Independent Study 490A: Canine Behavior Evaluations: Can it Predict Canine Aggression and Therefore Improve Subsequent Adoption Rates?

Over the last two decades, many animal shelters have employed behavior evaluations on a selection of canines prior to their adoption to (1) more accurately match the canine with the owner / family and (2) to reduce the probability that canines displaying aggression will not be placed up for adoption. Therefore, the objectives of this study was to (1) determine how successful canines were after completing the behavior test with being adopted and (2) if canines were returned to the shelter if reasons given related to an aggressive citation by the new owner. This study was performed at the Animal Rescue League (ARL) of Iowa, located in Ankeny, IA. All canine behavior evaluations were conducted on a weekly basis (Friday afternoons) from the last week of January through the first week of April 2009. A standardized form for all canine behavior evaluations was used. The canine adoption information was collected on three separate occasions; April 1st, 22nd and 29th, 2009. The program used to find adoption information was PetPoint. A total of 41 canines were observed. Thirty-three canines were successfully adopted (87 %) and five were adopted but returned (13 %). Of these five canines returned, only one (20%) reason noted “aggression towards cat.” In conclusion, the majority of canines that underwent and passed the behavior evaluation were successful in their adoption. Furthermore, of the five canines returned after being placed for adoption, only one was linked to some form of aggression

Independent Study 490A: Reasons for Giving Up a Dog at the Animal Rescue League of Iowa

It is important that when an owner decides to relinquish their canine that the information provided on the forms are accurate and not conflicting in detail. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to (1) identify the top three issues for why a canine is relinquished, (2) report on the percentage of canines relinquished due to the recession and, (3) identify the percentage of canines relinquished for behavioral related issues at the Animal Rescue League of Iowa. The top three issues for owner relinquishment for canines at the ARL were 1) too many animals (13.4 %), 2) moving (12.1 %) and 3) found-cannot keep (9.0 %) respectively. Owner relinquishment due to “cannot afford” for 2008 on average was 8.3 %. However, the second half of the year (July to December) had a much higher average percentage of relinquishments per month (10.7 %) than the first half of the year (January to June; 6%). Overall, owner relinquishment due to “cannot afford” for 2008 was 8.3 %. Of the 1,947 canine relinquishment cases that were included in this retrospective study, 96 % of those dogs were relqinuisehd with “non-behavior related relinquishmetns” and 4 % were “behavior related relinquishments.” Therefore in conclusion, the top three issues given by the owners for why a canine was relinquished at the ARL of Iowa was not behaviorally related. The 2008 recession did seem to affect the number of canine relinquishments with more dogs entering the ARL of Iowa in the second half of 2008 with “cannot afford” noted by their owners as the main reason

Industrial biotechnology of Pseudomonas putida: advances and prospects

Pseudomonas putida is a Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium that can be encountered in diverse ecological habitats. This ubiquity is traced to its remarkably versatile metabolism, adapted to withstand physicochemical stress, and the capacity to thrive in harsh environments. Owing to these characteristics, there is a growing interest in this microbe for industrial use, and the corresponding research has made rapid progress in recent years. Hereby, strong drivers are the exploitation of cheap renewable feedstocks and waste streams to produce value-added chemicals and the steady progress in genetic strain engineering and systems biology understanding of this bacterium. Here, we summarize the recent advances and prospects in genetic engineering, systems and synthetic biology, and applications of P. putida as a cell factory

A proactive blueprint to demonstrate on-farm animal welfare

Farm animal welfare has become an increasing area of consumer and customer interest globally and this has resulted in dramatic changes related to on-farm accountability. Some markets are demanding an-on farm, transparent and accountable animal welfare program. Knowing what key elements are required is critical. Key elements range from (a) caretaker qualities; (b) record keeping and standard operating procedures (SOP) (c) animal- and resource based measures (d) communication and (e) caretaker empowerment. The ultimate on-farm welfare program goal is to provide the highest animal care. This review paper will provide context to these key elements that in turn can be used to create or improve an-farm animal welfare program