Category Archives: Dog Welfare

04/28/12

Open Paw (a Dunbar project)

This post is part of the series in response to Dunbar’s 2012 Australian seminars. See index.

Have you heard about Open Paw?  It’s a shelter program designed to make pets happier in shelter environments, and improve their chances of finding a new home.

Along with the minimal health guidelines, kennel dogs need to meet 3 unfamiliar people a day.

Collie working breed type dog in a shelter.They advocate a classical conditioning approach of just ‘throwing treats’ at the dogs as you walk past, irrelevant to the behaviour.  Some have concerns that this rewards barking behaviour but, in reality, the dog often has a pause between barking behaviour and acknowledging the reward, and it’s more likely the dog will associate his quietness with the treat.  (Dog can’t sniff a treat and woof at the same time!)

The aim is to produce a quiet and pleasant environment in shelters, which people enjoy visiting.  The program also seeks to produce dogs that are ‘automatically’ well behaved (from all or none training) and more likely to stay in their new home.

If you’d like to learn more about Open Paw, the AnimalCAFE podcast may be entertaining for you.

03/28/12

Incentives to breed more greyhounds?!

I was alarmed to read today, through Maggie’s Farm, that the Victorian Minister for Racing, Denis Napthine, has bumped the winning incentives for greyhound breeders to $30 million annually (through a new scheme).  To say I was horrified is putting it mildly.  Already, a colossal number of greyhounds (19 000) are destroyed each year as surplus to the industry, and a scheme such as this one is surely going to encourage the disposal of a huge number of greyhounds each year.

Fawn greyhound playing with a squeaky toy.

Finn, my current greyhound foster, playing with a squeaky toy. Greyhounds make great pets!

Imagine in the government removed all contributions to racing prize money (that is, less $30 million +) and instead putting that money into the greyhound adoption groups.  Potentially, these groups could rehome all these dogs!  If we say, on a generous sum, adoption groups spent $700 per grey to get them ready for adoption, that would only be $13 million (for all 19 000 greys currently killed a year). Perhaps the remaining sums could be used for enforcing welfare legislation regarding greyhound kennelling, and funding the wages of all individuals involved in improving welfare outcomes for greyhounds caught up in the racing industry.

Note: I do not find the lure coursing of greyhounds and other dogs all the abhorrent. Greyhounds and other dogs love to run, and lure coursing is a fun way for them to practice running.  My issue stems from an industry that treats their companion animals as commodities, and disposes of them as such.

Please consider writing a letter to Mr Napthine regarding his support of a greyhound industry that kills 95% of the dogs bred. Below, his contact details and a letter that I wrote regarding this issue. (You’re welcome to use all or parts of my letter in yours.)

denis.napthine@parliament.vic.gov.au (open email client)
Ministerial Office – Phone (03) 9095 4170
Electorial Office/ Warmambool – Phone (03) 5562 8230

94 Liebig Street,
Warrnambool VIC 3280

Or use the ‘ask’ form on Denis’s website. Continue reading →

12/14/11

Questioning Working Dogs (McGreevy)

This post is part of the McGreevy seminar series. Click here for the index.

 

McGreevy posed some interesting and deep questions regarding working dogs, their welfare, and the morals of owning working dogs.  Dogs have served us in a number of ways:  Police dogs, pastoral dogs, customs, quarantine, racing, sledding, security and guarding, vermin control…  These dogs are admired and placed on a pedestal, but there are ethical questions surrounding their work.

 

Herding and Pastoral Dogs

Dogs that herd find this itself, work itself, rewarding.  These dogs can be punished from being removed from work (negative punishment).  Why do dogs find work so innately rewarding?

Part of the reason may be the conditions that many working dogs live in.  McGreevy showed a slide with dog kennels from a working farm.  These dogs were on a chain, attached to metal (i.e. hot) kennels, confined to an area with their own faeces, and surrounded by flies and fleas.  Of course these dogs want to work, if that means they get to leave these substandard conditions.  Obviously, there are welfare issues associated with this treatment.

McGreevy called for more research into pastoral working dogs, particularly in regard to the financial contributions these animals make to farmers.

 

A smooth Collie goes through sheep herding practice.

 

Continue reading →