Smart Computing and Sensing Technologies for Animal Welfare: A Systematic Review

Animals play a profoundly important and intricate role in our lives today. Dogs have been human companions for thousands of years, but they now work closely with us to assist the disabled, and in combat and search and rescue situations. Farm animals are a critical part of the global food supply chain, and there is increasing consumer interest in organically fed and humanely raised livestock, and how it impacts our health and environmental footprint. Wild animals are threatened with extinction by human induced factors, and shrinking and compromised habitat. This review sets the goal to systematically survey the existing literature in smart computing and sensing technologies for domestic, farm and wild animal welfare. We use the notion of \emph{animal welfare} in broad terms, to review the technologies for assessing whether animals are healthy, free of pain and suffering, and also positively stimulated in their environment. Also the notion of \emph{smart computing and sensing} is used in broad terms, to refer to computing and sensing systems that are not isolated but interconnected with communication networks, and capable of remote data collection, processing, exchange and analysis. We review smart technologies for domestic animals, indoor and outdoor animal farming, as well as animals in the wild and zoos. The findings of this review are expected to motivate future research and contribute to data, information and communication management as well as policy for animal welfare

Animal-Computer Interaction: Designing Specialised Technology with Canine Workers

This thesis reports on research underpinning the design of a canine-centred dog-to-human communication technology, specifically an emergency alarm system that enables trained assistance dogs to call for help on behalf of their owners. Thousands of vulnerable people worldwide living with conditions such as epilepsy, diabetes or limited mobility, rely on assistance dogs to help them in their daily lives. When, for various reason, the human becomes incapacitated, such as when they are experiencing an epileptic seizure, have fallen, or have gone into a hypoglycaemic coma, it is down to their dog to take action to resolve the situation. Interactive technology can provide an assistance dog with the means to raise the alarm and summon help, but in order to enable them to independently and successfully engage with an alarm, it is critical that they are able to make sense of when and how to use the device to increase their chances of successful interaction. Thus, the research presented here aimed to understand the factors that might influence the dog’s ability to successfully interact with the system we undertook to design. Our initial design was informed by various biological, cognitive, and ergonomic considerations of dogs. We then elicited specific requirements for a canine emergency communication system by observing training practices to learn how trainers communicate with the dogs; interviewing human-dog partnerships to understand their needs; and engaged in rapid prototyping sessions with the dogs to identify their preferences. Using these requirements, we developed several high-fidelity prototypes, which we tested with assistance dog users and their handlers, to identify which design features might best facilitate the dog’s interaction with the device, and in turn enable the design of the training process through which the dogs learn to use the device as independent agents. This led to the practical observation that for many assistance dogs, using an interface that allows them to bite an attachment with their mouth and tug it until it detaches was easy for them to learn to use. We found that when designing technology for assistance dogs, researchers need to consider to what extent the dogs might be expected to drive the interaction and that researchers need to design not only to support the interaction itself but also to facilitate the training process that will eventually lead to the dogs being able to interact with the technology

The acute effect of isoflurane and propofol on the olfactory-cognitive ability of brown root rot disease fungus detection dogs

Scent detection dogs may get injured when performing their tasks and anesthesia is needed for medical attention of these dogs. Currently there is no study evaluating the effect of anesthesia on the olfactory ability of scent detection dogs. This study examined the effects of two commonly used anesthetics, isoflurane (an inhalant agent) and propofol (an injectable agent), on canine olfactory-cognitive circuitry in detecting brown root rot fungus (BRR). The study also evaluated a novel linear route scent detection system utilizing a leash suspended by a guide wire to minimize human hints in dogs. We hypothesized that 1) both anesthetics would reduce the scent detection ability of the dogs; 2) isoflurane would have a greater negative impact on the olfactory acuity of the dogs, and 3) the established linear system would provide a way to evaluate the short term effect of the anesthetic agents on the scent-detection dogs. Eight beagle dogs (age ranges from 1 to 9 years old, median age=3) trained for BRR detection were used in this double-blinded, randomized, cross-over study. Each dog received two treatments, isoflurane and propofol, in a randomized order with an 11-day washout period between treatments. Immediately prior to the anesthesia, a baseline BRR detection test result was obtained, and the success rate of detecting BRR for each dog was recorded. The dog was then anesthetized with either propofol or isoflurane and a light plane of anesthesia was maintained on each respective anesthetic for 30 minutes. Soon after anesthesia recovery (upon endotracheal extubation), the same scent detection test was conducted again at 0.5, 1, 2, 4, and 24 hours after the dog was extubated. The results showed that neither anesthetic agents had a significant (p= 0.869) impact upon the olfactory-cognitive ability of the dogs at any given testing time interval when compared with the baseline performance. Furthermore, isoflurane did not have a greater impact on the olfactory acuity of dogs compared to propofol (p=0.669) and no significant difference in the overall effect between the two anesthetics (p=0.278). We concluded that isoflurane and propofol do not cause negative effect on canine olfaction within 24 hours. There is no difference in effect between these two drugs. And the linear route scent detection system provides a way to evaluate these dogs before and after anesthesia treatments objectively

A View to a Kill: A Multi-Species Ethnographic Enquiry of Dogs Used for Hunting in Cyprus

A critical enquiry into the lives of hunting dogs and their relationships with humans in Cyprus provides insights into many aspects of canine experiences; lives which are governed by hunting practices on the island. A combination of critical animal studies and feminist care ethic theoretical frameworks were used to engage in an ethical reflection on the relationships between humans and non-human animals and deepen the emic understanding of dogs impacted by the human practice of hunting. This work examines canine agency, experience, needs and acts of resistance, using a dog-centric perspective, and as such contributes to a growing body of scholarship that is concerned with bringing in other animals to social science research

Designing an interactive olfactory robot for and with dogs.

This thesis follows the development of Scent Bot, a smell-based enrichment and training device ecosystem for dogs. The device is designed for dogs to use independently. The sponsor of the project, Nose Academy Oy, gave the design brief. Through the choices made while developing the device, a dog-centric design approach emerges, which is discussed at length. Challenges such as those of linguistics and cognition that arise when designing for another species are mitigated through an iterative, multispecies participatory design process. In addition to differences in comprehension, differences in physiology, and ways of experiencing the world are key elements taken into consideration while designing. The interactions of the dog with the device are based on methods coming from ethology and animal training. The interactions were then tested with dogs and revised based on the test results in an iterative looping manner. The design method used in this thesis forwards the conversation around the involvement of animals in the design process while designing for animal-computer interactions. Such design methods can also be used to understand what participatory design can mean where user groups cannot give direct verbal feedback to the designers such as young children and others who are differently abled. The product finds use both in research related to canine olfaction and commercial applications. If launched now, Scent Bot will be the first commercially available automated olfaction-based interactive enrichment device for dogs in the world

Kennelled dog welfare - effects of housing and husbandry

This thesis assesses and compares physiological and behavioural indicators of kennelled dog welfare, and explores their relationships with aspects of housing and husbandry.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Embodied Cognition and Representation in Domesticated Dogs

Embodied cognition is a relatively recent approach in the philosophy of mind. Similarly, the volume of research into dog cognition has increased in the last decade and is set to keep on growing as we learn more about the animals with which we have associated for so long. This thesis argues that the principles of embodied cognition can be productively applied to the study of dogs. Adoption of these principles can improve experimental design and inform the conclusions that we draw from empirical data regarding dogs’ cognitive capacities and behaviour. This dissertation advocates for ethologically appropriate studies, designed for dogs rather than humans, a greater emphasis on the dynamic interplay between the dog, environment and humans, and fresh interpretations of the behaviour and cognitive skills that dogs demonstrate. Moreover, the models of embodied representation expounded in this thesis aid our understanding of dog behaviour and cognition and can enhance our approach to dog training. The thesis closes with a case for embodied representations as facilitators of rational actions in the domesticated dog

Use of the biological body-fluid detection dog for investigation of rape cases

Serious and violent crime in South Africa (SA) has been on the rise in the last few years. The SAPS has been stretched to the maximum in its efforts of trying to stabilise the situation, and has applied various tactics and strategies to eradicate crime. This included, among other things, changes to the basic training programme and reintroduction of specialised units. The success or failure of any criminal investigation will still often depend on the detection and analysis of physical evidence found on the crime scene. Crimes such as rape will always leave behind physical evidence in the form of body-fluids. The detectives need not be experts in order to detect or analyse this physical evidence, but should be experienced enough to know which experts or investigative aids must be used to ensure maximum recovery of the evidence. The purpose of this study was to determine how the Biological Body-fluid Dog (BBFD) can assist detectives in the investigation of rape cases. The researcher has chosen a unique investigative aid in the form of man’s best friend, namely “The Police K9” (canine). The literature shows that trained police dogs have achieved outstanding success in numerous fields around the world, i.e. from narcotic busts, detection of explosives, to countering terrorist threats, to the most chilling search-and-rescue operations. The SAPS has sent its search-and-rescue dogs to many countries abroad to assist in natural disasters. Dogs have been trained by various police agencies for various purposes, but the BBFD dog is unique to the SAPS, and is trained to detect only human blood and semen. The use of K9s in the complex forensic science environment can never be doubted or overlooked. The main problem facing the Booysens SAPS was the low arrest and conviction rate in rape cases, due to a lack of evidence. The researcher hopes to broaden the detectives’ knowledge and skills regarding the objectives of crime investigation, with special focus on detection of physical evidence at rape crime scenes. The BBFD dog is trained to detect minute amounts of body fluid on any type or size of surface, including veld, bush areas, vehicles, carpets, grass, bedrooms, etc.Police PracticeM.A. (Criminal Justice