Sasha Protopopova named NSERC/BC SPCA Industrial Research Chair in Animal Welfare
The Animal Welfare Program is thrilled to announce that Dr. Alexandra (Sasha) Protopopova has been named the NSERC/BC SPCA Industrial Research Chair (IRC) in Animal Welfare! As an IRC Chair, she will lead research between UBC and the BC Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BC SPCA) related to companion animal welfare over the […]
Partnership with BC SPCA experts supporting the next generation of leaders in animal welfare
The BC SPCA was a founding partner in the creation of the University of British Columbia Animal Welfare Program in 1997. Since then, the BC SPCA has used AWP research findings to improve the lives of animals in our care as well as those we advocate for, and hired numerous graduates as staff experts and […]
Minor procedural variations affect dog behaviour during sociability assessments
A new paper from the Animal Welfare Program discusses how minor procedural variations affect dog behaviour during sociability assessments. These standardized tests to evaluate a dog’s sociability towards humans are often used to make life and death decisions for dogs in shelters. However, new data have found that minor variations in these tests result in […]
Barriers to implementing best-practices in US animal shelters
A new UBC AWP open-access paper has been published! This article looks at barriers to implementing best-practices in US animal shelters: memory, opposing opinions, lack of resources, and a procedural drift effect in which the protocol was changed across time. A Multi-Site Feasibility Assessment of Implementing a Best-Practices Meet-And-Greet Intervention in Animal Shelters in the […]
TSA to use more “floppy-eared” dogs, cites Animal Welfare Program research
Dogs are used by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) at airports nationwide to sniff out explosives and contraband. TSA officials say the agency is increasingly replacing retired pointy-eared dogs like German shepherds with floppy-eared dogs like Labrador retrievers, noting that passengers are generally more accepting of dogs with floppy ears. The TSA cited a 2016 […]
New research finds link between behavioural traits and illness in dogs
New research from the Animal Welfare Program showing a link between behavioural traits and illness in dogs was recently featured in the Vancouver Star. The research found that dogs who were more social to people when taken into the animal shelter were more likely to succumb to upper respiratory diseases. Dr. Alexandra Protopopova, an Assistant […]
AWP alumnus Leanne McConnachie shares her research findings with “The Scrivener”
To see her article, follow this link.
Please join our panel discussion on the future of animal welfare!
Update!! For those who would like to link to the event online, it can be found through the Blue Jeans Network using the following information: To join the meeting on a computer or mobile phone: https://bluejeans.com/450910159?src=calendarLink Phone Dial-in +1.888.240.2560 (US Toll Free) +1.866.226.4650 (US Toll Free) Global Numbers: https://www.bluejeans.com/premium-numbers Meeting ID: 450 910 159 Room […]
BCSPCA publishes a review of dog training methods
Animal Welfare Program Adjunct Professor Joanna Makowska prepared a review of dog training methods for the British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BC SPCA). The story was also reported on in Psychology Today
Professor Dan Weary contributes to a critical reflection on animal welfare
The week the journal Animal Welfare published its first ever complete volume of open access papers. This volume, entitled “Animal Welfare Reconsidered”, consists of a series of papers that all seek to provide critical reflection on topics relevant to animal welfare. Animal welfare is conceptually challenging and methodologically vexatious, and any changes required to improve welfare are often difficult […]