Search Results (139)

Background: Rabies is almost invariably fatal once clinical symptoms develop, yet it is preventable through canine vaccination and timely post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). In rural Thailand, preventive behaviors likely depend on health literacy and contextual conditions that enable and reinforce protective action, but structural pathways remain unclear. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study among 750 adults in rabies-risk areas of Si Sa Ket Province, Thailand. A socio-ecological, One Health-informed structural equation model (SEM) examined associations among rabies-related health literacy skills (HLskill), service/system enabling conditions (ENAB), reinforcing community mechanisms (COMM), and rabies-prevention behaviors (BEHAV). Results: Model fit was acceptable (CFI = 0.948; TLI = 0.918; SRMR = 0.047; scaled RMSEA = 0.090). HLskill and COMM showed direct associations with BEHAV (β = 0.352 and 0.371, respectively), while ENAB was strongly associated with COMM (β = 0.939), indicating an indirect pathway through community reinforcement (β = 0.348; 95% CI [0.273, 0.424]). Conclusions: Rabies-prevention behaviors were associated with health literacy skills and reinforcing community mechanisms; service readiness operated primarily through community reinforcement. Rabies control should combine health literacy strengthening with community communication, coordinated dog vaccination, bite management, and timely PEP uptake. Full article

Animal-Assisted Services (AASs) are increasingly used in therapeutic, educational, and supportive contexts, raising growing concern for the welfare of the dogs involved. This study assessed dogs’ affective states during AAS sessions by establishing expert-derived behavioural thresholds and comparing these with field observations. Thirteen experts in canine behaviour, health, welfare, and AAS evaluated 19 behaviours across 11 fictional scenarios using an absolute scoring approach. Expert ratings were used to derive lower and upper frequency thresholds distinguishing excellent, neutral, and unacceptable welfare for behaviours associated with positive- or negative-affective states. Field data were collected over a two-month period from 837 AAS sessions involving 63 dogs, scored by trained professionals using the same ethogram. Stress-related behaviours were generally within the expert-defined acceptable ranges, although some dogs exceeded the upper thresholds for behaviours such as low posture or sniffing. In contrast, positive-affective behaviours—including play, voluntary lying down, and broad tail wagging—were observed infrequently and often fell below the expert-defined minimum thresholds. These findings suggest that while overt stress indicators are largely managed in AAS practice, opportunities for dogs to express positive-affective states may be limited. Integrating expert-derived behavioural thresholds into welfare monitoring may support evidence-based standards and safeguard canine welfare in AASs. Full article

Animal-assisted services (AASs) are increasingly integrated into healthcare, education, and social support settings. However, empirical evidence on the emotional well-being of participating dogs remains limited. This study investigates how dog, session, handler, and client factors influence dogs’ affective states during animal-assisted activities (AAAs), education (AAE), coaching (AAC), and therapy (AAT). A total of 837 sessions involving 63 dogs and 30 handlers were observed, with behavioural scoring and statistical analyses used to analyse the data. Principal Component Analysis then identified key affective components, including playfulness, comfort, anxiety, and uncertainty, which explained 45–61% of the variance. Session circumstances, as well as the characteristics of handlers, clients, and individual dogs—including age, experience, and gender—significantly influenced dogs’ responses. Specifically, older dogs were less playful but more settled, while experience was linked to positive affect in AAAs and AAT, but not in AAC. Female dogs demonstrated increased uncertainty and arousal in AAAs and AAE. The impact of session length varied by context. In AAC, unfamiliar handlers increased tension. Additionally, younger clients were associated with heightened uncertainty or tension in dogs across AAAs, AAC, and AAE. In light of these findings, optimising dog welfare requires matching dogs to suitable roles, attentive session planning, and managing workload. Full article

Animal-assisted services (AAS) involve providers working in partnership with specially trained animals to deliver therapeutic, educational, and supportive benefits that promote human well-being. Although research shows dog-assisted AAS benefits recipients, little is known about handlers’ motivations and how this work impacts handlers and their dogs. This study explores why individuals engage in AAS with their dogs and the relational benefits and challenges involved. A convenience sample of adult AAS handlers was recruited through various organizations via newsletters and social media. Participants (N = 247), predominantly older, white, and highly educated women, responded to three open-ended survey questions. Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis, which revealed several interconnected themes. Handlers described profound joy, pride, and purpose derived from sharing their dogs with others, and an enhanced capacity to support recipients. Participants reported using AAS to augment professional roles, to pay forward acts of kindness, and to enrich their dogs through social interaction. While overwhelmingly meaningful, this work also involves challenges, underscoring the need for organizational support for AAS teams. Training programs should equip handlers to recognize signs of animal stress, navigate demanding contexts, and engage in proactive conversations about rest, retirement, and loss. Normalizing these experiences may promote handler well-being and sustain ethical, relationship-centered AAS practice. Full article

Animal-Assisted Services (AAS), together with art therapy, represent an innovative resource in prisons, promoting the emotional and relational well-being of inmates. This pilot study evaluated the effectiveness of an integrated protocol of Animal-Assisted Services and art therapy, with a focus on the selection and monitoring of dogs included in AAS. Forty-two male inmates from a prison in southern Italy were involved. The year-long intervention included weekly group activities with three trained AAS dogs chosen by their personality profiles. The dogs’ well-being was monitored at the beginning, midpoint, and end of the program; data was also collected on the occurrence of critical events for the inmates. The results showed that the dogs maintained a stable profile of psychological and physical well-being and good behavioral regulation, while the inmates showed a significant reduction in critical events. In conclusion, the integrated approach tested, based on the careful selection of dogs, activities tailored to the needs of inmates, and continuous monitoring, proved effective in ensuring animal well-being and promoting improvement in prison conditions. Full article

Children diagnosed with autism face many barriers to learning. Animal Assisted Services and Interventions (AAS/AAI) have been adopted to support children within schools. The Dog Mentor is a UK-based organisation that provides training for handlers and assesses dogs to be integrated within schools. It adopts a rigorous and continuous training package and ensures the safety and welfare of all involved by adopting a whole school approach. This research uses content analysis to understand the types of activities and outcomes in The Dog Mentor programme, as established by teachers and dog handlers, across 58 schools. Teachers and dog handlers perceived that The Dog Mentor successfully supported children with autism, using a variety of sessions. This variability is seen as a benefit as it enables the intervention to be tailored to meet the needs of the students. Handler-reported benefits include creating a calm environment, promoting engagement, and supporting learning. Improved self- and emotion regulation, mental health, and resilience were also noted by the handler reports. Future research needs to investigate these perceived benefits using quantitative data, as well as look into outcomes relating to the dogs supporting others with bereavement and trauma. This topic was briefly mentioned by two of the schools, but there was not enough data to understand the impact in depth. Full article

Background: Rabies remains a neglected zoonotic disease in South Africa, particularly in rural areas where surveillance weaknesses, behavioral gaps, and limited One Health coordination persist. Objectives: This study assessed rabies surveillance, behavioral risk factors, and system responsiveness in two rural Eastern Cape communities, with a focus on post-pandemic resilience within a One Health framework. Methods: A cross-sectional, community-based pilot study was conducted among 109 residents using structured questionnaires to collect data on demographics, rabies awareness, vaccination practices, and service disruptions. Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate analyses identified predictors of dog-bite exposure and pet vaccination. Machine learning models (Decision Tree and Random Forest) were applied to explore risk hierarchies. A composite Surveillance Gap Index (SGI) was developed to integrate behavioral and systemic indicators. Results: While 88% of participants were aware of rabies, only 35% attended awareness campaigns. Dog-bite exposure affected 51% of households, with significantly higher risk among males (aOR = 4.33; p = 0.003). Education was positively associated with pet vaccination (aOR = 1.78). Despite 45% reporting COVID-19 disruptions, communities maintained high post-pandemic vaccination coverage (85.7%). Predictive models (AUC = 0.82–0.86) identified education, gender, awareness, and distance as key risk drivers. Conclusions: Integrating behavioral insights and predictive analytics into One Health strategies can strengthen rabies surveillance and support progress toward eliminating human rabies by 2030. Full article

The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes the impact of social determinants of health (SDHs) on human health and wellbeing factors. Limited research has explored how SDHs, such as the social, economic, and environmental conditions in which individuals are born, live, work, and grow older, shape exercise behaviors and chronic health conditions such as cancer in dogs. This study links SDHs identified through owner-provided continental United States zip codes with levels of physical activity. We hypothesized that owners with higher incomes, education, and access to healthcare services positively influence their dog’s health outcomes, specifically owner-reported physical activity. Our study utilized all owner-provided data, collected between 2012 and 2022, from the first seven years of owner surveys for the 3044 Golden Retrievers enrolled in the Morris Animal Foundation Lifetime Study. Sixteen GPBoost Poisson models were built to assess the impact of twenty-three social determinants in Golden Retrievers with and without a diagnosis of cancer. SHAP values were calculated for each dependent variable. Consistently, economic factors, education, ethnicity, and health care access were identified as important variables. Furthermore, our findings suggest that complex interactions between ethnicities and other SDHs should be explored in future studies. Full article

Brachycephalic dogs commonly suffer from breathing difficulties and other chronic health problems, yet strong consumer demand is widely reported. Whether the popularity of brachycephalic breeds persists across different contexts is largely untested. Census data from 1,510,085 canine consultations conducted at a single veterinary hospital from 2004 to 2023 in Hong Kong were collected and analysed. Individual dogs (n = 96,777) were counted once, in the first year of presentation. Males (53.5% to 57.7%) and purebreds (86.2% to 91.2%) predominated each year. Neutered dogs increased from 52% to 70% annually. Poodles were the most popular breed from 2009. Brachycephalic breeds, collectively, declined progressively from 36.3% to 15.4% of the annual population. This trend was exaggerated in dogs < 1-year-old (27.4% to 11.7%). Absolute numbers of common brachycephalic breeds declined, except for French Bulldogs and Pugs. A historical cohort study was conducted with a subset of the data (2016–2023) to investigate the hypothesis that veterinary service use would be higher in brachycephalic breeds compared with other groups. The hypothesis was proven. Relative demand for brachycephalic breeds in Hong Kong is decreasing, with the exception of French Bulldogs and Pugs. Investigating drivers of these observations will inform behaviour change strategies, and facilitate comparisons across different regions. Full article

Dog-assisted interventions (DAIs) are an established procedure to support military staff, but their implementation during active warfare has not yet been systematically studied. In addition, the welfare of therapy dogs participating in DAIs during war remains unexplored. Therapy dogs may develop clinically relevant emotional disorders, including trauma-related stress responses, analogous to human psychopathologies. The present study sought to monitor physiological arousal in therapy dogs performing DAI sessions with their handlers in two Ukrainian military hospitals (Vinnyzja and Kyiv). Biomarkers of hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis activity, including salivary, urinary, and hair cortisol concentrations, were assessed in Ukrainian (UA) therapy dogs to capture their acute and long-term stress responses. Additionally, cortisol levels in German (GE) therapy dogs performing similar DAIs under peaceful conditions were measured to compare cortisol levels between dogs from both regions. Results suggest that GE therapy dogs exhibited significantly higher urinary concentrations, reflecting alterations in longer-term glucocorticoid secretion that is possibly caused by war-related stimulation in the UA cohort. In contrast, no significant differences in salivary cortisol emerged as a consequence of performing DAIs. The present findings suggest that the environment rather than involvement in DAIs has an impact on therapy dogs’ cortisol secretion. Full article

Animal-assisted services (AAS) depend on volunteer handler–dog teams, yet the emotional and relational impacts on volunteers when their therapy dog dies or retires remain largely unexplored. This study examines AAS volunteers’ experiences following the death or retirement of their therapy dog partner. An online, anonymous cross-sectional survey was administered between January and June 2025. A total of 247 individual responses were analyzed. Over half of survey participants (56%) had lost a therapy dog to death, and 36.6% had retired a dog. Although most volunteers who resumed AAS with a new dog reported excitement and renewed purpose, many experienced sadness linked to their previous partner. Retirement decisions were primarily driven by dog welfare concerns and were often experienced as an ambiguous loss. Social constraints were common; participants frequently perceived minimization or discomfort from others when attempting to discuss their grief. In conclusion, therapy dog death and retirement represent significant emotional and relational losses for AAS volunteers. Organizational practices, including anticipatory retirement planning, welfare-centered guidelines, recognition rituals, and structured support during successor-dog transitions may help mitigate distress and foster healthy adjustment. Findings are discussed in relation to theory-informed, practical implications for animal-assisted service practitioners and organizations. Full article

Access to specialist veterinary oncology services may be influenced by geographic, demographic, and patient-related factors. Understanding travel burden is important for identifying potential barriers to care and designing more equitable service delivery models. This study quantified the distance travelled by owners seeking specialist oncology care at a UK veterinary teaching hospital and examined whether species, age, breed, and insurance status were associated with travel patterns. A retrospective review was conducted of all dogs and cats presenting to the Oncology Service at the Hospital for Small Animals, University of Edinburgh, between 1 December 2018 and 31 October 2025. Owner postcodes were used to calculate distances from residence to the hospital. Distances were compared across species (dog vs. cat), breed (pure-breed vs. mixed-breed), age (<7 vs. ≥7 years), and insurance status (insured vs. uninsured). A total of 3074 cases were included. In univariate analysis, dogs travelled significantly further than cats (p < 0.001), pure-breed animals travelled significantly further than mixed-breed animals (p < 0.001), and younger animals travelled significantly further than older animals (p = 0.002). In multivariate analysis, species, age, and insurance status were significant, with dogs (p < 0.001), younger animals (p = 0.012), and uninsured animals (p = 0.008) travelling further. These findings highlight potential geographic inequities in access to specialist care and underscore the need for alternative service-delivery strategies to improve accessibility, particularly for cats and younger animals. Full article

Dog ownership may be an effective nonpharmacological, rehabilitative approach to improve veterans’ mental health and well-being. For three functional types of dogs—service, emotional support, and companion—little is known about the demographic and health characteristics of veterans and the dog types they own. This study examined veteran demographics and health characteristics stratified by functional dog type and intensity of the relationship. A cross-sectional online survey with several reliable/valid health and well-being instruments was administered to veterans with a service, emotional support, or companion dog. A convenience sample of veterans (N = 242) with a mean age of 46.9 (SD = 13.4) participated in this study. There were 143 males, 95 females, and 2 participants with another identity. The majority were white (71%). The Army (48.3%) was the most represented branch. Significant differences were found between veteran health characteristics [suicidal ideation, PTSD, anxiety, and physical well-being based on the functional dog type owned]. Service dog owners had a significantly more intense relationship with their dog. This study provides insight into the role dogs may play in improving mental health and well-being in veterans. To prevent further disability in veterans, clinicians should consider incorporating the right functional dog type in personalized care plans. Full article

Animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) or Services (AAS) may cause stress in participating dogs, making the selection of suitable individuals essential to prevent strain. Different non-standardized approaches currently exist to assess dogs’ suitability for AAIs. This preliminary study aimed at evaluating two combined tools, a behavioural aptitude test (SuiTe) and an ad hoc revised questionnaire incorporating C-BARQ, for pre-screening dog suitability for AAIs, also in relation to salivary cortisol measured by enzyme immunoassay in N = 38 dogs. Dogs’ behavioural responses to environmental and social stimuli were scored on an X-Y scale and classified by two independent evaluators as suitable (S), pending suitability (P), or unsuitable (U). Non-parametric tests were performed (p < 0.05). Results indicated significant differences between dogs classified as S or P versus U, both in SuiTe valence scores (higher in S and P) and in separation, attachment, and fear/anxiety behaviours assessed by the questionnaire (higher in U). However, suitability in the SuiTe was lower than that assessed by caregivers through an open question. Our study highlights the complexity of this assessment and the limited awareness of caregivers regarding the situations their dogs face every day. Future analyses will refine this multiparametric approach within a One Welfare perspective, ensuring the welfare of both animals and humans involved in AAIs. Full article

Assessing the externalities of nature conservation policies, conceived as unintended socio-economic and ecological effects, is essential for evaluating societal costs and improving conservation strategies. This is particularly relevant in the case of wolf conservation and its interaction with traditional pastoralism, an animal farming system that provides valuable ecosystem services but is rapidly declining across Europe. We used structured questionnaires with Spanish herders to evaluate the environmental and societal impacts of livestock-guarding dogs (LGDs) as a measure to prevent wolf attacks. On average, farms with 750 sheep employed five mastiffs and three sheepdogs, with LGD numbers increasing in wolf-abundant areas. The number of mastiffs rose proportionally with herd size (0.6 mastiffs per 100 sheep), whereas sheepdog numbers plateaued. The estimated annual cost per LGD was €364, with LGDs contributing approximately 7% of a farm’s carbon emissions. Sixty-one percent of herders reported minor societal conflicts involving LGDs, primarily dogs chasing pedestrians or cyclists, while 1% involved minor bites. The likelihood of societal conflict increased with the number of LGDs on a farm. Additionally, each LGD caused an estimated 0.71 wildlife fatalities per year, mostly involving small mammals such as rabbits, hares, and young ungulates. These findings highlight the need for urgent coexistence strategies to balance effective wolf conservation with the sustainability of traditional pastoralism. Without targeted intervention, the continued expansion of Spain’s wolf population may increase costs to herders and foster growing public opposition to wolf conservation efforts. Full article