The JMICAWE
team here at the R(D)SVS received welcome news over the festive period when they discovered that their application
for a Dogs Trust Canine Welfare Research Grant had been successful.
The
research proposal entitled ‘Developing
and validating a robust canine welfare audit system for use in Trap Neuter
Return (TNR) programmes,’ aims to develop an effective framework to
evaluate the welfare of individual dogs through trap-neuter-return programmes.
Trap-neuter-return
(TNR) of free-ranging domestic dogs is an important tool in preventing
conservation problems such as infectious disease transfer to wildlife
populations and hybridisation with endangered wild canidae. Additionally TNR is
recommended by the OIE as a tool to combat problems relating to dog
overpopulation such as zoonotic disease e.g. rabies, shelter overpopulation,
and dog bite attacks on humans
Veterinarian
Heather Bacon of the JMICAWE, who is leading the project said
“Whilst
well-planned TNR programmes are a useful tool in addressing these issues, it is
important to recognise that welfare of the individual dog may be compromised by
a population management approach. This project seeks to develop a framework by
which we can objectively assess the impact of TNR population management programmes
on the welfare of the individual dogs experiencing TNR.”
The Dogs
Trust is supported by our Head of School Prof David Argyle, who acts as a
trustee, and collaborative projects with the Dogs Trust including both the
Canine Welfare Grant research project and Veterinary training initiatives in
Sarejevo, Bosnia, have been supported by Professor Natalie Waran, Director of
the Centre, and Hayley Walters RVN of the JMICAWE.
JMICAWE Animal welfare and Anaesthesia
Veterinary nurse Hayley Walters (centre), training Bosnian vets as part of a collaborative
Dogs Trust training programme
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