The Education of Will: A Window on Comparative Trauma in People and Dogs

Chat with Dr. Patricia McConnell, CAAB                                             Patricia’s new book, a memoir titled The Education of Will, brings up many issues related to the experience and treatment of trauma in both people and companion animals.…

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How Can Preference Assessments Help Us Evaluate Environmental Enrichment?

CAABChat with Nicole Dorey, Ph.D., CAAB A variety of research studies have demonstrated that environmental enrichment improves animal welfare in a variety of settings, from laboratories, to farms to zoos. The most common approach to evaluating the effectiveness of environmental enrichment is direct observation of behavioral measures over time, such as the occurrence of stereotyped…

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Selection and Retention of Therapy Horses

With Guest Chatter Dr. Robin Foster, CAAB The health benefits of human-animal interactions have been well-documented. Thousands of horses provide therapy to people with a wide range of physical, cognitive, and emotional abilities.  Some unique features of horses, compared to dogs and other therapy and service animals, is that they are large and strong, and…

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