition member</a> imply they were running low on cornmeal and supplementing their imported supplies by trading with locals. Although <a href="https://siarchives.si.edu/sites/all/modules/sia/sia_mirador/mirador/mirador_player3?manifest=https://iiif.si.edu/manifests/siarchives/SIA-007209_B01_F02_MODSI1328.json">Gibbs noted in his journal</a> that Mutton was ill before he died, there was no isotopic evidence to support chronic illness; Mutton may have become sick quickly.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/565265/original/file-20231212-23-zikxpo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Scientist with blue gloves uses a tool to lift a bit of hair from the pelt" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/565265/original/file-20231212-23-zikxpo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/565265/original/file-20231212-23-zikxpo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565265/original/file-20231212-23-zikxpo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565265/original/file-20231212-23-zikxpo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565265/original/file-20231212-23-zikxpo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565265/original/file-20231212-23-zikxpo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/565265/original/file-20231212-23-zikxpo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Chris Stantis carefully removes a minimal sample from Mutton’s pelt for further analyses.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Hsiao-Lei Liu</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Next, we turned to genetic analysis for insight into the dog’s ancestry to understand long-term management of this breed. We sequenced Mutton’s DNA and compared it with a contemporaneous village dog that was killed by the explorers in an unknown village in the Pacific Northwest. We also compared Mutton’s DNA with a genetic panel of many other modern and ancient dogs.</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adi6549">We found that Mutton</a> is a rare example of an Indigenous North American dog with precolonial ancestry who lived well after the arrival of white settlers. Using a dataset of mitochondrial genomes from Mutton and more than 200 ancient and modern dogs, we made an elaborate family tree. Called a <a href="http://dunnlab.org/phylogenetic_biology/phylogenies-and-time.html">time-calibrated phylogenetic tree</a>, it creates a diagram of the evolution of Mutton’s maternal lineage.</p>
<p>Based on the tree, we estimate that Mutton’s most recent common ancestor diverged from one other ancient dog from British Columbia between 1,800 and 4,800 years ago, corresponding with the known archaeological record. In other words, Mutton’s woolly dog lineage has been isolated from other dogs for millennia.</p>
<p>We see evidence of inbreeding in Mutton’s genome that can result only from careful long-term selective breed management. We identified variants of genes associated with hair and skin, including KRT77 and KANK2, which are linked to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1136/jmedgenet-2014-102346">woolly hair in humans</a>. </p>
<p>However, Mutton lived during a very volatile <a href="https://www.nps.gov/places/the-fraser-river-gold-rush.htm">time period</a>. For example, in 1858 more than 33,000 miners flooded into present-day British Columbia in <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/fraser-river-gold-rush">search of gold</a>. This influx left its mark in Mutton’s DNA, and we found that about one eighth of his genome – representating about one great-grandparent’s worth of DNA – came from settler-introduced European dogs. </p>
<p>Finally, we worked closely with a <a href="https://www.karencarr.com/">scientific artist</a>, using archaeological dog bones and Mutton’s pelt, to reconstruct what these dogs looked like in life with scientific accuracy.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/562506/original/file-20231129-21-3c76dg.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="zig-zag patterened blanket with fringe on three sides" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/562506/original/file-20231129-21-3c76dg.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/562506/original/file-20231129-21-3c76dg.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=433&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/562506/original/file-20231129-21-3c76dg.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=433&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/562506/original/file-20231129-21-3c76dg.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=433&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/562506/original/file-20231129-21-3c76dg.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=544&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/562506/original/file-20231129-21-3c76dg.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=544&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/562506/original/file-20231129-21-3c76dg.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=544&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A Coast Salish classic-style blanket, which has woolly dog hair in the warp fibers that were stretched across the loom. Accessioned 1838-1842.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">USNM E2124, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>What this woolly dog confirms about the past</h2>
<p>With Mutton’s pelt, our team wove together these different ways of exploring the many lives of Mutton – his ancestry as an Indigenous dog, his life traveling with white settlers, and finally his time in the Smithsonian Institution.</p>
<p>Mutton is the latest dog we’re aware of with that much precolonial dog ancestry. European colonization was devastating to Indigenous people in North America. The fact that Mutton carries as much Indigenous dog DNA as he does is a testament to the care that Coast Salish people took to keep the woolly dog tradition alive.</p>
<p>Our Coast Salish weaving collaborators are very keen to learn more about how traditional blankets housed in museum collections are made – to inform efforts to revive complex techniques and better understand the unique materials used. With Mutton’s genetic sequencing, future researchers may be able to identify dog hair in heritage woven materials. Some Coast Salish would like to see the woolly dogs return to their families once again. There’s currently no way to bring back the original woolly dogs, such as by cloning Mutton, because his DNA is far too degraded after more than 160 years. But a new kind of woolly dog could be created in the future through <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/selective-breeding">selective breeding</a> and care.</p>
<p>“But the thing that’s most important (is) that (the) wool dog created a gift to produce and to make something, to create something, to bring something alive,” Michael Pavel, elder of the <a href="https://skokomish.org/culture-and-history/">Twana/Skokomish Tribe</a>, told us. “Let’s do that. Let’s bring that back to life. … The wool dog is still very much a part of our life.”</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/217868/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Dogs have lived with Indigenous Americans since before they came to the continent together 10,000 years ago. A new analysis reveals the lineage of one 1800s ‘woolly dog’ from the Pacific Northwest.
Audrey T. Lin, Research Associate in Anthropology, Smithsonian Institution
Chris Stantis, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Geology and Geophysics, University of Utah
Logan Kistler, Curator of Archaeobotany and Archaeogenomics, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/218703
2023-12-07T05:01:59Z
2023-12-07T05:01:59Z
If humans disappeared, what would happen to our dogs?
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563803/original/file-20231206-29-g9446.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=15%2C15%2C5080%2C3376&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>For many of us, dogs are our best friends. But have you wondered what would happen to your dog if we suddenly disappeared? Can domestic dogs make do without people? </p>
<p>At least 80% of the world’s <a href="https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691196183/a-dogs-world">one billion or so dogs</a> actually live independent, free-ranging lives – and they offer some clues. Who would our dogs be if we weren’t around to influence and care for them?</p>
<h2>What are dogs?</h2>
<p>Dogs hold the title of the most successful domesticated species on Earth. For millennia they have <a href="https://iview.abc.net.au/show/dog-s-world-with-tony-armstrong">evolved under our watchful eye</a>. More recently, selective breeding has led to people-driven diversity, resulting in unique breeds ranging from the towering Great Dane to the tiny Chihuahua. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/562913/original/file-20231201-15-zku7cs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/562913/original/file-20231201-15-zku7cs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/562913/original/file-20231201-15-zku7cs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=392&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/562913/original/file-20231201-15-zku7cs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=392&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/562913/original/file-20231201-15-zku7cs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=392&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/562913/original/file-20231201-15-zku7cs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=492&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/562913/original/file-20231201-15-zku7cs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=492&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/562913/original/file-20231201-15-zku7cs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=492&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Today’s diverse dog breeds are a result of the modern approach to selective breeding.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Humanity’s quest for the perfect canine companion has resulted in more than 400 modern dog breeds with unique blends of physical and behavioural traits. Initially, dogs were bred primarily <a href="https://theconversation.com/managing-mutations-of-a-species-the-evolution-of-dog-breeding-96635">for functional roles</a> that benefited us, such as herding, hunting and guarding. This practice only emerged prominently over the past 200 years. </p>
<p>Some experts suggest companionship is just another type of work <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168159122000983">humans selected dogs for</a>, while placing a greater emphasis on looks. Breeders play a crucial role in this, making deliberate choices about which traits are desirable, thereby influencing the future direction of breeds. </p>
<h2>Are we good for dogs?</h2>
<p>We know certain features that appeal to people have serious impacts on <a href="https://theconversation.com/vets-can-do-more-to-reduce-the-suffering-of-flat-faced-dog-breeds-110702">health and happiness</a>. For instance, <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0137496">flat-faced dogs struggle with breathing</a> due to constricted nasal passages and shortened airways. This “<a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00480169.2014.940410">air hunger</a>” has been likened to experiencing an asthma attack. These dogs are also prone to higher rates of skin, eye and dental problems compared with dogs with longer muzzles.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/562919/original/file-20231201-21-o3gi7e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/562919/original/file-20231201-21-o3gi7e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/562919/original/file-20231201-21-o3gi7e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/562919/original/file-20231201-21-o3gi7e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/562919/original/file-20231201-21-o3gi7e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/562919/original/file-20231201-21-o3gi7e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/562919/original/file-20231201-21-o3gi7e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/562919/original/file-20231201-21-o3gi7e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Flat-faced dogs such as pugs and bulldogs often aren’t comfortable in the bodies we’ve bred them for.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Many modern dogs depend on human medical intervention to reproduce. For instance, French Bulldogs and Chihuahuas frequently require a caesarean section to give birth, as the puppies’ heads are <a href="https://kb.rspca.org.au/knowledge-base/what-are-the-welfare-risks-associated-with-difficulty-giving-birth-in-brachycephalic-dogs/">very large compared with</a> the mother’s pelvic width. This reliance on surgery to breed highlights the profound impact intensive selective breeding has on dogs.</p>
<p>And while domestic dogs can benefit from being part of human families, some live highly isolated and controlled lives in which they have little agency <a href="https://frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2023.1284869/">to make choices</a> – a factor that’s important to their happiness.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/in-an-australian-first-the-act-may-legally-recognise-animals-feelings-111079">In an Australian first, the ACT may legally recognise animals' feelings</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Dogs without us</h2>
<p>Now imagine a world where dogs are free from the guiding hand of human selection and care. The immediate impact would be stark. Breeds that are heavily dependent on us for basic needs such as food, shelter and healthcare wouldn’t do well. They would struggle to adapt, and many would succumb to the harsh realities of a life without human support.</p>
<p>That said, this would probably impact fewer than 20% of all dogs (roughly the percentage living in our homes). Most of the world’s dogs are free-ranging and prevalent across Europe, Africa and Asia.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/562921/original/file-20231201-17-4hsi2p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/562921/original/file-20231201-17-4hsi2p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/562921/original/file-20231201-17-4hsi2p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/562921/original/file-20231201-17-4hsi2p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/562921/original/file-20231201-17-4hsi2p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/562921/original/file-20231201-17-4hsi2p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/562921/original/file-20231201-17-4hsi2p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/562921/original/file-20231201-17-4hsi2p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Many dogs live independently around people, like these dogs seen on the street in India.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But while these dogs aren’t domesticated in a traditional sense, they still coexist with humans. As such, their survival depends almost exclusively on human-made resources such as garbage dumps and food handouts. Without people, <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-theory-of-evolution-2276">natural selection</a> would swiftly come into play. Dogs that lack essential survival traits such as adaptability, hunting skills, disease resistance, parental instincts and sociability would gradually decline. </p>
<p>Dogs that are either extremely large or extremely small would also be at a disadvantage, because a dog’s size will impact its caloric needs, body temperature regulation across environments, and susceptibility to predators. </p>
<p>Limited behavioural strategies, such as being too shy to explore new areas, would also be detrimental. And although sterilised dogs might have advantageous survival traits, they would be unable to pass their genes on to future generations.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563817/original/file-20231206-23-djskol.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563817/original/file-20231206-23-djskol.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=416&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563817/original/file-20231206-23-djskol.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=416&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563817/original/file-20231206-23-djskol.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=416&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563817/original/file-20231206-23-djskol.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=523&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563817/original/file-20231206-23-djskol.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=523&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563817/original/file-20231206-23-djskol.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=523&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Rearing puppies without human support happens successfully around the world.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/14/7/618">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>No more designer breeds</h2>
<p>Ultimately, a different type of dog would emerge, shaped by health and behavioural success rather than human desires.</p>
<p>Dogs don’t select mates based on breed, and will readily mate with others that look very different to them when given the opportunity. Over time, distinct dog breeds would fade and unrestricted mating would lead to a uniform “village dog” appearance, similar to “camp dogs” in <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/11771801231167671">remote Indigenous Australian communities</a> and dogs seen in South-East Asia.</p>
<p>These dogs typically have a medium size, balanced build, short coats in various colours, and upright ears and tails. However, regional variations such as a shaggier coat could arise due to factors such as climate.</p>
<p>In the long term, dogs would return to a wild canid lifestyle. These “re-wilded” dogs would likely adopt social and dietary behaviours similar to those of their current wild counterparts, <a href="https://www.publish.csiro.au/book/7138/">such as Australia’s dingoes</a>. This might include living in small <a href="https://7news.com.au/news/wildlife/dingo-drone-footage-captured-by-thermal-camera-on-qld-property-shows-family-fun-time-c-12586477">family units within defined territories</a>, reverting to an annual breeding season, engaging in social hunting, and attentive parental care (especially from dads).</p>
<p>This transition would be more feasible for certain breeds, particularly herding types and those already living independently in the wild or as village dogs.</p>
<h2>What makes a good life for dogs?</h2>
<p>In their book <a href="https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691196183/a-dogs-world">A Dog’s World</a>, Jessica Pierce and Marc Bekoff explore the idea of “doomsday prepping” our dogs for a future without people. They encourage us to give our dogs more agency, and consequently more happiness. This could be as simple as letting them pick which direction to walk in, or letting them take their time when sniffing a tree. </p>
<p>As we reflect on a possible future without dogs, an important question arises: are our actions towards dogs sustainable, in their best interests, and true to their nature? Or are they more aligned with our own desires?</p>
<p>By considering how dogs might live without us, perhaps we can find ways to improve their lives with us.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/562914/original/file-20231201-15-2sncwg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/562914/original/file-20231201-15-2sncwg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/562914/original/file-20231201-15-2sncwg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=446&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/562914/original/file-20231201-15-2sncwg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=446&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/562914/original/file-20231201-15-2sncwg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=446&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/562914/original/file-20231201-15-2sncwg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=560&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/562914/original/file-20231201-15-2sncwg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=560&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/562914/original/file-20231201-15-2sncwg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=560&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Providing a good life for dogs requires thinking about their mental well-being, health and environment.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/218703/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
If we weren’t here to shape, feed and care for our dogs – how might they change?
Bradley Smith, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, CQUniversity Australia
Mia Cobb, Research Fellow, Animal Welfare Science Centre, The University of Melbourne
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/219210
2023-12-06T16:27:39Z
2023-12-06T16:27:39Z
Elliott Erwitt: Jewish photographer who fled fascism and spread a little joy in a post-WWII world
<p>“Photography has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them,” Elliott Erwitt once said.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.magnumphotos.com/photographer/elliott-erwitt/">Erwitt</a>, who was one of the most celebrated photographers of the 20th century, died on November 30 at the age of 95. In a career spanning more than 70 years, his witty, gentle and beautifully observed images beguiled generations of admirers and propelled him to become one of the best known – and <a href="https://www.blind-magazine.com/en/news/elliott-erwitt-master-photographer-from-magnum-photos-dies-at-95/">well paid</a> – photographers of the 20th century. </p>
<p>Born Elio Romano Erwitz in Paris in 1925 to Jewish-Russian parents, he migrated with his family to the US in 1939 to escape the fascism spreading across Europe as war broke out.</p>
<p>He taught himself photography at school and by 1950 – now as Elliott Erwitt – he was commissioned by the US government to <a href="https://www.worldphoto.org/blogs/08-08-17/finding-lost-negatives-young-elliott-erwitt">produce a photo essay</a> that <a href="https://www.magnumphotos.com/newsroom/society/elliott-erwitt-pittsburgh/">documented mid-century Pittsburgh</a>. </p>
<p>In 1953, legendary <a href="https://www.magnumphotos.com/photographer/robert-capa/">war photographer Robert Capa</a> invited Erwitt to join <a href="https://www.magnumphotos.com/">Magnum</a>. It was the world’s first photo agency, founded in 1947 by four European photographers including Capa, <a href="https://www.magnumphotos.com/photographer/henri-cartier-bresson/">Henri Cartier-Bresson</a>, <a href="https://www.magnumphotos.com/photographer/george-rodger/">George Rodger</a> and <a href="https://www.magnumphotos.com/photographer/david-seymour/">David “Chim” Seymour</a>.</p>
<p>The agency popularised the term “photojournalism” and produced work to satisfy the insatiable demand for images produced on small, handheld cameras like the <a href="https://www.kenrockwell.com/leica/screw-mount/iiif.htm">35mm Leica</a>. As a Magnum photographer Erwitt went on to take pictures for LIFE magazine and many other publications during that golden era of illustrated journals.</p>
<h2>Working with the greats</h2>
<p>Capa and Cartier-Bresson had a profound influence on the young Erwitt. Capa <a href="https://www.life.com/photographer/robert-capa/">redefined war photography</a> by following his own <a href="https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2021/07/29/if-your-pictures-arent-good-enough-youre-not-close-enough-vintage-prints-by-war-photographer-robert-capa-to-headline-photo-london">guiding principle</a> that “if your pictures aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough”. </p>
<p>Cartier-Bresson influenced Erwitt through his pursuit of geometric compositional methods and exploration of “the decisive moment”: the concept of the critical moment to press the shutter. This is seen in one of his most famous photographs, <a href="https://www.moma.org/collection/works/98333">Behind the Gare St Lazare</a> (1932), capturing a stocky man leaping over a large puddle, exquisitely mirrored by his reflection.</p>
<p>Erwitt’s work straddled commercial photography, photojournalism and personal work that he made on his way to and from the studio. He said that distinctions between commercial and personal work were less important than the similarities. He employed techniques such as bold graphic composition, humorous and ironic juxtapositions and storytelling through use of the “decisive moment”. </p>
<h2>Lucky breaks and a good eye</h2>
<p>It was in 1959, while working for Westinghouse Refrigerators at a trade fair in Moscow, that Erwitt had the opportunity to take his world-famous photograph of then US vice-president <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Richard-Nixon">Richard Nixon</a> <a href="https://www.artsy.net/artwork/elliott-erwitt-moscow-nikita-khrushchev-and-richard-nixon-1">jabbing a finger into the chest</a> of Soviet leader <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nikita-Sergeyevich-Khrushchev">Nikita Khrushchev</a>.</p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VvKVU6iuvxk?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
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<p>In a single moment, Erwitt created an image that symbolised the tensions between Russia and the US – and it was published all over the world. To an American audience it represented the US standing up to Soviet aggression. For audiences in the Soviet Union it was a symbol of American intimidation.</p>
<p>Like French humanist photographer <a href="https://www.robert-doisneau.com/en/robert-doisneau/">Robert Doisneau</a>, Erwitt was not beyond employing an element of staging in his personal pictures. This becomes evident when comparing Doisneau’s picture <a href="https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20170213-the-iconic-photo-that-symbolises-love">The Kiss by the Hôtel de Ville</a> (1950) and Erwitt’s <a href="https://www.magnumphotos.com/shop/collections/elliott-erwitt/16-california-1956-california-kiss/">California Kiss</a> (1956).</p>
<p>Both images have become an indelible part of the visual language of 20th century photography and arguably, the wider culture, through print sales, postcards and publication.</p>
<p>It is this element of organised visual storytelling, combined with his undoubted skill with the camera that resulted in Erwitt creating such well known and celebrated images. He must also have been keenly aware of the commercial possibilities when choosing his subjects.</p>
<p>He <a href="https://www.magnumphotos.com/shop/collections/fine-prints/18-new-york-city-1974-dog-legs/">photographed dogs and their owners frequently</a>, making five very popular books on the subject, <a href="https://www.holdenluntz.com/magazine/photo-spotlight/elliott-erwitt-dogs/">saying</a>: “I take a lot of pictures of dogs because I like dogs, because they don’t object to being photographed, and because they don’t ask for prints.”</p>
<p>His photographs have become much more widely known and valued than some of his contemporaries. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2023/nov/28/larry-fink-dead-photographer">Larry Fink</a>, another American photographer who died five days before Erwitt, for example, received far fewer column inches in praise of his grittier, social documentary pictures. </p>
<h2>Telling stories</h2>
<p>Erwitt was both a gifted visual storyteller and hugely successful commercially. He reached audiences beyond the illustrated magazines, the art world and the photojournalism of newspapers. His work – if not necessarily his name – became known to the general public in the US and beyond, a feat not achieved by his contemporaries <a href="https://www.icp.org/browse/archive/constituents/william-klein?all/all/all/all/0">William Klein</a>, <a href="https://www.icp.org/browse/archive/constituents/robert-frank?all/all/all/all/0">Robert Frank</a> or even the recently discovered <a href="https://www.vivianmaier.com/about-vivian-maier/">Vivian Maier</a>.</p>
<p>The breadth and financial success of Erwitt’s work across several genres remains an inspiration to the generation of photographers who have followed. British photographer <a href="https://www.magnumphotos.com/photographer/martin-parr/">Martin Parr</a>, for example, like Erwitt uses humour, juxtaposition and a very identifiable style to great effect. He is also a member and, like Erwitt, a former president of Magnum.</p>
<p>Other British photographers who might be said to owe a debt of gratitude to him would be <a href="https://www.mattstuart.com/">Matt Stuart</a>, who has published several books of his own street photography and <a href="https://www.dougiewallace.com/well-healed">Dougie Wallace</a>, who has made two successful books with dogs as the subject. </p>
<p>In many ways, it would be impossible to repeat the success of Elliott Erwitt. His career could only have flourished in post-war New York. He helped to define what the city’s creative culture was and would be in the aftermath of the second world war.</p>
<p>The idea of “humanist photography” was readily consumed by a war-weary generation. The addition of humour and uncontroversial subject matter found a ready audience who were captivated by his superlative and often humourous <a href="https://www.magnumphotos.com/arts-culture/art/elliott-erwitt-the-art-of-looking-at-art/">photographic storytelling techniques</a>.</p>
<p>Elliott Erwitt’s deeply human images have endured over decades and still find favour with photographers and the public alike today – because we all recognise and enjoy a virtuoso performance when we see one.</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/536131/original/file-20230706-17-460x2d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><em>Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/something-good-156">Sign up here</a>.</em></p>
<hr><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/219210/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Graeme Oxby does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
His witty, gentle and beautifully observed images propelled Erwitt to become one of the best-loved photographers of the 20th century.
Graeme Oxby, Senior Lecturer/Programme Leader BA & MA Photography, University of Lincoln
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/216766
2023-11-13T11:52:56Z
2023-11-13T11:52:56Z
What the world’s oldest dog can tell us about ageing
<p>If you have ever cared for a pet dog, it is a sad truth that you are likely to outlive them. So it’s no wonder that people may be asking how to increase their pet’s longevity following the news that a dog in Portugal lived longer than 30 years. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2023/2/oldest-dog-ever-record-broken-by-30-year-old-bobi-from-portugal-736224">Guinness World Record Holder of the title of World’s Oldest Dog</a>, Bobi, <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-67194721">has recently died</a> aged 31. This is an impressive age for any dog. <a href="https://www.cell.com/cell-reports/pdf/S2211-1247(12)00418-4.pdf">Smaller dogs typically live longer than larger breeds</a> but the average dog will get to around 13 years old before age inevitably catches up with them. </p>
<p>Bobi apparently lived a relatively unrestricted life in the Portuguese countryside, eating the same food as his human caregivers and enjoying free roam of the nearby forestland. His unusual longevity has been attributed to this lifestyle. While there is <a href="https://www.skeptic.org.uk/2023/11/bobi-the-supposed-worlds-oldest-dog-at-31-is-little-more-than-a-shaggy-dog-story/">some debate about Bobi’s actual age</a>, his diet and lifestyle, unsurprisingly, has attracted much attention from canine caregivers.</p>
<p>There is a lot we don’t understand about ageing but there are <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41580-021-00411-4">common factors associated with longevity</a> for many species. These factors seem to help increase lifespans in species as varied as the microscopic worm <em><a href="https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/26/23/7323">Caenorhabditis elegans</a></em>, <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4425/10/7/518">dogs and humans</a>. This suggests that other species can be <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2021.655191/full?app=true#B50">useful models in helping us understand our own ageing process</a>. </p>
<p>So, what practical measures can we take to help ourselves and our dogs live as long and healthy lives as possible?</p>
<h2>Eat a nutritious diet</h2>
<p>Bobi reportedly ate the same food as his owners. But dogs and humans have different nutritional needs. This means that feeding your dog the same food you eat is unlikely to meet their requirements and could even be dangerous. </p>
<p>However, diet does affect ageing. In humans, a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022316622100957?via%3Dihub">diet low in saturated fat and high in fruit and vegetables </a> supports healthy ageing. </p>
<p>For dogs, <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3271/9/4/72">increased levels of antioxidants</a> support energy generation in the body’s cells and aid learning and brain health in older dogs. These include vitamins C and E, and nutrients such as alpha-lipoic acid (found in red meat and organ meats) and L-carnitine (also found in red meat). These nutrients are typically provided in fortified, prepared dog food. </p>
<p>If you feed your dog a commercial diet, check it is labelled as “complete”. This ensures that if you feed <a href="https://www.ukpetfood.org/resource/different-pet-food-formats.html">the recommended amount</a>, your dog will be getting all the nutrients at the right levels to meet their needs. <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/9781119375241.ch8">Home-prepared dog diets are often deficient in key nutrients</a>, unless they are carefully prepared.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Brown and white dog lying in grass with a playful expression" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/558001/original/file-20231107-29-1w4b8j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/558001/original/file-20231107-29-1w4b8j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558001/original/file-20231107-29-1w4b8j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558001/original/file-20231107-29-1w4b8j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558001/original/file-20231107-29-1w4b8j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558001/original/file-20231107-29-1w4b8j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558001/original/file-20231107-29-1w4b8j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Wouldn’t you want this dog to stay healthy as long as possible?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/adorable-welsh-springer-spaniel-dog-breed-1823409425">el-ka/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Keep active</h2>
<p>Physical activity is often <a href="https://ijbnpa.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12966-020-00995-8">linked to healthy ageing</a>. Studies suggest that dogs living in <a href="https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/epdf/10.1086/724384">rural areas and large dogs are more active</a> than their older, smaller and urban counterparts. Interestingly, <a href="https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/epdf/10.1086/724384">older caregivers also have more active dogs</a> compared to younger dog owners.</p>
<p>Walking is a simple way to <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-nutritional-science/article/overweight-dogs-exercise-less-frequently-and-for-shorter-periods-results-of-a-large-online-survey-of-dog-owners-from-the-uk/01E2D6FBCDD05069E3557C10A1CC5945">support maintenance of a healthy body weight in dogs</a> and their caregivers, leading to mutual health benefits. Age, size, breed, health and other variables will affect the amount of exercise a dog needs. For example, dogs originally bred to work and be highly active, <a href="https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cvma/cjvr/2012/00000076/00000003/art00013">such as collies and spaniels</a>, are likely to need more physical activity (intensity and duration) than toy breeds such as pugs, who might be happy with a gentle wander around the neighbourhood. </p>
<p>But almost without exception, walking and other activity is good for our dogs. It can also mean that <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/14/8/936">you and your dog are happier</a>, another key factor linked to <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11205-020-02424-6">healthy ageing</a>. </p>
<h2>Maintain a healthy body weight</h2>
<p>Excess body weight is associated with <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/british-journal-of-nutrition/article/characteristics-of-ageing-pets-and-their-owners-dogs-v-cats/39D988E0453ABF129B8740263CC61504">reduced health and lifespan</a> in dogs and people. Research consistently indicates that a degree of calorie restriction and a lean body weight is <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1568163719304076?via%3Dihub">associated with increased longevity</a> in a range of species. Somewhat paradoxically, photographs of Bobi suggest that he was carrying rather more body weight that would be considered healthy for a typical dog of his size. </p>
<p>Regular monitoring of your dog’s (and your own!) body weight is <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2306-7381/4/2/30/htm">a good way to maintain a healthy waistline</a> and support longevity. It is important to know what a healthy body weight and shape looks and feels like for your own dog. Many caregivers <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2306-7381/10/7/447">fail to recognise</a> what a healthy, lean animal should look like and others underestimate how much excess weight their pets are carrying. </p>
<p>With practice, you can become familiar with a healthy body shape by checking that your dog has a defined <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tf_-rwxqHYU">waistline when viewed from above</a>, that you can feel (but not necessarily see) their ribs and that their abdomen tucks up when viewed from the side. You can use <a href="https://www.vet.cam.ac.uk/files/media/Pug_health_scheme_BCS_v2.jpg">breed specific resources</a> to understand more about the physical shapes of some dogs.</p>
<p>Feeding your dog a suitable amount to meet their nutritional needs while maintaining a lean body weight can help <a href="https://www.vettimes.co.uk/app/uploads/wp-post-to-pdf-enhanced-cache/1/clinical-impact-of-obesity-on-osteoarthritis-in-canines.pdf">reduce the chances</a> they will develop painful and distressing conditions such as osteoarthritis.</p>
<p>With some simple dietary and lifestyle interventions, we can make sure our shared lives with our dogs are as happy, healthy and long as possible. Our companion dogs might not reach 31 years old, but we can certainly make mutual longevity an aim.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/216766/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jacqueline Boyd is affiliated with The Kennel Club (UK) through membership, as Chair of the Activities Health and Welfare Subgroup and member of the Dog Health Group. Jacqueline also writes, consults and coaches on canine matters on an independent basis in addition to her academic affiliation.</span></em></p>
There’s a surprising amount of crossover in what things help human and dog longevity.
Jacqueline Boyd, Senior Lecturer in Animal Science, Nottingham Trent University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/213814
2023-10-25T15:49:04Z
2023-10-25T15:49:04Z
Is your pooch better or worse off on a cereal-free diet?
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/548801/original/file-20230906-22-pw1jay.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4214%2C2833&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Does your doggo have what it takes to digest wheat? </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Sara Hoummady</span>, <span class="license">Fourni par l'auteur</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>If there’s one issue that has gripped the dog-loving community for the past few years, it’s that of cereals in dog food, and in particular in the ingredients that make up kibbles.</p>
<p>The charges are manifold: the grains are said to cause bloating, obesity, gluten intolerance diabetes, and be riddled with mycotoxins (toxins produced by microscopic fungi). It took only a few years for the makers of dry dog foods to adapt to these fears, and many now claim to have eliminated cereals from their formulas, with the merits of gluten-free food widely touted.</p>
<p>But are cereals really harmful for our dogs?</p>
<h2>Presumed culprits: cereals!</h2>
<p>Behind the notion of cereal lie a number of terms that are often confusing for consumers, including carbohydrates, gluten and mycotoxins.</p>
<p>A cereal is a herbaceous plant cultivated mainly for the nutritional value of its grains. These mostly hail from the Poaceae family, more commonly known as grasses. The best known and most widely cultivated in the world are wheat, maize, rice and barley.</p>
<p>On average, a grain of wheat contains 70% starch, a complex carbohydrate. Gluten refers to a <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28244676/">group of proteins</a> contained in the seeds of cereals from the Poaceae group.</p>
<h2>Charge No. 1: Failing to respect a dog’s “natural” diet</h2>
<p>The first charge levelled against foods containing cereals is that they do not respect the dog’s “natural” diet. To pin down what the latter may be, scientists have a choice between examining prehistoric or feral dogs, which we define as individuals of domesticated species that have little or no dependence on humans.</p>
<p>Analysis of canine remains in tombs at various sites in the northeastern Iberian Peninsula dating from the Early Middle Bronze Age (end of the 3rd to 2nd millennia BC) has shown that their diet was <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12520-019-00781-z_">fairly similar</a> to that of humans, and <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10963-021-09153-9">contained cereals in some cases</a>. The diet of feral dogs, on the other hand, is also mainly <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5981278/">based on human waste</a>, made up mostly of cereals and human faeces.</p>
<p>We can therefore conclude that dogs’ diets stretching back to prehistoric times have consisted of human food waste that, in some cases, contains cereals. This is quite different from the impressions we have of the “natural” diet of the dog – often represented in our imaginations as hunting, like a wolf in the wild.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/555366/original/file-20231023-25-lvxxe.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/555366/original/file-20231023-25-lvxxe.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555366/original/file-20231023-25-lvxxe.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555366/original/file-20231023-25-lvxxe.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555366/original/file-20231023-25-lvxxe.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555366/original/file-20231023-25-lvxxe.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555366/original/file-20231023-25-lvxxe.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A feral dog in Sichuan, Southwest China.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Sara Hoummady</span>, <span class="license">Fourni par l'auteur</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Charge No. 2: Dogs can’t digest starch</h2>
<p>Contrary to popular belief, dogs have acquired some salivary <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5568211/">alpha amylase</a> – an enzyme responsible for kick-starting the process of breaking down starch – <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nature11837">throughout their evolution</a>, and can therefore digest a <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10461997/">moderate quantity of starch</a>.</p>
<p>During the domestication process, [certain genes] that play an essential role in starch digestion were selected. Over time and through selection associated with the creation of breeds, the number of copies of the gene encoding the production of starch-digesting enzymes increased <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4749313/">depending on the dietary habits of the breeds</a>. Dogs are therefore capable of digesting starch, although not all breeds are equal.</p>
<p>While dogs can survive without starch in their diets, its presence remains necessary in certain physiological conditions <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022316623238006">such as gestation</a> and lactation.</p>
<h2>Charge No. 3: Gluten makes dogs ill</h2>
<p>The consumption of gluten-derived products can lead to adverse reactions of <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28244676/">three known kinds</a>: allergic, autoimmune and miscellaneous.</p>
<p>In dogs, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1373930/">the relationship between gluten and intestinal disease</a> has been studied in the Irish setter for around 20 years, with researchers having yet to establish any causality. In Border Terriers, an <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26500168/">association between gluten and paroxysmal dyskinesia</a> (episodic involuntary tremors) has been noted. At present, these are the only two reports of pathologies that could be associated with the presence of gluten.</p>
<p>In this context, an avoidance diet could be considered to test the dog’s sensitivity.</p>
<h2>Charge No. 4: Cereals can poison dogs with mycotoxins</h2>
<p>Mycotoxins are toxins produced by microscopic fungi during plant growth, storage, transport or processing. They can be present in <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17390876/">various plant organs</a>, including grains, fruit and tubers.</p>
<p>The most common one in animal feed is alfatoxin B1, found in wheat grains in particular. In humans and animals, mycotoxins can cause <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651323004529">various health problems</a> (liver toxicity, kidney toxicity, etc.). Nevertheless, control methods are put in place at harvest time and the food industry also uses detoxification methods. In general, moulds do not grow on properly dried and preserved food, so effective drying and correct storage are <a href="https://www.who.int/fr/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mycotoxins">effective measures</a> against moulds and the production of mycotoxins.</p>
<p>Compared with “premium” dog food, the total aflatoxin content <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1828051X.2022.2117105">is generally higher</a> for “economy” dog food. This difference can be partly explained by the use of lower-cost products with less controlled storage conditions. The <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1828051X.2022.2117105">source of nutrients of animal origin</a> is also a factor.</p>
<h2>So, are cereal-free foods healthier?</h2>
<p>Cereal-free foods are not always starch free, but protein-rich plants such as peas, lentils and beans have lower carbohydrate levels than cereals – that’s why they are of interest to the pet food industry. For example, <a href="https://www.terresunivia.fr/produitsdebouches/alimentation-animale/proteagineux">pea seeds</a>, contains 21% protein and 45% starch.</p>
<p>The starch in low-carbohydrate dog food is often replaced by fat. This may not be adapted to the animal’s situation, particularly if it’s overweight, obese or suffering from kidney problems. Furthermore, a cereal-free diet is not necessarily less rich in carbohydrates when the compositions are compared.</p>
<p>Finally, <a href="https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/outbreaks-and-advisories/fda-investigation-potential-link-between-certain-diets-and-canine-dilated-cardiomyopathy">recent research</a> has picked upon cases of heart disease (dilated cardiomyopathy) in dogs eating cereal-free foods rich in legumes, including in breeds not predisposed to this pathology. Although the association between cereal-free foods and dilated cardiomyopathy is not yet clear, caution is called for, particularly in the case of <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10212094/">pea-based foods</a>.</p>
<h2>Verdict: It’s complicated</h2>
<p>The charges levelled at cereals in dog foods are not as clear-cut as they may appear to be. Having eaten cereals since they were domesticated tens of thousands of years ago, dogs have developed the enzymes necessary for them to digest starch. Critically, research has found that gluten only poses a problem for a few individuals of uncommon breeds. While mycotoxins are found in all dog foods, their quantity is highly regulated by the industry.</p>
<p>In sum, there is currently no scientific justification for choosing a grain-free food for healthy dogs with no known medical conditions.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/213814/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Les auteurs ne travaillent pas, ne conseillent pas, ne possèdent pas de parts, ne reçoivent pas de fonds d'une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n'ont déclaré aucune autre affiliation que leur organisme de recherche.</span></em></p>
Many believe the presence of cereals such as rice or wheat in kibbles can upset their dog’s stomach. But is this backed up by science?
Sara Hoummady, DMV, PhD, Associate professor in ethology and animal nutrition, UniLaSalle
Guillemette Garry, Enseignante chercheur, Dr en biologie option phytopathologie, UniLaSalle
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/215003
2023-10-24T15:43:45Z
2023-10-24T15:43:45Z
Concerns over pet food and vet costs affordability are as old as pet keeping itself
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/555323/original/file-20231023-23-j8sgs4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/two-guinea-pigs-eating-carrot-MUcxe_wDurE">Bonnie Kittle|Unsplash</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Ever since domestic companion animals first became popular in the west, people’s ability to provide for their healthcare needs has been closely linked to their own economic situation. In October 2022, the British animal charity, the RSPCA, <a href="https://www.rspca.org.uk/-/news-figures-show-more-animals-in-shelter-rehoming-slows">reported</a> a massive 31% drop from 2019 in so-called “rescue” animals being rehomed from its centres. At the same time, the number of animals being surrendered was increasing. Between 2021 and 2022, there was a 11.9% rise in the number of dogs relinquished by their owners and rescued by the charity.</p>
<p>The RSPCA’s animal kindness index for 2023 <a href="https://www.rspca.org.uk/whatwedo/latest/kindnessindex/petowners">shows</a> that 81% of pet owners were worried about the increased costs of pet care. Up from 68% in 2022, this is a direct consequence, the charity says, of the cost of living crisis. The rising costs of pet food (32% increase for dog food in April 2023) outstripped inflation at the time (8%), leading to 23% of pet owners expressing concern about being able to feed their pets. </p>
<p>The report also highlights that, in April 2023, there were 45,000 internet searches for “Can I give my pet paracetamol?”, an increase of 13%, compared to April 2022. The British government has since <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66733077">launched a review</a> of veterinary services in the UK, over concerns that pet owners face prohibitively high costs for animal healthcare.</p>
<p><a href="https://reaktionbooks.co.uk/work/pet-revolution">Our research</a> looks at how and why human and pet lives have become entangled in the UK. People, of course, have invested emotionally in animals for thousands of years. But, as we show in our recent book, Pet Revolution:
Animals and the Making of Modern British Life, it was in the 19th century that larger numbers of people in Britain (and other western countries) had the financial resources to keep pets. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A historic painting of two dogs chasing a cat." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/555325/original/file-20231023-21-forj5n.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/555325/original/file-20231023-21-forj5n.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=834&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555325/original/file-20231023-21-forj5n.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=834&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555325/original/file-20231023-21-forj5n.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=834&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555325/original/file-20231023-21-forj5n.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1048&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555325/original/file-20231023-21-forj5n.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1048&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555325/original/file-20231023-21-forj5n.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1048&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Briton Riviere, A Blockade Runner, 1888.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/riviere-a-blockade-runner-n01518">Presented by Sir Henry Tate 1894. Photo © Tate</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The emergence of pet keeping</h2>
<p>Victorian culture celebrated the advent of the companion animal. British artists including Edwin Landseer and Briton Riviere painted <a href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/riviere-a-blockade-runner-n01518">cats</a> and <a href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/landseer-low-life-a00702">dogs</a>. King Edward VII commissioned Maud Alice Earl to do <a href="https://www.rct.uk/collection/401472/jack-king-edward-viis-irish-terrier">portraits of his favourite pooches</a>. And the commercial artist Louis Wain garnered broad popularity for his anthropomorphic illustrations of wide-eyed <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-louis-wains-exuberant-cat-art-at-the-bethlem-hospital-180979287/">cats</a>. </p>
<p>Countless contemporaneous novels – with characters including Rochester’s dog Pilot in Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, Count Fosco’s pet mice in Wilkie Collins’s The Woman in White and the children’s story, <a href="https://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00086490/00001/5">Peeps into Petland</a> – show how central pet ownership became to domestic life. This led to new markets emerging. </p>
<p>With vets, at the time, mainly concerned with horses and farm animals, pet owners were encouraged to treat animals themselves. There was a boom in <a href="https://www.exploringsurreyspast.org.uk/themes/subjects/pets-in-the-archives/">instructional literature</a> on how to care for cats, dogs, wild birds, squirrels and hedgehogs. Prolific pet health advisor Gordon Stables argued, in his 1876 book, <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/The_Domestic_Cat.html?id=30oDAAAAQAAJ&redir_esc=y">The Domestic Cat</a>, that cat owners should take scalpels into their own hands. “Cats,” he wrote, “stand operations of all sorts well.”</p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="A vintage advertisement for Spratts dog cakes." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/555327/original/file-20231023-23-21xt9u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/555327/original/file-20231023-23-21xt9u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=840&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555327/original/file-20231023-23-21xt9u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=840&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555327/original/file-20231023-23-21xt9u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=840&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555327/original/file-20231023-23-21xt9u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1055&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555327/original/file-20231023-23-21xt9u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1055&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555327/original/file-20231023-23-21xt9u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1055&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Victorian entrepreneurs homed in on the nascent pet food and healthcare market.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.rawpixel.com/image/11493591/image-dog-art-cartoon">Rawpixel</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>By the 1890s, pet-food manufacturer Spratts was selling dog treatments including cooling powders, cough pills, ear-canker lotion and worm powders. It also marketed “Canarydyne” for asthmatic canaries. </p>
<p>From the late 19th century, vets started to cater to pets, largely targeting the elite owners of pedigree animals. In 1884, the London Royal Canine and Feline Surgery proudly advertised its wares in the Kennel Club Show Catalogue. The advert features a long list of international royalty who had consulted the surgery. </p>
<h2>Unequal access to animal healthcare</h2>
<p>As veterinary treatment for pets became widespread, however, inequalities quickly emerged. Poorer pet owners continued to rely on home remedies. This sometimes meant watching helplessly as a much-loved pet died in agony. </p>
<p>While recognising the potential for exploiting a growing market, vets were mindful of this inequality in accessing animal healthcare. From 1879, the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in London ran free clinics for animals of the poor. </p>
<p>In 1900, the Blue Cross animal welfare charity, known at the time as Our Dumb Friends League, made grants available for poorer people to access treatment and seven years later, opened a National Animal Hospital in London. By 1921, this clinic employed three dedicated veterinary surgeons, treating an estimated 10,000 animals a year. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A vintage illustration of anthropomorphic cats." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/555330/original/file-20231023-17-6k4ha.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/555330/original/file-20231023-17-6k4ha.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=381&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555330/original/file-20231023-17-6k4ha.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=381&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555330/original/file-20231023-17-6k4ha.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=381&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555330/original/file-20231023-17-6k4ha.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=479&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555330/original/file-20231023-17-6k4ha.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=479&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/555330/original/file-20231023-17-6k4ha.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=479&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Louis Wain, Marketing, 1900.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://picryl.com/media/marketing-by-louis-wain-064a50">Picryl</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In early 1900s Liverpool, meanwhile, the RSPCA launched a scheme distributing grants for veterinary treatment. In 1917, it opened the first provincial animal hospital. By 1920, the hospital had moved to a larger site and by 1930, two further hospitals had opened across the city. </p>
<p>The People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals launched in London’s East End in 1917. It would go on to treat an estimated 1 million British pets a year by the mid-1930s. And in 1925, the Dogs Trust inaugurated canine clinics, making grants to poorer pet owners that guaranteed the charity would cover veterinary bills. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QmNxItb6LC0?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>By the mid-20th century, veterinary care for pets was widely established. Increasingly complex treatments were available. Those who could afford it faced the new dilemma of how much they would pay to save their pets. Distressed over the condition of her increasingly immobile Alsatian, Dinah, London-based diarist Florence Turtle <a href="https://pethistories.wordpress.com/2019/01/08/living-flesh-to-clothe-these-bones-the-diaries-of-florence-turtle/">wrote</a> in 1957 that she paid £9 for specialist treatment. </p>
<p>Turtle reflected that she would not have spent that much money on herself. Indeed, £9 for her was the <a href="https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/monetary-policy/inflation/inflation-calculator">equivalent</a> of around £180 today, a sum most working-class families simply could not have afforded.</p>
<p>Today, spending on veterinary and other pet services totaled <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/308276/consumer-spending-on-veterinary-pet-services-in-the-united-kingdom-uk/#:%7E:text=This%20statistic%20shows%20total%20consumer,billion%20British%20pounds%20in%202005.">£5.3 billion in 2022</a>. By 2026, gross written premiums for UK pet insurance is currently projected <a href="https://www.globaldata.com/store/report/uk-pet-insurance-distribution-and-marketing-analysis/">to reach £1.9 billion</a>, a rise driven partly by increasing medical and pharmaceutical costs. </p>
<p>The RSPCA is clear that the cost of living is one of the greatest threats to animal welfare. Addressing unaffordable animal healthcare costs is vital to ensure owners are not, as the charity <a href="https://www.rspca.org.uk/whatwedo/latest/kindnessindex/petowners">puts it</a>, “only one unexpected bill away” from having to give up their pets.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/215003/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Julie-Marie Strange received funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council for this research. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jane Hamlett receives funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council</span></em></p>
People have invested emotionally in animals for thousands of years, but their financial situation directly impacts their ability to properly care for for their pets.
Julie-Marie Strange, Professor of Modern British History, Durham University
Jane Hamlett, Professor of Modern British History, Royal Holloway University of London
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/205994
2023-10-20T21:17:54Z
2023-10-20T21:17:54Z
Did Australia’s First Peoples domesticate dingoes? They certainly buried them with great care
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/544721/original/file-20230825-29-dja0ah.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=335%2C323%2C1347%2C940&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Dingoes are an iconic Australian wild animal, <a href="https://theconversation.com/living-blanket-water-diviner-wild-pet-a-cultural-history-of-the-dingo-80189">with close links</a> to Australia’s First Peoples throughout the mainland. Yet the origins and history of these animals are shrouded in obscurity.</p>
<p>The question of whether dingoes are a <a href="https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jzo.12134">truly wild</a> or formerly domestic animal that <a href="https://theconversation.com/dingoes-dogs-and-the-feral-identity-11635">has become feral</a> has eluded a clear answer or consensus amongst scientists for well over a century. </p>
<p>Published in <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0286576">PLOS One today</a>, our new study of dingoes buried alongside First Nations people in ancient times has provided crucial clues to this mystery. Our findings may help change the way we think about the connections between dingoes and people.</p>
<h2>Living alongside people</h2>
<p>When outsiders observed traditional First Peoples’ societies in the 19th and 20th centuries throughout mainland Australia, they noticed many took dingo pups from wild dens and raised them to keep as companions and <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/12/17/2285">for a variety of other purposes</a> including as guards, hunting aids and living “blankets”.</p>
<p>However, these dingoes always returned to the bush to find a mate after reaching about a year of age, seemingly never to return. This is quite unlike our domestic dogs – they may wander, but ultimately tend to stay with their human families in the long term.</p>
<p>The fact most dingoes live without any reliance on people is one of <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31716519/">the main reasons</a> scientific opinion differs over whether dingoes should be thought of as domestic animals or not.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/544720/original/file-20230825-29-am7gat.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Close-up of very red coarse sand with several paw prints." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/544720/original/file-20230825-29-am7gat.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/544720/original/file-20230825-29-am7gat.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/544720/original/file-20230825-29-am7gat.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/544720/original/file-20230825-29-am7gat.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/544720/original/file-20230825-29-am7gat.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/544720/original/file-20230825-29-am7gat.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/544720/original/file-20230825-29-am7gat.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Dingo tracks in the red desert sand of central Australia.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/dingo-canis-tracks-native-wolf-dog-1389629552">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/new-dna-testing-shatters-wild-dog-myth-most-dingoes-are-pure-206397">New DNA testing shatters 'wild dog' myth: most dingoes are pure</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>But is it possible different arrangements between dingoes and Australia’s First Peoples existed before traditional ways of life were disrupted by colonial violence, displacement and disease? Answers might be found in the bones of dingoes that lived with people and were buried after death. </p>
<p>There are historical accounts of funerary and burial rituals of deceased tamed dingoes. Skeletons of dingoes or dogs have been found alongside First Peoples’ burials in many areas of Australia from <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03122417.2010.11689380">Arnhem Land</a> to the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.2752/175303713X13636846944088">Murray-Darling</a> basin, but to date there’s been no comprehensive study of this important cultural practice.</p>
<p>In a search of historical records and findings of dingo burials, we found they were concentrated in the Murray-Darling Basin and on the southern coastlines of New South Wales and Victoria. A secondary, more recent cluster was located in north-western Australia.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528499/original/file-20230526-23-5faty3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A map of Australia showing a few locations of dingo burials with yellow dots" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528499/original/file-20230526-23-5faty3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528499/original/file-20230526-23-5faty3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528499/original/file-20230526-23-5faty3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528499/original/file-20230526-23-5faty3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528499/original/file-20230526-23-5faty3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528499/original/file-20230526-23-5faty3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528499/original/file-20230526-23-5faty3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Map of Australia illustrating the distribution of dingo burials reported in archaeological, historical and news literature.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Loukas Koungoulos</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Buried alongside people</h2>
<p>Historical records and archaeological evidence both show that when dingoes were buried, it was invariably in the manner in which people were buried in the same region. Often, dingoes were buried alongside people.</p>
<p>The act of burial implies a degree of care and belonging to a community. Some archaeologists argue animal burial is a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0305440305001597?via%3Dihub">fundamental sign of domestication</a>. But by examining the skeletons of buried dingoes we can further investigate the life histories of these important animals. </p>
<p>The archaeological site of Curracurrang, a rock shelter in the Royal National Park just south of Sydney, was excavated <a href="https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/200906?journalCode=ca">in the 1960s</a>. The excavations found First People were buried there over many centuries.</p>
<p>But our new primary investigations of previously unstudied animal bones reveal the site also contained the skeletons of several dingoes. Radiocarbon dates taken from their bones found the earliest of these were buried around 2,300–2,000 years ago. Dingo burials continued here until the colonial era. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528500/original/file-20230526-25-5fzgqw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Several bone fragments and teeth on a white background" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528500/original/file-20230526-25-5fzgqw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528500/original/file-20230526-25-5fzgqw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=284&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528500/original/file-20230526-25-5fzgqw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=284&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528500/original/file-20230526-25-5fzgqw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=284&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528500/original/file-20230526-25-5fzgqw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=356&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528500/original/file-20230526-25-5fzgqw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=356&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528500/original/file-20230526-25-5fzgqw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=356&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Mandibular and dental fragments of one of the dingo burials from Curracurrang; this was an elderly individual with highly worn teeth, suggesting a lifetime of crunching bones discarded by people.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Loukas Koungoulos</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Some of the dingoes were adults, at least six to eight years old – well past the age at which they’d be expected to return to the wild to breed. They had severely worn teeth, indicating a diet heavy in large bones, likely from the scraps of human meals.</p>
<p>In addition, one dingo showed signs of suffering from an aggressive, mobility-restricting form of cancer in the last weeks of its life. It was likely looked after by people during its decline.</p>
<p>Several other burials were pups, less than a month or two in age. Since dingoes of breeding age were also found at Curracurrang, it is entirely probable some of these pups were born there but did not survive long, and were buried soon after. These individuals are the first known evidence of dingo pup burial in Australia. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/barkindji-custodians-near-broken-hill-continue-to-care-for-ancestral-dingo-remains-with-help-from-archaeologists-215457">Barkindji custodians near Broken Hill continue to care for ancestral dingo remains with help from archaeologists</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>A previously obscured relationship</h2>
<p>Dingo burials reveal aspects of the relationship between Australia’s First Peoples and their dingo companions which had been, until now, obscured.</p>
<p>At Curracurrang, tame dingoes lived to advanced ages alongside people. They ate the same foods and possibly even bore litters of pups within human camps. While traditional views of domestication involve <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-do-animals-living-with-humans-evolve-such-similar-features-a-new-theory-could-explain-domestication-syndrome-201765">dramatic transformations in appearance</a> and human control over animal reproduction, newer perspectives focus on long-lasting relationships between people and animals. </p>
<p>The evidence from Curracurrang suggests some dingoes, at least in certain settings, were domesticated in ancient times. This doesn’t mean all dingoes were domesticated, nor does it conclusively indicate they originate from domestic dogs. </p>
<p>Most dingoes were, and still are, wild animals with various adaptations to life independent of people in Australian environments. </p>
<p>However, the new findings do mark an important development in our understanding of the deep antiquity and closeness of the connection between Australia’s First Peoples and their native dogs. It attests to long-lasting relationships beyond the transient, temporary associations recorded during the colonial era. </p>
<hr>
<p><em>Acknowledgments: we are grateful to the La Perouse Local Aboriginal Land Council and community for their permission to undertake research on the Curracurrang dingo remains. We also give thanks to the Australian Museum for facilitating access to these materials.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/205994/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Loukas Koungoulos receives funding from The Australian Research Council.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jane Balme receives funding from The Australian Research Council.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Shane Ingrey is a member of the La Perouse Aboriginal community and the La Perouse Local Aboriginal Land Council. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sue O'Connor receives funding from The Australian Research Council.</span></em></p>
There’s been a long-standing debate over whether dingoes started out wild or domesticated. One thing is clear – they had a close relationship with First Peoples.
Loukas Koungoulos, Postdoctoral research fellow, Australian National University
Jane Balme, Professor Emerita of Archaeology, The University of Western Australia
Shane Ingrey, Postdoctoral research fellow, ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage (CABAH), UNSW Sydney
Sue O'Connor, Distinguished Professor, School of Culture, History & Language, Australian National University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/213888
2023-10-05T19:02:36Z
2023-10-05T19:02:36Z
Friday essay: Lessons in Chemistry – the real Prince Charming in this ‘bad romance’ is a good dog
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552010/original/file-20231004-15-dqil99.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C3994%2C1994&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Main image: Brie Larson in Lessons in Chemistry. Dog at centre (Sharon Snider/Pexels).</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Apple TV+</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>If you were charmed by the Apple TV+ <a href="https://tv.apple.com/au/show/lessons-in-chemistry/">adaptation</a> of Bonnie Garmus’s debut novel <a href="https://www.penguin.com.au/books/lessons-in-chemistry-9781804990926">Lessons In Chemistry</a> and want learn more about the book, the first thing you’ll discover is that it was a New York Times bestseller (for <a href="https://slate.com/culture/2023/06/lessons-in-chemistry-book-bonnie-garmus-brie-larson.html">more than 58 weeks</a>) and international hit, with a <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/discover/Lessons-in-Chemistry">#BookTok following</a> and rights sold to 40 countries. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/551996/original/file-20231004-26-mezc3m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/551996/original/file-20231004-26-mezc3m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/551996/original/file-20231004-26-mezc3m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=892&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551996/original/file-20231004-26-mezc3m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=892&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551996/original/file-20231004-26-mezc3m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=892&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551996/original/file-20231004-26-mezc3m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1121&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551996/original/file-20231004-26-mezc3m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1121&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551996/original/file-20231004-26-mezc3m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1121&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">US cover.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The second is that some American readers were angry about the cover because the pink jacket with the sexy illustrated book face – all flippy hair, pouty lips and cat-eye glasses – implies a sassy romance the story does not deliver. Garmus even received hate mail. “They were like, ‘You’re the worst romance novelist ever’,” <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/16/books/bonnie-garmus-lessons-chemistry-book.html">she told</a> the New York Times. </p>
<p>That North American publishers know a cover with a sexy, flippy-haired cartoon gal is more likely to sell a book than, say, one with a photograph of a serious-looking woman working in a laboratory, aligns ironically with the social truths Garmus investigates. </p>
<p>What kinds of stories, Garmus asks in her novel, do we pay attention to? And whose interests will our attention serve? Given the cover controversy, these questions can be extended to genre, too. What do our expectations around genre do to our reading? What is the difference, for instance, in reading a novel as a romance, popular fiction or feminist allegory? </p>
<h2>Subverting romance fiction</h2>
<p>In part, this is a commercial question. Genre provides a taxonomy for comparing texts, as well as strategies to sell them. Romance, of course, is a billion-dollar industry. </p>
<p>In 2021, the genre accounted for 18% of fiction sales in the US, according to <a href="https://wordsrated.com/romance-novel-sales-statistics/">one source</a>. And its popularity is on the rise while overall book sales decline: in the past year (in the US), romance book sales have <a href="https://wordsrated.com/romance-novel-sales-statistics/">grown by 52%</a>.</p>
<p>Readers of romance expect narratives featuring smart, pretty female protagonists who live, laugh, love without too much rumination on structural oppression. Romance is a feel-good, aspirational genre – which is not to say innovation isn’t valued. </p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552030/original/file-20231004-31-zyog1m.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552030/original/file-20231004-31-zyog1m.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552030/original/file-20231004-31-zyog1m.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=920&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552030/original/file-20231004-31-zyog1m.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=920&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552030/original/file-20231004-31-zyog1m.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=920&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552030/original/file-20231004-31-zyog1m.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1156&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552030/original/file-20231004-31-zyog1m.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1156&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552030/original/file-20231004-31-zyog1m.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1156&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Recently, Curtis Sittenfield’s <a href="https://www.penguin.com.au/books/romantic-comedy-9780857527509">Romantic Comedy</a>, which questions why it’s socially acceptable for ordinary-looking men to date goddesses, but not the other way round, performed and critiqued the genre, while looking at how gender biases dominate our real lives and the ways we represent them. In <a href="https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/book/Akwaeke-Emezi-You-Made-a-Fool-of-Death-With-Your-Beauty-9780571372683/">You Have Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty</a>, Akwaeke Emezi imagines the possibilities of a second-chance romance that refuses to overwrite the complexities of past trauma and grief. But both of these writers stay true to the first command of romance: the lovers live happily ever after.</p>
<p>Against the opinion of irate North American readers, I contend it’s possible to read Bonnie Garmus’s Lessons In Chemistry as a subversive romance novel. </p>
<p>Protagonist Elizabeth Zott is pretty and smart. She falls in love. She struggles toward a hopeful conclusion. But if Garmus rocks the love boat, it’s in her refusal to let romantic love conquer all. Particularly when “all” is entrenched capitalist patriarchy. </p>
<p>Further, she refuses to romanticise the experience of being a woman, even a woman in love. Fairy tales are left in the library. Garmus’s protagonist clings to a very basic desire: to live a self-determined life in contexts that insist women shouldn’t determine anything for themselves, least of all their lives. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552012/original/file-20231004-23-ihiaec.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552012/original/file-20231004-23-ihiaec.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552012/original/file-20231004-23-ihiaec.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552012/original/file-20231004-23-ihiaec.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552012/original/file-20231004-23-ihiaec.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552012/original/file-20231004-23-ihiaec.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552012/original/file-20231004-23-ihiaec.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552012/original/file-20231004-23-ihiaec.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">If Garmus rocks the love boat, it’s in her refusal to let romantic love conquer all.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Apple TV+</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/friday-essay-romance-fiction-rewrites-the-rulebook-183136">Friday essay: romance fiction rewrites the rulebook</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Lessons in Chemistry</h2>
<p>Lessons in Chemistry opens in 1961. Elizabeth Zott is a 31-year-old single mother, certain her life is over. The particulars of that life are revealed gradually. </p>
<p>Zott grew up with pseudo-religion. Her father, a charlatan preacher, introduced her to chemistry by using pistachio nuts to “conjure a spontaneous combustion whenever he needed a convenient sign from God”. Zott and her brother found sanctuary from the “sanctuary business” in the rational church of the library. They sheltered from a social milieu that would not accept them for who they were: he a homosexual, and she a scientist. </p>
<p>Garmus’s positioning of “scientist” as an intrinsic identity – as maligned in a woman as homosexuality – draws reader attention to the work several generations of women did in the workplace, and in areas of knowledge production that excluded their perspectives. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NzS2eSvpWLs?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Lessons in Chemistry reveals the particulars of its heroine’s life gradually.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/lessons-in-chemistry-author-bonnie-garmus/">interviews</a>, Garmus has attributed the novel’s genesis to the experience of a male colleague blatantly taking credit for her ideas at work. She has the adult Zott set up a freelance business, doing her former male colleagues’ work without any credit for it. And she dedicates the book to her grandmother. The world may have changed, the novel suggests, but there are aspects of the fight that remain the same. </p>
<p>When Zott fights patriarchy, the cultural monolith conveniently takes the form of a singular enemy – a lecherous colleague, a rapist, a power hungry middle manager – which Garmus’s clever writing allows her protagonist to meet head-on with violence. Not sexy, sassy violence either. That pencil tucked provocatively into her chignon on the US cover: it’s sharp, a weapon both figuratively and literally. Zott writes up research findings and fights off rapists with it. The catharsis of such pointed retaliation is undeniable. </p>
<p>Lessons in Chemistry relieves readers of the complexities of post-#MeToo discourse and evokes something akin to feminist nostalgia for clear and obvious enemies. Race, though, is not explicitly addressed in the novel, an oversight the TV adaptation will attempt to address. </p>
<p>When Zott gets a dubious break as a TV anchor on a cooking show, she subverts the format, calling common ingredients by their chemical names and embedding feminist messages in the cooking instructions. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552015/original/file-20231004-17-oxtz0y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552015/original/file-20231004-17-oxtz0y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552015/original/file-20231004-17-oxtz0y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552015/original/file-20231004-17-oxtz0y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552015/original/file-20231004-17-oxtz0y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552015/original/file-20231004-17-oxtz0y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552015/original/file-20231004-17-oxtz0y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552015/original/file-20231004-17-oxtz0y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Race is not explicitly addressed in the novel, an oversight the TV adaptation will attempt to address.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Apple TV+</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>She’s deemed unmarketable, despite her rising popularity with female viewers. A cover article in Life magazine runs with the headline, “Why We’ll Eat Whatever She Dishes Out”, and opens with a quote about Zott being “the most intelligent person on television today, except the editor had swapped out ‘intelligent’ and replaced it with ‘attractive’”. When the reporter later tries to make amends by penning an article on gender bias in science, he is rejected by ten scientific magazines. </p>
<p>“Women in science isn’t something people have any interest in,” Zott tells her neighbour – without flicking her hair, chewing on her pencil, or pushing her glasses down to stare dreamily at a man she might love. </p>
<h2>Women of science</h2>
<p>Zott’s love story contains more than one scene where the female protagonist needs to patiently explain sexism to her male beloved – a trope of real-life heteronormative romance, as many heroines can attest. When Zott’s beloved, a revered male scientist named Calvin, claims sex discrimination in the sciences isn’t real, Zott asks, patiently, if he can name any woman scientists. </p>
<p>“Do not say <a href="https://theconversation.com/radioactive-new-marie-curie-biopic-inspires-but-resonates-uneasily-for-women-in-science-148986">Marie Curie</a>,” she adds. </p>
<p>It’s an example of Garmus’s playful prompts for readers to consider the stories we do not know. Not just the fun alternative histories, but the real ones, too. </p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552032/original/file-20231004-17-15zw0y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552032/original/file-20231004-17-15zw0y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552032/original/file-20231004-17-15zw0y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=730&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552032/original/file-20231004-17-15zw0y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=730&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552032/original/file-20231004-17-15zw0y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=730&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552032/original/file-20231004-17-15zw0y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=917&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552032/original/file-20231004-17-15zw0y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=917&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552032/original/file-20231004-17-15zw0y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=917&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The term ‘scientist’ was coined in 1834, in an article on Mary Somerville (pictured).</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wikipedia</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>After all, the term “scientist” was coined in 1834 in an article on <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mary-Somerville">Mary Somerville</a>, a Scottish polymath whose published books <a href="https://www.beacon.org/Maria-Mitchell-and-the-Sexing-of-Science-P1418.aspx">covered her primary field</a> of mathematics, as well as astronomy, geology, chemistry and physics “so clearly that the texts became the backbone of Cambridge University’s first science curriculum”. The term “scientist” was necessary both to encompass Somerville’s interdisciplinary work, and because “man of science” did not apply. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552037/original/file-20231004-29-73liu8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552037/original/file-20231004-29-73liu8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552037/original/file-20231004-29-73liu8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=862&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552037/original/file-20231004-29-73liu8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=862&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552037/original/file-20231004-29-73liu8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=862&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552037/original/file-20231004-29-73liu8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1083&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552037/original/file-20231004-29-73liu8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1083&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552037/original/file-20231004-29-73liu8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1083&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Ada Lovelace.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wikipedia</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Somerville tutored Ada Lovelace, the first computer programmer, and was but one of a truncated lineage of female scientists, including <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/people/lise-meitner/">Lise Meitner</a>, who co-discovered nuclear fission in 1938, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Rosalind-Franklin">Rosalind Franklin</a>, whose 1950s research identified key properties in DNA and facilitated the correct description of the double helix, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jocelyn-Bell-Burnell">Jocelyn Bell Burnell</a>, who discovered radio pulsars in 1967, and <a href="https://www.astronomy.com/science/how-vera-rubin-confirmed-dark-matter/">Vera Rubin</a>, whose research in the 1970s confirmed the existence of dark matter. </p>
<p>Reading about each of these women’s careers, one encounters enough repeated plot points to constitute a genre. Each woman was excluded from research teams, expelled from prestigious colleges due to disagreements with male colleagues, and/or overlooked by Nobel Prize committees. </p>
<p>An alternative cover for Lessons in Chemistry might represent the determined face of Elizabeth Zott, composed of tiny images of her equally determined and frustrated historical peers. Of course, few of us would recognise them.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/ada-lovelace-blazed-a-trail-in-science-we-need-more-women-to-follow-in-her-footsteps-66661">Ada Lovelace blazed a trail in science – we need more women to follow in her footsteps</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>A good dog: ‘the real Prince Charming’</h2>
<p>It’s lucky then, that I never paid any attention to the cover of Lessons in Chemistry. I’m a “pragmatist” and a “scholar”: that is, I like to pretend I do not enjoy romance novels. I do not generally admit to enjoying any books with flippy-haired women on the cover. </p>
<p>I am a “serious” reader. Self-styled above the middlebrow, refusing any gender-tag. As such, I picked up Lessons in Chemistry for one reason only: I heard there was a very good dog in it. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552018/original/file-20231004-19-wpub03.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552018/original/file-20231004-19-wpub03.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=273&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552018/original/file-20231004-19-wpub03.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=273&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552018/original/file-20231004-19-wpub03.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=273&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552018/original/file-20231004-19-wpub03.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=342&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552018/original/file-20231004-19-wpub03.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=342&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552018/original/file-20231004-19-wpub03.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=342&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">‘I picked up Lessons in Chemistry for one reason only: I heard there was a very good dog in it,’ says Briohny Doyle.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Apple TV+</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Very good dogs transcend literary genre. Karenin from Milan Kundera’s <a href="https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/book/Milan-Kundera,-translated-by-Michael-Henry-Heim-Unbearable-Lightness-of-Being-9780571135394/">The Unbearable Lightness of Being</a> is as important to literature as Jack London’s <a href="https://www.penguin.com.au/books/the-call-of-the-wild-and-white-fang-9780804168854">White Fang</a>, Eileen Myles’ dearly departed Rosie, and Laura-Jean McKay’s dingo, Sue, in <a href="https://scribepublications.com.au/books-authors/books/the-animals-in-that-country-9781925849530">The Animals in That Country</a>. </p>
<p>In novels, dogs demonstrate humane behaviour. Literary dogs are keenly attuned to the absurd, and to suffering. If, <a href="https://1000wordphilosophy.com/2022/03/18/bentham-on-animals/">as Jeremy Bentham wrote</a>, the proof of animal sentience is a capacity to suffer, in literature, the very good dog suffers with, for, and because of its human counterparts. </p>
<p>Elizabeth Zott finds her good dog, Six-Thirty – who narrates sections of the novel – at 6:30pm in an alleyway at the back of a local deli. The mangy animal lay hopeless and on his last legs until she appeared, at which point he “took one look at her, pulled himself up, and followed”. </p>
<p>He is ready to live, learn and suffer with her. In fact, if we are to read the novel as subversive romance, this dog might be the real Prince Charming. Theirs is a clear case of respect at first sight. Dog and scientist recognise something ineffable in each other, are bound, will never part. </p>
<p>Six-Thirty supports Zott through grief, labour and child-raising. He’s keenly attuned to their co-dependency. The emotional commitment of each keeps the other alive, he observes ruefully, exhausted by the “mess” that is “devotion”. </p>
<p>Zott, whose continually unmet demand for recognition gives her pause to recognise others, sees Six-Thirty for the perspicacious mongrel he is. She reads aloud to him, choosing stories she thinks he’ll enjoy. Like <a href="https://www.penguin.com.au/books/moby--dick-9780451532282">Moby-Dick</a>: “a story about how humans continually underestimate other life-forms. At their peril.”</p>
<p>What Zott doesn’t know is that Six-Thirty is as acculturated an animal as she is. Trained as a bomb-sniffing dog, his descent into the vulnerable position of “stray” is a direct result of a fatal flaw: Six-thirty is gun shy. That is, just like Elizabeth, his intellect is more nuanced than his training allows. </p>
<p>The very good dog and woman scientist are not just emotionally bonded, but a chemically coefficient combination for a multi-species feminist romance.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552019/original/file-20231004-23-44j6v7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552019/original/file-20231004-23-44j6v7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552019/original/file-20231004-23-44j6v7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=842&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552019/original/file-20231004-23-44j6v7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=842&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552019/original/file-20231004-23-44j6v7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=842&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552019/original/file-20231004-23-44j6v7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1059&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552019/original/file-20231004-23-44j6v7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1059&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552019/original/file-20231004-23-44j6v7.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1059&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Bonnie Garmus with her dog, 99.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Agregory/Wikipedia</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In the novel, Six-Thirty is as smart as he is ugly. He’s tall, grey, thin and covered in “barbed-wire-like-fur that made him look as if he’d barely survived electrocution”. In the Apple TV adaptation, he appears to be a caramel-coloured labradoodle. So it goes. No one is safe from the glamour-washing of commercial media. </p>
<p>Novels – like Moby-Dick – that include significant animal characters also explore the ways power determines who speaks and who is silent. An animal narrator can be a foil to human behaviour, denaturalising the ideological underpinning of the story world. An animal familiar can also demonstrate true humanity. </p>
<p>Although novels with animal characters seldom circumvent the problem of anthropomorphism, they highlight the limitations of our systems of representation. Non-human animals point out the nonsense in the human animals’ sense of the world. </p>
<p>Six-Thirty smells the onset of Zott’s impending labour, her death wish as she grieves, and communicates with her foetus in utero. But he still grapples with the idea he’s a “smart dog”. “The word seemed to have as many definitions as there were species, and yet humans […] seemed only to recognise ‘smart’ if and when it played by their own rules,” he observes. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552038/original/file-20231004-21-zgrrk4.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552038/original/file-20231004-21-zgrrk4.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552038/original/file-20231004-21-zgrrk4.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=903&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552038/original/file-20231004-21-zgrrk4.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=903&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552038/original/file-20231004-21-zgrrk4.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=903&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552038/original/file-20231004-21-zgrrk4.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1135&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552038/original/file-20231004-21-zgrrk4.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1135&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552038/original/file-20231004-21-zgrrk4.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1135&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Eileen Myles imagines in <a href="https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/book/Eileen-Myles-Afterglow-9781611855098/">Afterglow: a Dog Memoir</a>, that every dog needs to find a writer to tell their story. If that’s true, in Bonnie Garmus’s novel, Six-Thirty might need a scientist to record the truth: we are all capable of surprising each other. </p>
<p>We can never know each other’s capacities, particularly through the prism of our preconceptions. To understand anything and anyone, you have to pay attention – while also holding your assumptions up to critical scrutiny. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/if-animals-could-speak-would-we-understand-them-178883">If animals could speak, would we understand them?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Bad romance</h2>
<p>In Garmus’s bad romance, the clichés of love are rebutted. No emotional state will appear on the horizon and save your life. If there are fireworks, it might be a chemical reaction caused by pistachio nuts. And if there’s conquering to do, you’d better roll up your sleeves and get to work. </p>
<p>Instead of a happy bride at an altar, Garmus gives the reader the image of a grieving, pregnant, unemployed woman doggedly fighting an invisible tide on a home-made rowing machine.</p>
<p>There are, as promised, lessons in Garmus’s novel, though they belong more in sociology than chemistry. Community, integrity and determination pull Zott through tragedy toward a hopeful ending. Love is primarily about co-responsibility. If you can’t have a family of origin, or a Prince Charming, you can have a chosen family. </p>
<p>Romance fiction is defined primarily by two key features – a central love story, and a hopeful ending – though scholars of the genre identify hope, rather than love, as the dominant thematic concern. </p>
<p>As a serious reader, and a woman who has loved and lost, I flip my hair and raise my brows over my glasses at the false hope of happily-ever-after. Elizabeth Zott, and her creator, Bonnie Garmus would feel the same. </p>
<p>Of course love can change the world for the better. It also tears us apart. Happy endings are cheap, and seldom conclusive. Meanwhile, on the pragmatic side of romance, a woman scientist – having thought her own life over – picks up her pencil and returns, with renewed commitment, to her research questions about the wider world. </p>
<p><em><a href="https://tv.apple.com/au/show/lessons-in-chemistry/umc.cmc.40yycssgxelw4zur8m2ilmvyx?ctx_brand=tvs.sbd.4000">Lessons in Chemistry</a> airs on Apple TV+ from October 13.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/213888/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Briohny Doyle does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Briohny Doyle picked up Lessons in Chemistry not for its sassy-romance cover – which this subversive international bestseller does not deliver – but because she heard it featured a ‘good dog’.
Briohny Doyle, Lecturer, Creative Writing, University of Sydney
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.