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As the dog’s popularity as a human companion has grown, demand for purebred dogs has likewise escalated. Commercial breeding of dogs, which currently helps to meet such demands has become a point of social contention. The co-evolution of dogs and humans and the unique, familial relationships people have developed with them suggest that they are owed special consideration of their needs and interests that is independent of their utility to humans. Not surprisingly, opposition to commercial breeding enterprises has increased dramatically in the past decade in the US and abroad, spawning a growing number of legislative initiatives aimed at regulating such operations, which are widely believed to harm dogs. Among the most significant ethical problems embedded in commercial dog breeding are the potential for insults to the human-dog bond, failure to duly consider and meet duties of care to dogs, including dogs’ welfare needs and interests, and insufficient regulation of dog care standards. The shortage of published science on the actual conditions experienced by dogs in commercial breeding kennels complicates understanding of the nature and severity of problems as well as solutions. It is argued that despite the concerns associated with commercial dog breeding, abolishing the practice without identifying an ethically preferable alternative that meets demands could result in even worse consequences for dogs. Given this problem, commercial breeding could be ethically defensible under conditions that vastly reduce or eliminate potential for dog suffering, and with strict regulatory oversight of corresponding standards of care for dogs.

Perceptions of corporate social responsibility (CSR) for prominent food retailers (Walmart, Costco, Kroger, Target, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, and Amazon.com) were analyzed through best-worst scaling methodology, which resulted in a relative ranking of perceived CSR for each retailer. Seemingly unrelated regression was used to investigate determinants of CSR rankings by the sample of 299 US residents. Of the retailers included in this analysis, Whole Foods was perceived to be the most socially responsible (37%), followed by Trader Joe’s (16%). Respondent characteristics, including gender, children in household, knowledge of retail food business practices, and familiarity with particular food retailers were determinants of the relative CSR rankings. Understanding relationships between demographics and perceptions of food retailers contributes to understanding consumer preferences and demands, which may inform firm decisions.

Objective, reliable behavioral tests are needed to refine on-site welfare assessments of dogs housed at commercial breeding (CB) kennels and provide a basis to inform predictions of their behavior when retired from such kennels. This study tested the reliability, construct validity, and applicability of a protocol for the behavioral assessment of dogs from CB kennels that might be useful in comprehensive welfare assessments of this population. A sample of 447 dogs from 26 CB kennels in the Midwestern US were assessed in their pens. Responses to an approach test (performed on three consecutive days) and a behavioral reactivity test (e.g., traffic cone, toys, umbrella) were recorded. Results showed moderate to perfect (Kw = 0.51–1.00) inter-rater reliability between three independent observers. Approach test-retest analysis showed high correlation of approach test scores on days 1, 2 and 3 (r = 0.85, p

Optimization of the insoluble:soluble fibers in the diets of dogs can improve gastrointestinal health by increasing commensal bacterial growth. A growing body of research suggests that improved gut health can influence behavior via the gut-brain axis. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to investigate the effects of an increased soluble fiber diet on the behavior and voluntary activity of actively training, client-owned Siberian huskies. Fourteen dogs were blocked for age, BW and sex and randomly allocated to either the control or treatment groups. The control group was fed a dry extruded diet that contained an insoluble:soluble fiber ratio of 4:1, and the treatment group was fed a dry extruded diet that contained an insoluble:soluble fiber ratio of 3:1. All dogs underwent eight weeks of incremental conditioning where they trained four days a week. Once a week, a 5-minute video recording was taken immediately pre- and post-exercise to evaluate behaviors. Activity monitors were used to record voluntary activity on two rest days and one active day during weeks -1, 1, 4, 5, and 7. All behavioral and physical activity count data were analyzed using a repeated measures mixed model to test for differences between dietary treatments and week. No differences were observed between treatment or control dogs for any behavior or voluntary physical activity levels (P > 0.05); however, all dogs experienced an exercise-induced reduction in locomotive behaviors prior to exercise throughout the 8-week conditioning period (P < 0.05). Additionally, all dogs were more active during the second consecutive day of rest relative to the first (P < 0.05). These data suggest that while increased soluble fiber in the diets of sled dogs may not affect their behavior, the exercise-related reduction in activity observed begins to recover within one rest day.

Air pollution generates hazardous pollutants that have resulted in safety, health, and other welfare issues of food animals. This paper reviewed scientific research advancement in food animal welfare-related air pollution based on 219 first-hand research publications in refereed journals (referred to as "RPs") over the past nine decades. Scientific studies in this area began in the 1930s. The number of RPs has increased significantly with each decade from the 1960s to the 1980s, then decreased until the 2010s. Twenty-six countries have contributed to this multidisciplinary research. About 52% of the studies were conducted in the U.S. and U.K. Research activities have surged in China since the 2010s. On-farm discoveries in air toxicity that resulted in animal death or injury were all from observational studies. About 75% of the studies were experimental and conducted primarily under laboratory conditions. Ammonia (NH3) was the main pollutant in 59% of the RPs, followed by dust, hydrogen sulfide (H2S), bacteria and endotoxins, carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), silo gas, sulfur dioxide (SO2), and odor. Approximately 23% of RPs reported multiple pollutants in the same study. The most intensively studied animal species were poultry (broilers, hens, turkeys, ducks, and eggs and embryos in 44% of the RPs) and pigs (also 44%), followed by cattle, and sheep and goats. Scientific investigations in this area were driven by the research focuses in the areas of animal agriculture and industrial air pollution. Some major research teams played important roles in advancing scientific research. However, research in this area is still relatively limited. There is a great need to overcome some technical challenges and reverse the trend of decreasing research activities in North America and Europe.

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter synthesized by the amino acid tryptophan (Trp) that has the potential to impact the behaviour and activity of dogs. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of supplemental Trp and a 12-week incremental training regimen on the voluntary activity and behaviour of client-owned Siberian Huskies. Sixteen dogs were blocked for age, BW and sex and then randomly allocated to either the control or treatment group. Both groups were fed the same dry extruded diet; however, the treatment group were supplemented with Trp to achieve a Trp: large neutral amino acid ratio of 0.075:1. Once a week, a 5-minute video recording was taken immediately pre- and post- exercise to evaluate dogs’ behaviours. Activity monitors were used to record voluntary activity on both training and rest days. Linear regression analysis was used to assess the relationship between training week and time spent performing each behaviour. Additionally, a repeated measure mixed model was used to test differences between diet groups and training week for both behavioural and activity count data. The time spent performing agonistic behaviours prior to exercise was negatively associated with week for treatment dogs (β = −0.32, 95% CI [−0.55, −0.10], P < 0.05) and no change was observed for control dogs (β = −0.13, 95% CI [−0.41, 0.15], P > 0.10). Treatment did not have any effect on activity levels (P > 0.10). For all dogs, locomotive behaviours decreased prior to exercise as weeks progressed (P < 0.05), while run day voluntary activity depended on the distance run that day (P < 0.05). These data suggest that sled dogs experience an exercise-induced reduction in voluntary locomotion in response to both single bouts and repetitive bouts of exercise. Additionally, tryptophan supplementation may decrease agonistic behaviours, without having any effect on voluntary activity.

The extent to which welfare needs of breeding dogs are met in commercial dog-breeding kennels is a potential point of controversy. This analysis sought to understand US residents' perceptions and priorities related to dog welfare : by investigating (a) perceptions of breeding-dog welfare needs and (b) perceptions of various nonhuman animal welfare information sources. Using best/worst-choice experiments conducted in an online survey, respondents' choices for most and least important breeding-dog welfare needs (n = 508) and most/least trusted canine welfare information sources (n = 508) were analyzed. The survey sample was targeted to be representative of the US population in terms of gender, age, region of residence, income, and education. The largest preference shares (relatively most important) for breeding-dog welfare needs were for "availability of food and water" (39.2%) and health/veterinary care (18.1%). The largest preference shares (relatively most trusted sources) for welfare information were American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, a veterinarian, and American Veterinary Medical Association, with 25.1%, 16.4%, and 14.1% shares, respectively.

In this essay, we provide an overview of how production systems can be re-engineered to improve the welfare of the animals involved. At least three potential options exist: (1) engineering their environments to better fit the animals, (2) engineering the animals themselves to better fit their environments, and (3) eliminating the animals from the system by growing meat in vitro rather than on farms. The morality of consuming animal products and the conditions under which agricultural animals are maintained remain highly contentious, and when concerns about animal welfare are coupled with concerns about sustainability and global food security, the problem of welfare in animal agriculture constitutes “a wicked problem,” because it is unlikely that any proposed solution will simultaneously address all the issues of concern. In the final section of this essay, we offer some observations on how debate over reforms in animal agriculture could proceed going forward.

Maternal factors such as fear and stress influence offspring welfare in many species, but this area of research has been underexplored in dogs. As a large proportion of society’s dogs originate from commercial-breeding (CB) kennels, further investigation in this environment is crucial to ensure canine welfare. The current study aimed to refine a set of welfare metrics used to explore associations between maternal factors and litter welfare in CB kennels. Dams (n = 28) from five USDA-licensed CB kennels were tested at 6 and 1-week prepartum, and 4 and 8-weeks postpartum using a stranger approach test, physical health assessment, exposure to novel stimuli, social isolation test, hair cortisol concentration, fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (FGM) and fecal immunoglobulin A (IgA) concentrations. Puppies (n = 138) were tested at 4 (4W) and 8-weeks (8W) old using equivalent measures. Preliminary analyses of the metrics collected during puppy social isolation revealed that locomotion was positively correlated with exploration (4W: rs=0.46, P < 0.001; 8W: rs=0.39, P < 0.001), escape attempt duration (4W: rs=0.26, P = 0.002; 8W: rs=0.31, P < 0.001), frequency of stress behaviors (4W: rs=0.22, P = 0.01; 8W: rs=0.40, P < 0.001), vocalization (4W: rs=0.18, p=0.04; 8W: rs=0.20, P = 0.02), and fecal IgA (4W: rs=0.24, P = 0.05). Stationary behavior was negatively correlated with escape attempt duration (4W: rs=-0.37, P < 0.001; 8W: rs=-0.43, P < 0.001), frequency of stress behaviors (4W: rs=-0.22, P = 0.01; 8W: rs=-0.32, P < 0.001), and physiologic metrics (4W: fecal IgA rs=-0.25, P = 0.04; 8W: FGM rs=-0.23, P = 0.01). Results suggest that, in response to social isolation, 4W and 8W old puppies exhibit one of two coping styles, proactive or passive, and the latter is associated with lower activation of the immune and stress response. The outcomes of this study will inform future research exploring maternal risk factors, including behavioral and physiologic stressors, affecting puppy developmental welfare in CB kennels.

The effect of providing additional floor space on cat behavior and welfare is not well documented. This study involved replication of an investigation of cats' responses to enhanced cage and room environments using cages of 0.56 m2 with the same methodology but an increased space allowance of 1.1 m2. Singly housed adult cats (n = 59) were randomly assigned to a treatment group that was a combination of a managed or unmanaged room and an enriched or unenriched cage environment. Cats were observed for 2 days for maintenance, affiliative, and avoidant behaviors using scan sampling and 5-min, continuous focal sampling. At the end of Day 2, cats' reactions to the approach of an unfamiliar person were assessed. Cats housed in enriched/managed environments exhibited more maintenance and affiliative behaviors and fewer avoidant behaviors than cats in unmanaged/unenriched environments, suggesting that macro and micro environments may be equally relevant to the cat. Increased space did not enhance the cats' welfare outcomes, suggesting that the provision of additional cage space may not be as important to the cat as a managed housing environment.

An online survey of 1,201 U.S. residents was conducted in April 2015 to better understand individuals’ perceptions of prominent areas of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the food supply cha...

Identifying coping styles in cats may lead to improved health and welfare. The aims of this study were to (1) identify individual differences in response to acute confinement, and (2) to assess the predictability of guardian-rated personality traits on behavior. Adult cats (n = 55) were singly housed in enriched cages and behavioral observations were recorded for three days. On day 3, familiar and unfamiliar person approach tests were conducted. Fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (FGM) were quantified from voided samples. A questionnaire assessing personality traits and sickness behaviors was completed by each guardian. Analysis identified two clusters&mdash, cats in Cluster 1 (n = 22) were described as shy, calm, mellow, and timid, cats in Cluster 2 (n = 33) were described as active, playful, curious, and easygoing. Multilevel mixed-effects GLM revealed significant differences between the clusters including food intake (C1 &gt, C2, p &lt, 0.0001), affiliative/maintenance behaviors (C2 &gt, C1, p &lt, 0.0001), vocalization (C2 &gt, 0.0001), hide (C1 &gt, 0.0001), perch (C2 &gt, 0.0001), and latency to approach a familiar (C1 &gt, 0.0001) and unfamiliar (C1 &gt, C2, p = 0.013) person. No statistically significant differences in FGM concentrations were identified (cluster p = 0.28, day p = 0.16, interaction p = 0.26). Guardian-rated personality traits agreed with the response of the cats when confined to a cage, suggesting that domestic cats have different coping styles. Identifying individual differences in response to stressful events or environments may provide caretakers with important information leading to improved welfare.

Interpretations of horse behavior are diverse among equestrians and may be influenced by a misunderstanding of animal behavior and welfare terminology. This study explored how horse industry adults interpret and understand fundamental animal behavior, welfare, and operant conditioning (OC) concepts as applied to horses. A sample of 1145 adults completed an online survey containing horse-related psychographic questions, horse-human interaction videos with and without heart rate (HR) data, terminology questions related to specific behavioral and welfare states in horses, and scenarios related to animal learning. Data were analyzed with frequency counts (SPSS ver. 25), and when appropriate, correlations, cross-tabulations, or mixed model ANOVA (SAS ver. 9.4). Most participants identified as female (94%), white (94%), and live in the United States (63%). Most (96%) previously owned a horse, 86% currently owned a horse, and 4% had never owned a horse. Few participants provided complete definitions for fear (14%), stress (34%), or reactivity (1%), but some provided partial definitions for these terms (63% for fear, 43% for stress, and 29% for reactivity). Most (80%) correctly identified the normal resting HR for an adult horse. When viewing horse-human interaction videos, 83% of participants did not change their interpretation of the horse's behavior in the videos after the HR was revealed, suggesting a lack of understanding of the potential impacts of fear, stress, and reactivity on horse HR. Few participants were able to correctly define terms used in OC such as negative reinforcement (7%), negative punishment (8%), positive reinforcement (9%), and positive punishment (12%). When selecting the OC principle for horse-human interaction scenarios, more participants (42%; P = 0.001) correctly identified positive reinforcement compared with negative punishment (16%), negative reinforcement (23%), and positive punishment (19%). No differences (P > 0.14) were found between participants’ abilities to correctly define fear, stress, reactivity, or any of the OC principles, based on gender, race, age, horse ownership, or ability to correctly identify resting HR. Compared with US participants, those living outside the US were more likely (P

Understanding the behavioral welfare of dogs in commercial breeding kennels (CBKs) is important for improving breeders’ management practices as well as dog welfare. In the current study, breeding dogs from CBKs were exposed to novel stimuli to evaluate their behavioral responses, with emphasis on indicators of fear. Subjects were presented with a standard stranger-approach test, a traffic cone, and a realistic dog statue. Sixty dogs were exposed to the three stimuli and behavioral responses were scored using an ethogram developed for this study. Dogs spent significantly more time investigating the environment, staying further away from the stimulus, and they took longer to approach and investigate when presented with the cone than with the dog statue or stranger (p &lt, 0.01). These findings suggest that the cone elicited more fear-related behaviors than the dog statue and stranger. Given these results, in addition to socializing their dogs to unfamiliar people and other dogs within their kennels, commercial breeders should be encouraged to increase the exposure of their dogs to more diverse novel stimuli to reduce non-social fear and support the welfare of dogs while they reside in the kennel and when they transition to new homes.

As public perception continues to shape the dairy industry, an understanding of consumer views and purchasing behaviors is critically important. The objectives of this paper are to: 1) summarize consumer perceptions or views of 12 common dairy cattle management practices (humane methods of slaughter, humane transportation, increased pen stall or size, access to pasture, feeding of a GMO-free diet, feeding of an organic diet, feeding of a diet the animal would naturally consume, ability to interact with other animals of the same species, access to fresh water at all times, tail docking, use of antibiotics for sick animals, and dehorning), and 2) analyze relationships between respondent’s household demographic characteristics and perceptions of three specific contentious dairy practices, including antibiotic use, tail docking, and dehorning. An online, national survey was used to collect data on household demographics, dairy consumption and purchasing behavior, and perceptions of dairy production practices from 1201 US residents. The findings of this study indicate that 87% of participants consumed dairy products. Of these respondents, 12% had altered their consumption of dairy products over the past three years because of animal welfare concerns and 10% had done so due to food safety concerns. Respondents perceived tail docking and dehorning to have the least beneficial and most negative implications for dairy cattle welfare of the dairy production practices considered.

A stochastic risk model was developed to estimate the time elapsed before overcrowding (TOC) or feed interruption (TFI) emerged on the swine premises under movement restrictions during a classical swine fever (CSF) outbreak in Indiana, USA. Nursery (19 to 65 days of age) and grow-to-finish (40 to 165 days of age) pork production operations were modelled separately. Overcrowding was defined as the total weight of pigs on premises exceeding 100% to 115% of the maximum capacity of the premises, which was computed as the total weight of the pigs at harvest/transition age. Algorithms were developed to estimate age-specific weight of the pigs on premises and to compare the daily total weight of the pigs with the threshold weight defining overcrowding to flag the time when the total weight exceeded the threshold (i.e. when overcrowding occurred). To estimate TFI, an algorithm was constructed to model a swine producer's decision to discontinue feed supply by incorporating the assumptions that a longer estimated epidemic duration, a longer time interval between the age of pigs at the onset of the outbreak and the harvest/transition age, or a longer progression of an ongoing outbreak would increase the probability of a producer's decision to discontinue the feed supply. Adverse animal welfare conditions were modelled to emerge shortly after an interruption of feed supply. Simulations were run with 100 000 iterations each for a 365-day period. Overcrowding occurred in all simulated iterations, and feed interruption occurred in 30% of the iterations. The median (5th and 95th percentiles) TOC was 24 days (10, 43) in nursery operations and 78 days (26, 134) in grow-to-finish operations. Most feed interruptions, if they emerged, occurred within 15 days of an outbreak. The median (5th and 95th percentiles) time at which either overcrowding or feed interruption emerged was 19 days (4, 42) in nursery and 57 days (4, 130) in grow-to-finish operations. The study findings suggest that overcrowding and feed interruption could emerge early during a CSF outbreak among swine premises under movement restrictions. The outputs derived from the risk model could be used to estimate and evaluate associated mitigation strategies for alleviating adverse animal welfare conditions resulting from movement restrictions.

Urination and/or defecation outside a designated location, or inappropriate elimination, is reported as the most common behaviour reason for surrendering a cat. Despite proper litter box maintenance, some cats inappropriately eliminate, leading to owner and cat frustration. The objective of this study was to determine whether cats increase in-box elimination when provided a newly innovated plant/herb-based litter product with attractant (ATTRACT) compared to a regular plant/herb-based litter product without attractant (PLANT). Sixteen cats (7 neutered males, 9 spayed females; 1–5 years; mean = 2.25 ± 0.36) were used. Cats were split into two equal cohorts based on availability from the shelter. Cohort 1 included 3 males and 5 females, and Cohort 2 an even split between sexes. Cats were group-housed in an enriched room with eight identical litter boxes arranged in a circular pattern equidistant from each other. Following a two-week acclimation, the cats were gradually transitioned over six days from clay-based litter to PLANT litter. On Day 6, all litter boxes contained PLANT litter. On Day 15, all litter boxes were cleaned fully and ranked from most to least used based on analyses of video-recordings of usage. Boxes were then designated either PLANT or ATTRACT litter based on cats’ prior preferences. For 14 d following litter allocation, cat behaviour was video-recorded for 12 h a day (08:00 h – 21:00 h). Behaviours, including duration and frequency of sniffing litter, as well as urinating and defecating in litter boxes, were recorded. Cats urinated and defecated more frequently in the ATTRACT litter compared to the PLANT litter (P < 0.05). These results provide preliminary indication of the efficacy of the attractant. Future studies should investigate the impacts of adding the attractant to plant-based litter to increase litter usage and decrease incidence of inappropriate elimination in cats.

In this study, U.S. resident’s perceptions of social responsibility of prominent fast food restaurants were investigated. A survey conducted in April 2015 collected information from a sample targeted to be representative of the U.S. population. In total, 302 completed participant’s responses were analyzed (n = 302). Using a best-worst choice experiment question, participant’s choices for “most” and “least” socially responsible fast food restaurants were analyzed, resulting in individual’s relative perceptions of social responsibility amongst the restaurants studied. Results indicate that of the fast food restaurants studied, Panera Bread was perceived to be the most socially responsible restaurant, followed by Subway and Chick-fil-A. In contrast, McDonald’s, KFC, and Taco Bell were perceived to be the least socially responsible of the fast food restaurants studied. Additionally, relationships amongst participant’s perceptions of social responsibility in fast food, demographic factors, consumption practices, and knowledge of fast food business practices were analyzed. Significant relationships were found amongst “being female” and “self-reported knowledge of fast food business practices” with “perceptions of the social responsibility of fast food restaurants”.

Despite increased discussion about “ethical consumerism”, insufficient attention has been given to consumers’ attitudes in regard to socio-ethical issues and how well they may align with their corporate social responsibility (CSR) expectations. An online survey of 1201 US consumers was conducted to determine how demographics and lifestyle choices might reflect and inform purchasing decisions. Women, younger respondents and more educated respondents were more likely to value and support environmental protection aspects of social responsibility in their consumption behaviors. Women and younger respondents were also more sensitive to animal welfare concerns, as were vegetarians and vegans, who also strongly supported environmental protection through consumption. Those who traveled, volunteered or engaged in charitable giving also reported more highly valuing the environmental, animal welfare, corporate responsibility and philanthropic dimensions of social responsibility. All demographics reported avoiding companies that used advertisements that were deceptive or depicted minorities negatively. Collectively, this analysis suggests that a wide array of ethical concerns are considered by many US consumers in their current purchasing behaviors and that the values underlying their actions may indeed hold implications for consumer perceptions of and support for corporations and their CSR initiatives.

The best-worst scaling method was used to investigate consumers’ perceptions of the relative importance of seven different pork production and product attributes. Demographic information was then analyzed to determine which consumer characteristics were statistically significant determinants of these preferences. Of the attributes studied, animal welfare was ranked third most important following pork/food safety and taste. Consumer characteristics including gender, having a source for animal welfare information, and having purchased pork in the last year were found to be determinants of the size of the share of preference for many of the pork attributes studied.

The interest of consumers in farming activities is evident and agricultural producers have responded to this increasing interest in a number of ways, including inviting visitors to farm operations through tourism or farm visits. Livestock industries, in particular, are interacting with the public in numerous ways, including via marketing channels for their products, interacting with community leaders and community members in regard to location siting and regulations, and inviting people onto their operations via agritourism. An improved understanding of who visits agricultural locations (particularly livestock operations) and consumers’ perceptions about livestock agriculture is needed in order to begin to understand the possible relationships between on-farm experiences and consumers’ perceptions. Thus, it is important to gain a deeper understanding in consumers’ interests, including their levels of concern for production process attributes, such as animal welfare, relative to product attributes like price and taste. This analysis investigates the demographics of consumers who have (and have not) visited various agritourism operations, studies differences in preferences for (or perceptions of) animal welfare relative to other pork attributes between consumers who have or have not visited a livestock operation, as well as amongst consumers with varying levels of involvement in household food production. Indeed the relationships explored are between having visited a livestock operation and the perceptions. This study found that 69% of participants had visited a livestock operation (pig farm, dairy farm, and/or horse farm) at some point. The majority of respondents agreed that agriculture was an important industry, yet, those who had visited livestock operations were more likely to note concerns about the impact of livestock operations on water quality in their county.

People’s attitudes towards animals are likely to impact their quality of care offered. Understanding perceptions of cats is important to identify potential cat welfare issues and to facilitate best care practices. An online survey was developed to gather information from 1172 U.S. residents on perceptions of cats and sources of cat welfare information. Demographic variables, information regarding respondents’ characterization, knowledge and beliefs of cats, their behavior, and welfare needs were collected. A subsample of cat owning households was surveyed regarding their opinions on cat behavior. Veterinarians were also surveyed to determine if they differed from general respondents in their views of and knowledge of cats and their care. The highest percentage of respondents in both groups identified veterinarians as the most accessible (52% veterinarian, 29% general public respondents) and most credible sources (veterinarians 76%, general public 29%) of information on cat behavior. In response to being asked about acceptable reasons to relinquish cats, more general respondents selected “convenience” (13% veterinarians, 3% general population). Several inconsistencies in perceptions and practices between and within members of the general public and veterinarians were observed. General respondents and veterinarians both indicated a lack of confidence in addressing behavioral issues in cats. Both groups disagreed that they (in the case of veterinarians) or their veterinarians provided useful resources on cat behavior or health. Opportunities exist for improvement in consistency between knowledge, attitudes and practices or services relative to cats. Improved competence and information transfer on both the behavioral and physical health aspects of cat welfare are also needed.

The objectives of this cross-sectional study were: 1) to estimate the prevalence and characterize the severity of periodontal disease in a population of dogs housed in commercial breeding facilities; 2) to characterize PD preventive care utilized by facility owners; and 3) to assess inter-rater reliability of a visual scoring assessment tool. Adult dogs (N = 445) representing 42 breeds at 24 CB facilities in Indiana and Illinois were assessed. Periodontal disease was scored visually using the American Veterinary Dental Collage 0-IV scale. Inter-rater reliability was assessed on 198 dogs and facility owners were asked to provide information about the preventive care utilized. The overall prevalence of periodontal disease (Grades I-IV) was 86.3% (95% CI: 82.9, 89.3). An ordered logistic regression analysis found age (OR = 1.4; 95% CI 1.24, 1.54; P

Simple Summary How people choose to acquire dogs and the characteristics they seek may provide insight into perceptions of ethical and socially responsible dog ownership, as acquiring a dog is the first step in dog ownership. Even if one does not intend to acquire a dog, perceptions of acquisition methods may impact views of pet industries and/or voting behaviors related to animal welfare regulation. This analysis (1) investigates the relationships between U.S. resident demographics and their level of agreement regarding statements related to dog acquisition and welfare considerations, (2) analyzes the relationships between U.S. resident demographics and their views on dog characteristics, and (3) analyzes U.S. residents’ relative ranking (in terms of most ethical) ways to acquire a dog. The findings of the current study affirm that appearance, compatibility with owner lifestyles, previous experience, and cost inform people’s decisions about dog acquisition. The relative importance of these criteria varied across respondents; as has been previously observed, women favored rescue/adoption more than men. Our results collectively indicate the growing appeal of adopting dogs from shelters and rescue organizations for many respondent segments. Different segments of the companion animal industry and those with different dog interests may want to consider tailoring their education and/or marketing communications to these groups accordingly. Abstract People’s preferences for where they acquire dogs and the characteristics they focus on may provide insight into their perceptions of socially responsible pet ownership, as acquiring a dog is the first step in dog ownership. An online survey of 1523 U.S. residents was used to aid understanding of public perceptions of dog acquisition. Likert-scale questions allowed respondents to assign a level of agreement, within the given scale, to ten statements related to dog acquisition. A significantly higher percentage of women (39.6%) than men (31.7%) agreed that the only responsible way to acquire a dog is through a shelter/rescue. More women (71.3%) than men (66.4%), as well as those with a higher household income (71%), identified source as important. Best-worst methodology was used to elicit perceptions regarding the most/least ethical ways to acquire a dog. Three subgroups were identified, one of which had an overwhelmingly large preference share (96%) for adoption. The second group had more evenly distributed preference shares amongst the various dog acquisition methods, while the third indicated a preference for “homeless” pets. Additional investigation of the values/beliefs underlying the preferences of these groups is necessary to design appropriately tailored companion animal-focused communication strategies for these different groups.

a b s t r a c t Understanding environmental factors that affect the behavior of cats in cages is impor- tant if caretakers are to improve the welfare of confined cats. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of the macro (room) and micro (cage) environments on cat behav- ior and their implications for cat well-being. Cats (n = 76) were caged singly at The Ohio State University and randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups that were combi- nations of a managed (M+) or unmanaged (M−) macro environment and an enriched (m+) or unenriched (m−) micro environment. Cats housed in the M+ environment experienced minimal noise or disruption and a consistent schedule while cats in the M− environment experienced random disturbances and an unpredictable schedule. The m+ environment included hiding and perching opportunities while the m− environment had no hiding and perching opportunity. Cats were observed for 48 h for maintenance, affiliative behaviors (e.g., eating, elimination, soliciting attention), agonistic, avoidant behaviors (e.g., growling, hissing, hiding) using scan sampling and 5-min, continuous focal sampling. At the end of day 2, a stranger approach test was conducted to assess the cats' reactions to the approach of an unfamiliar person. Data analysis of food intake revealed that the effect of treatment (P = 0.03), day (P < 0.0001) and the interaction (P = 0.03) were statistically significant. Cats housed in the M+ environment had a significant decrease in the mean (SD) number of sickness behaviors from day 1 to day 2 (M+m+ 1.6 (0.5), 1.0 (0.9), P = 0.02; M+m− 1.9 (0.5), 1.0 (0.9), P = 0.002) and hiding behavior (M+ 0.6 (0.3), 0.3 (0.4); M− 0.5 (0.4), 0.4 (0.4); P = 0.01), while cats housed in the M− environments did not show such decreases. Sig- nificantly more cats exhibited affiliative and maintenance behaviors at the end of day 1 (P < 0.001) when housed in the M+ environment (27/36, 75%) compared to cats housed in the M− environment (4/40, 10%). Differences between cats in M+ and M− in step 3 of the approach test included a shorter latency to interact (M+ 8.6(13.1), M− 15.6(14.8); P = 0.03), longer duration of interaction (M+ 21.1(13.3), M− 13.6(14.6); P = 0.03) and more affiliative behaviors in response to approach by a stranger (M+ 3.7(1.6), M− 2.8(1.7); P = 0.008). These results suggest that the macro environment may be at least as relevant to the cat as the micro environment, indicating that attention to cage enrichment without consideration for the effect of the room may be insufficient to optimize caged cat behavior and welfare.

Terminology used in the discourse of industrialized livestock production hassled some to characterize humannanimal relationships within the animal industries as exploitive and oppressive; because the humannanimal bond promotes concern for animal welfare, the apparent exclusion of that term from animal science and industry dialogue may reinforce negative perceptions and heighten concerns about livestock well-being. Although the term lhumannanimal bondr is not...

To address escalating concerns about livestock animal care and welfare it is necessary to better understand the factors that may predispose people to develop such concerns. It has been hypothesized that experiences with, beliefs about, and emotional connections to animals may influence level of perceived obligation toward and therefore concern for animals. However, the extent to which people's classifications of animals and their status as pet owners may impact their views on food animal care and welfare practices remains unclear. An online survey of 798 U.S. households was therefore conducted in June 2012 to understand differences in consumer sentiment towards various animal species, classification of certain species (as pet, livestock or neither), and variations in food animal welfare concerns between dog and/or cat owners and those who do not own such species. Sixty-six percent of households in the survey owned at least 1 animal. Forty-eight percent owned dogs, 41% owned cats, 3% owned horses, and 10% owned other animals. As expected, dogs and cats were classified by most respondents (90%) as pets. Most respondents similarly categorized rabbits (58%) and horses (55%) as pets, although consensus was not found for horses with 27% classifying them as livestock animals and 18% as neither pets nor livestock. Over 80% of respondents classified beef cows, dairy cows, pigs, chickens, and turkeys as livestock. The majority of survey respondents were opposed to eating cats and dogs followed closely by horses due to ethical and/or spiritual reasons. Dog and/or cat owners more often reported having a source for animal welfare information (68%) than those who did not own these species (49%). Additionally, dog and/or cat owners were more concerned about food animal welfare for both domestically raised food animals and those raised outside the United States (dog and/or cat owners mean level of concern was 3.88 for domestic animal welfare and 5.16 for those raised outside the United States compared with non-dog or -cat owners with means of 4.46 and 5.46, respectively). Although a causal relationship cannot be established, pet ownership and increased concern for food animal welfare appear to be correlated. These data suggest that increased interest in protecting food animals may stem from interactions with and emotional connections to pets, especially when combined with other factors such as having a source for animal welfare information, education level, age, and gender.

Accurate assessments of behavior and welfare are needed to evaluate the state of domestic dogs maintained in commercial breeding (CB) and other types of kennels. Field assessments of dogs’ states of being must be valid, reliable, and efficient. However, concerns about observer subjectivity and situational variation in dogs’ responses pose a challenge to incorporating behavioral metrics into welfare assessment tools. The Field Instantaneous Dog Observation (FIDO) tool, designed to capture the immediately observable physical and behavioral status of dogs in kennels, was thus examined to determine: 1) reliability of behavioral scoring when used by novice raters, and 2) whether dogs’ behavioral responses to a stranger’s approach within their home pens changed as a function of assessment duration. In study one, the behavioral component of the FIDO tool was conducted by two novice raters using 50 dogs housed at two US shelters. Dogs’ behavioral responses to approach were organized into three categories: red, indicating a fearful response to approach, green, indicating an affiliative or neutral response to approach, and yellow, indicating an ambivalent response to approach. Intra-rater reliability was assessed for each rater by comparing live observation scores with scores obtained from video recordings of the same tests. Agreement between raters’ scores from video recordings was also calculated. In study two, 81 commercial breeding dogs maintained at four USDA-licensed CB facilities were approached and FIDO scored for behavioral responses by one observer every five seconds for 30 s. Of the 81 subject dogs, 56 met the criteria for full sampling. Results from study one indicated that raters showed almost perfect agreement between their scores of live and video-recorded dog responses (kappa = 0.83, 0.89) and between each other (kappa = 0.87), reflecting high intra- and inter-rater reliability. Results from study two indicated that over a 30-s time frame with 5-s increments, 91% of the dogs showed no change in their behavioral responses to approach. This suggests that the first five seconds of approach provide a reliable time point for assessing behavior using the FIDO tool and indicates no benefit to extending FIDO scoring of dogs’ immediate responses to a stranger’s approach beyond that. These results provide preliminary evidence of the reliability of the behavioral component of the FIDO tool even when used by novices in behavioral assessment. Further research is needed to validate scores obtained using the tool against other indicators of immediate welfare state and against long-term indicators of overall welfare.

Disposal of dogs retired from commercial breeding facilities presents a scientific and ethical problem. This pilot study aimed to develop criteria for identifying commercial breeding (CB) dogs likely to be at risk for problems during transitioning to rehoming, and to identify breeder practices associated with higher and lower risk. Dogs (n = 283) over 18 months of age from 17 CB kennels located in Indiana and Illinois, USA were assessed. The Field Instantaneous Dog Observation (FIDO) tool was used to assess behavior during a 4-step stranger approach test. At each step, the dog was given a RYG score; R, red (fearful), Y, yellow (ambivalent), or G, green (affiliative or neutral). After behavior assessment, 50 mg of hair was shaved from each dog’s lower back for analysis of hair cortisol concentration (HCC). A FitBark monitor collected 24 -hs of activity data. Additionally, a questionnaire was developed to interview each facility owner about their management practices. Overall mean HCC (n = 266) was 8.92 pg/mg (2.01–108.99 +/−14.24 pg/mg) while mean HCC at each facility ranged from 5.65 to 38.48 pg/mg. Mean activity score (n = 250) was 9.04 ± 4.3 and ranged from 2.8 to 32.8. Eight components from a principal component analysis (PCA) were retained as predictors in two mixed effects linear regression models. In Model 1, the component Socialization was significantly associated with HCC (p = 0.01). In Model 2 the components Late RYG (p

Urination and/or defecation outside a designated location has been reported as the most common behavioural reason for surrendering a cat and comprises approximately 30% of cat intakes to shelters. The objective of this study was to determine whether cats would increase in-box elimination when provided a plant-based litter product with attractant (ATTRACT) compared to the same plant-based litter product without attractant (PLANT). Sixteen cats were split into two equal cohorts based on availability from the shelter and group-housed in an enriched room with eight identical litter boxes arranged in a circular pattern equidistant from each other. Following a two-week room acclimation and transition period from clay litter to PLANT litter, boxes were designated either PLANT or ATTRACT litter, balancing for cats&rsquo, prior box location preferences. For 14 days following litter allocation, cat behaviours such as sniffing, digging, covering, urinating, and defecating were video recorded for 12 h daily. The cats urinated more often in the ATTRACT litter, suggesting that they preferred the ATTRACT litter for urination more than the PLANT litter (p &lt, 0.05). The most significant differences observed were between genders, with males spending significantly more time sniffing and performing urination behaviours (p &lt, 0.05). These results suggest that litter with an attractant may be more effective in eliciting usage for urination, as compared to a litter without the additive.

Two experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of alternative housing and feeding systems on the behavior and performance of dairy calves. Thirty-four female Holstein calves were housed in hutches in Exp. 1, and 48 female Holstein calves were housed in wire-panel pens in a feed-commodity shed in Exp. 2. All calves were allocated to treatments at birth (ranging from 3 to 9 d of age) and monitored for 9 wk. Treatments were as follows: individual housing and fed with a bucket, individual housing and fed with a bottle, paired housing and fed with a bucket, or paired housing and fed with a bottle. Milk was fed via bucket or bottle twice per day (6 L/d). Direct behavior observations were conducted once per week for all calves in Exp. 1 and video recorded every other week for all calves in Exp. 2; behavior measures took place for 2 h both in the morning and afternoon. Total DMI (grain and milk solids) were similar (P > 0.10) for calves between the housing methods for Exp. 1 and 2. Calves fed with a bottle spent more (P

The objective of this study was to compare the impacts of movement restriction zone sizes of 3, 5, 9, and 11 km with that of 7 km (the recommended zone size in the United States) in controlling a classical swine fever (CSF) outbreak. In addition to zone size, different compliance assumptions and outbreak types (single site and multiple site) were incorporated in the study. Three assumptions of compliance level were simulated: baseline, baseline ± 10%, and baseline ± 15%. The compliance level was held constant across all zone sizes in the baseline simulation. In the baseline ± 10% and baseline ± 15% simulations, the compliance level was increased for 3 and 5 km and decreased for 9 and 11 km from the baseline by the indicated percentages. The compliance level remained constant in all simulations for the 7-km zone size. Four single-site (i.e., with one index premises at the onset of outbreak) and four multiple-site (i.e., with more than one index premises at the onset of outbreak) CSF outbreak scenarios in Indiana were simulated incorporating various zone sizes and compliance assumptions using a stochastic between-premises disease spread model to estimate epidemic duration, percentage of infected, and preemptively culled swine premises. Furthermore, a risk assessment model that incorporated the results from the disease spread model was developed to estimate the number of swine premises under movement restrictions that would experience animal welfare outcomes of overcrowding or feed interruption during a CSF outbreak in Indiana. Compared with the 7-km zone size, the 3-km zone size resulted in a longer median epidemic duration, larger percentages of infected premises, and preemptively culled premises (P’s

Feline interstitial cystitis (FIC) is a chronic pain syndrome of domestic cats. Cats with FIC have chronic, recurrent lower urinary tract signs (LUTS) and other comorbid disorders that are exacerbated by stressors. The aim of this study was to evaluate behavioral and physiological responses of healthy cats and cats diagnosed with FIC after exposure to a five day stressor. Ten healthy cats and 18 cats with FIC were housed at The Ohio State University Veterinary Medical Center (OSUVMC) vivarium. All cats were housed in enriched cages for at least one year prior to the experiment. Cats had daily play time and socialization outside of the cage, food treats and auditory enrichment. The daily husbandry schedule was maintained at a consistent time of day and cats were cared for by two familiar caretakers. During the test days, cats were exposed to multiple unpredictable stressors which included exposure to multiple unfamiliar caretakers, an inconsistent husbandry schedule, and discontinuation of play time, socialization, food treats, and auditory enrichment. Sickness behaviors (SB), including vomiting, diarrhea, anorexia or decreased food and water intake, fever, lethargy, somnolence, enhanced pain-like behaviors, decreased general activity, body care activities (grooming), and social interactions, were recorded daily. Blood samples were collected in the morning, before and after the stress period, for measurement of serum cortisol concentration, leukocytes, lymphocytes, neutrophils, neutrophil: lymphocyte (N:L) ratio and mRNA for the cytokines interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). Overall, the short term stressors led to a significant increase in SB in both healthy cats and cats with FIC, whereas lymphopenia and N:L changes occurred only in FIC cats. Daily monitoring of cats for SB may be a noninvasive and reliable way to assess stress responses and overall welfare of cats housed in cages.

Periodontal disease is one of the most common conditions affecting companion dogs. The objectives of this cross-sectional study were: to determine 1) the agreement between visual assessments (VA) of periodontal disease (PD) performed on awake dogs and the reference standard (RS) of a dental examination and radiographs performed with the dog under general anesthesia, and 2) inter-rater reliability (IRR) for two individuals performing VAs of PD on the same dogs. One hundred and eight dogs were recruited from three veterinary practices. An oral examination and visual PD staging based on the American Veterinary Dental College's (AVDC) 5-point scale was performed by the investigators prior to general anesthesia and the dental procedure. After the anesthetic evaluation and radiographs, the attending veterinarian staged each dog based on the AVDC's 5-point scale. Agreement between the VA and RS as well as IRR were determined using percent agreement and a weighted kappa statistic. Eighty-nine dogs received a complete oral examination under general anesthesia with periodontal probing and full-mouth radiographs. Fifty-nine dogs received a VA by both raters. VA agreed with the RS 41.57% of the time with a weighted kappa of 0.42 (95% confidence interval 0.29-0.55), indicating moderate agreement. Between raters, VA agreed 61.02% of the time with a weighted kappa of 0.63 (95% confidence interval 0.49-0.76), indicating substantial IRR. The results of this study reinforce the idea that an oral examination in an awake dog can be a helpful screening tool, but should not be considered a comprehensive evaluation of periodontal health. In facilities housing large numbers of dogs such as shelters, breeding kennels, and research facilities, use of a VA can aid in identifying and prioritizing dogs most in need of procedures such as professional cleaning, periodontal treatment, including closed root planing, or surgical care.

Dogs are a popular companion animal in the United States, however, dog acquisition is often a contentious subject. Adoption is often cited as an ethical and popular method of acquisition but interpretation of the term &lsquo, adoption&rsquo, may vary. In a nationally representative survey of the U.S., 767 respondents were asked questions regarding their opinions of dog acquisition and adoption. Within the sample, 45% had a dog, of those, 40% had adopted a dog, and 47% visited a veterinarian once a year. A best-worst choice experiment, where respondents were asked to choose the most ethical and least ethical method of acquiring a dog from a statistically determined set of choices, was used to elicit respondents&rsquo, preferences for the most ethical method of dog adoption. A random parameters logit and a latent class model were used to estimate relative rankings of dog adoption methods. In the random parameters logit model, the largest preference share was for adoption from a municipal animal shelter (56%) and the smallest preference share was for adoption from a pet store (3%). Dog acquisition was further evaluated by creating an index of social desirability bias using how important respondents believed certain dog characteristics were compared to how important respondents believed others would rate/rank the same dog characteristics. The highest incidences of social desirability bias occurred for the dog characteristics of appearance and breed.

Simple Summary It is important to understand how the flooring substrate used in dog housing impacts dog health and well-being. Aspects to consider include paw, elbow, and hock health, the cleanliness of the dog, and the ability of the floors to be cleaned easily and thoroughly. This pilot study assessed the health and cleanliness of 118 dogs housed on three different types of flooring commonly found in commercial breeding kennels. No serious paw, elbow, or hock problems were identified. Thirty-one percent or fewer kennels at each facility were found to have fecal contamination after routine cleaning and the majority of dogs were clean. These findings indicate that a well-managed kennel can maintain clean, healthy dogs on different types of flooring substrates. Abstract Evaluation of kennel flooring surfaces is needed to understand their impacts on dog health and well-being. This pilot study aimed to characterize aspects of physical health, kennel cleanliness, and dog body cleanliness on flooring types common in US breeding kennels. Subjects were 118 adult dogs housed on diamond-coated expanded metal (DCEM), polypropylene (POLY), or concrete (CON) flooring at five commercial breeding facilities in Indiana, U.S. Body condition, paw, elbow, and hock health scores were recorded. Each indoor kennel and dog was visually assessed for cleanliness. Kennels were swabbed immediately after cleaning with electrostatic dry cloths and cultured for Escherichia coli. Descriptive statistics were used for analysis. Mean body condition score (BCS), kennel and dog cleanliness scores were all near ideal (3, 1.15, and 1.04, respectively). Thirty-one percent or fewer kennels at each facility were culture-positive for E. coli after cleaning. No serious paw, elbow, or hock problems were identified. Overall, the findings indicate that with appropriate management and regular access to additional surfaces, dog foot health, cleanliness, and kennel cleanliness can be maintained on the flooring types investigated.

In the United States, escalating concerns about current farm animal science and production methods have resulted not only in increased food animal protection policies, but also in animal welfare legislation. Animal scientists and industry leaders are apprehensive that such policies may be driven primarily by emotion and a lack of scientific understanding, and thus may have unforeseen consequences. However, decisions about animal care, and particularly animal welfare, cannot be made solely on the basis of science because the potential effects on producers, animals, and concerned citizens and the implications for the environment and on food prices must also be considered. Balancing the interests and values of all stakeholders in regard to animal welfare problems has presented a considerable challenge. Ethical accounting processes, such as the Ethical Matrix and the ethics assessment process by Campbell, offer models to combine socioethical concerns with relevant factual information, thereby facilitating decision making that is ethically responsible and that offers viable solutions. A case study is used to illustrate application of the ethics assessment process by Campbell that includes identification of the ethical problems, the embedded values, the relevant facts, and moral tests that can be applied. Awareness of these emerging ways of examining ethics that offer real solutions to conflicts of interests and not merely "one size fits all" answers should be an asset to animal and poultry scientists.

As criticisms of contemporary farm-animal production escalate, scholars have begun to scrutinize the imagery and linguistic techniques used to frame animal issues and their implications. Pro–animal rights groups typically present animal use as unnecessary, oppressive, and exploitive and adopt themes of compassion and protection to engage the public. In contrast, anti–animal rights groups represent animal use as necessary for human benefit and often situate animal and human interests as being incompatible. Overly simplistic, polarized representations of animal issues therefore emerge. Several analyses, however, have indicated that the discourse on farm-animal production fails to either make a compelling ethical argument for animal agriculture or address the ethical concerns raised by animal-rights activists. Proponents of animal agriculture are argued to consistently misrepresent animal production practices and portray animals as inanimate objects, reflecting lack of genuine concern for animal suffering or welfare. Thus far, the veterinary community has escaped this level of scrutiny. However, veterinarians are often viewed as being connected to animal agriculture. As veterinarians strive to assume leadership in animal welfare, it is useful for the profession to recognize that, as is the case for members of the animal sciences and industries, some aspects of its discourse may contradict its professed values and beliefs about animal care and welfare. Analysis of this discourse affords the opportunity to more effectively engage with the public on animal-welfare issues and to develop a compelling narrative of the role of animals in an increasingly urban society.

According to linguists, the discourse of animal production uses metaphors, pronouns, and definitions that consistently represent animals as objects, machines, and resources instead of as distinct, unique individuals. Thus, it is argued that genuine concern for animal welfare is either obscured by financial concerns or circumvented entirely, which permits animals to be kept and treated in ways many people would otherwise find objectionable. Substituting euphemisms like crops, units, and harvest for herds, animals, and slaughter, respectively, which are more likely to evoke images of grape plucking than of killing animals for food, might indeed seem disingenuous, especially given the common industry refrain that the public needs to be better educated about food production. However, the implication that the animal industries deliberately use such techniques is debatable. What is clear is that the semantic obfuscations rampant in the language of modern farm animal production reflect underlying ambivalence about transparency relative to many standard industry practices. First, consumers are unlikely to want full disclosure of all aspects of animal production. Second, there is real risk that certain realities of animal production would be aversive to consumers, who might consequently refuse (as is their right) to purchase particular products, thus potentially causing significant short-term industry losses. Yet, the reluctance of animal industries to come clean in public education efforts raises another problem-that adopting innocuous terminology and withholding information deemed likely to be unpalatable to the public may be morally questionable in itself. Moreover, this provides an avenue for opponents of animal agriculture to exploit, because it may appear that the industry is hiding something. In truth, animal extremists are currently in a position to reveal facts about livestock production that might not only disturb consumers but also cause speculation about the failure of the industries to be forthcoming. As a matter of professional ethics and viability, animal industry members should objectively and aggressively evaluate the discourse of farm animal production to ensure that what is conveyed is accurate and intended.

Relatively little is known about the relationship between social behavior and specific cognitive abilities of the chicken. It is uncertain whether dominant birds have a cognitive advantage over subordinate birds that might facilitate their superior position in the social hierarchy. Likewise, it is unknown whether subordinate birds compete successfully with higher ranking birds because their cognitive capacities compensate for physical deficits. In this study, the relationship between the chicken's position in the dominance hierarchy and its performance on a cognitive task was explored. Ten pairs of New Hampshire domestic roosters ( Gallus gallus ) were observed to determine dominance or subordinance within dyads. All birds were then trained and tested on a visual discrimination learning task. Discriminative stimuli were orange and green plastic discs. Correct stimuli (orange or green) were randomly assigned to birds. Placement of the discs (left or right of center) was also randomly assigned and counterbalanced to avoid a side bias. Birds were rewarded with food for pecking at the correct disc. Criterion for task completion was 80% correct responses on three consecutive test sessions or 86% correct on two consecutive sessions. All subjects met the test criterion. The number of trials to criterion was compared between dominant and subordinate birds using a paired t -test. No difference was found in performance between dominant and subordinate birds ( p > 0.05) suggesting that in chickens, ability to learn a novel visual discrimination task is not well correlated with rank. Additional studies, particularly using different learning paradigms, are needed to confirm these results.