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Objectives To describe preliminary use of a forced-choice preferential looking task for the clinical assessment of vision in dogs. Materials and methods The vision of 18 pet dogs was investigated in two separate studies using a forced-choice preferential looking task: multiple observers watched eye, head and body movements on video recordings to identify cues suggesting when a dog had seen the feature of interest. Human observer reliability was determined using eight dogs and computer-generated stimuli. Visual acuity was assessed using computer-generated grating stimuli: in real-time, an observer watched each dog's eye movement patterns and behaviour to decide whether each grating was seen. Stimuli were presented in a step-wise manner and were controlled by the observer. Acuity was estimated as the highest spatial frequency the dog was determined to have seen. Results Median estimated visual acuity was better at 1 m compared to that at 3 m. Average test time was longer at a 3-m distance than at 1 m. Inter- and intra-observer reliability was better from 1 m than from 3 m. Clinical significance Preliminary use of a forced-choice preferential looking task for measurement of visual acuity in dogs has potential use as a clinical tool for the assessment of vision in dogs.

Background Research has shown Australian group homes, and supported living options, fail to support people with intellectual disabilities (IDs) to develop social connections. This pilot study evaluates the effectiveness of a visiting dog walking program to facilitate encounters with other community members. Method Sixteen adults with IDs were assigned to one of two groups, matched on key characteristics. Group 1 had 14, 1-hour outings in the community with a dog and their handler; Group 2 had 14 outings with a handler alone, followed by an additional five outings with a handler and a dog. Within and between group differences were analysed according to number of encounters when a dog was present and absent. Qualitative data provided insights into the nature of these encounters. Results The number of encounters was significantly higher when a dog was present than when participants went out into the community with a handler alone. This pattern was reflected in the qualitative data, which also suggested the presence of a dog helped to break social norms about speaking to strangers and discourage disrespect towards people with IDs. Conclusions A dog walking program has the potential to encourage convivial encounters, which in the long term could be catalysts to help people with IDs build social connections in their communities; this should be further explored.

The widespread tendency of modern-day pet owners to self-identify with their companion animals psychologically, symbolically and relationally demonstrates how the constructed identities of animal and owner are strongly linked. This becomes particularly apparent during natural disasters. In this review, the new concept of the pet-owning self is discussed in relation to three self-psychology perspectives: self-extension, symbolic interactionism and selfobject relations. We purposefully depart from the realm of attachment theory to argue that these three epistemological approaches to self-identity, although related, warrant closer examination. Although we discuss them in relation to disaster contexts, the concept of the pet-owning self remains widely applicable. We argue for the importance of acknowledging the powerful intersubjectivity inherent to pet keeping, the inseparability of perceived pet identity from owners' experiences of the self and that preserving the cohesion of the two is an essential consideration for owners' psychological wellbeing when managing the integrated pet/owner in the face of risks posed by disaster and other hazards. Future research opportunities and implications are then discussed in the context of social identity theory.

Background A large number of snakes are kept as pets in Western societies. Few studies have been undertaken to assess keeping practices of snakes by private owners in Australia. Therefore, there is concern that some owners may not understand even basic husbandry requirements. The aim of this preliminary study was to identify the most common practices used by snake owners in Victoria, Australia. Method An online survey asked 251 snake owners to describe ways in which they attempt to meet their snake’s environmental, behavioural, dietary, social and health needs. Results Fewer than half of participants had an enclosure large enough for the snake to fully stretch out, and just over half had an enclosure large enough to meet the requirements in the Victorian Code of Practice. Only 60 per cent of owners correctly identified their snake’s activity patterns based on information about wild snakes of the same species. Conclusion Educational campaigns may help improve outcomes for snakes in the future, but more research is needed about captive snake husbandry, to provide an evidence base for informing snake management recommendations.

The debate about tail docking in domestic dogs continues to rage in many developed countries and attitudes expressed by different community groups remain diametrically opposed. Veterinary associations and welfare organisations typically want the practice banned, while many breeders and pure-bred dog associations just as vigorously oppose the introduction of anti-docking legislation. In recent years, much data have been accumulated concerning the welfare implications of tail docking. A recent evaluation of this literature suggests that the practice has little to recommend it and that, in the absence of reasonable case-by-case justification, it may constitute an unacceptable abuse of a sentient species. Given this situation, it is difficult to understand why many canine interest groups, presumably representing those people who care most about the welfare of companion dogs, should continue to hold such strong attitudes in favour of tail docking. In this review we attempt to explain why different community groups might espouse strong but opposing attitudes, despite having access to the same information. We argue that the theory of cognitive dissonance, popular among social psychologists, may provide a useful framework within which to understand, and attempt to alter, attitudes that persist even though they appear contrary to available empirical evidence.

Dog bites are an underestimated societal problem. Victims suffer injuries, both physical and emotional, that sometimes end in death, and the economic cost to the community is high. The most frequent victims are children, manly of whom are Mien at home. Current interventions, primarily aimed at the control of dogs in public areas, appear unlikely to reduce the incidence of dog bites within this group. In this study, parents beliefs about their children's behavior around familiar and strange dogs were investigated using a questionnaire. The impact of a brief educational dog safety program on 192 kindergarten children (M = 4.68 years of age) was then evaluated. The questionnaire data revealed that many children engage in unsafe behaviors around dogs, and that parents are largely unaware of the dangers associated with such behaviors. The dog safety program resulted in a significant increase in the ability of children to identify high risk situations for up to 4 weeks, with the benefits being even greater in those children whose Parents were also given information regarding safe behaviors around dogs. Language: en

At present, evidence for a plethora of physiological roles for the different classes of peptidyl-prolyl-cis/trans-isomerases (PPIases, EC 5.2.1.8) is emerging. Cyclosporin A (CyA) has been previously reported to disrupt memory formation in a temporally specific manner, when administered intracranially to day-old chicks trained on a single-trial, passive-avoidance task [Bennett, P.C., Zhao, W., Lawen, A. and Ng, K.T. (1996) Brain Res. 730, 107–117]. CyA is known to inhibit both the PPIase activity of cyclophilin and, indirectly, the protein phosphatase activity of calcineurin. Therefore to begin to distinguish between these two functions we studied the effects on memory formation of three non-immunosuppressive CyA analogues, in order to study the involvement of cyclophilins. These drugs retain the capacity to bind to and inhibit the PPIase activity of cyclophilin, but do not bind in the complex with cyclophilin to calcineurin and, therefore, do not inhibit its phosphatase activity. All three drugs exert effects on memory formation comparable to those induced by CyA, significantly inhibiting memory formation when injected intracranially (50 fmol per hemisphere) immediately following training. Brain extracts from chicks treated with [MeVal4]CyA show a strong inhibition of cyclophilin activity. These data show a requirement for the PPIase activity of a cyclophilin for successful memory formation and constitute the first set of data establishing a physiological role for a cyclophilin.