Local Animal Shelter Research Articles

An incredible journey from veterinary nursing to human-animal bond researcher.

Sandra McCune volunteered at her local animal shelter aged 13 and, fascinated by dog and cat behaviour, she went on to become an RVN and then a leading researcher in the field of human-animal interactions.

An Epidemiological Assessment of Cryptosporidium and Giardia spp. Infection in Pet Animals from Taiwan

Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia duodenalis are enteric protozoan pathogens in humans. and animals. Companion animals infected with zoonotic species/assemblages are a matter of major public concern around the world. The objectives of the present study were to determine the prevalences of Cryptosporidium spp. and G. duodenalis infections and their co-infection statuses in dogs and cats living in Taiwan and to identify the species and assemblages. Fecal samples were collected from local animal shelters (n = 285) and a veterinary hospital (n = 108). Nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed using the SSU-rRNA, β-giardin, and glutamate dehydrogenase genes for Cryptosporidium spp. and G. duodenalis, respectively. Results showed that the overall prevalences of Cryptosporidium and G. duodenalis were 7.38% (29/393) and 10.69% (42/393). In addition, co-infection was detected in 1.02% (4/393) of all samples. Sample source, clinical sign, and breed may be risk factors that influence the infection rate. In Cryptosporidium-positive samples, C. canis and C. felis were detected most frequently. Although the canine-specific assemblages C and D (37/42) were dominant, the zoonotic human-specific assemblage A (1/42) was also found in Giardia-positive samples. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that most positive samples belonged to host-specific subtypes/assemblages, while some Cryptosporidium or Giardia-positive samples could be zoonotic. The findings suggested that pet animals could be a cause of zoonotic transmission, causing human cryptosporidiosis and giardiasis in Taiwan.

Corticotropin releasing hormone is present in the feline placenta and maternal serum.

In women, placental corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) can be detected in maternal blood throughout pregnancy and is important in the regulation of the timing of parturition. However, its role in other mammalian species is unclear. In fact, very little is known about the presence and localization of CRH in placentas other than human. In this study we report for the first time the presence of CRH in feline placenta and maternal serum. Presence of CRH mRNA and protein was assessed using RT-PCR and Western blot, respectively, in at term domestic cat placentas opportunistically obtained at a local animal shelter and spay clinic. In addition, CRH localization within the placenta was demonstrated via immunohistochemistry. Finally, presence of CRH in maternal blood from early (¾21 days) and mid (25-35 days) stages of pregnancy was investigated by ELISA. CRH mRNA and protein were detected in feline placentas, and localized to larger decidual cells and fetal trophoblast cells, including the binucleate cells. CRH was detectable in maternal blood collected from early-stage pregnancies, and amounts significantly increased in mid-gestation samples. This is the first report on the presence and localization of CRH in the feline placenta, and its increase in maternal serum during the first half of pregnancy. These data lay the foundation for future studies to determine if CRH can be used as potential novel marker for early pregnancy diagnosis, determination, and monitoring in felids, and could greatly increase efficiency and success in zoo breeding programs utilizing artificial reproductive technologies for endangered feline species.

38 Beyond the Classroom: Community Engaged Learning in Animal Sciences

Abstract “Companion Animals” is a sophomore level elective in the Division of Animal Sciences at the University of Missouri (MU). This class focuses primarily on dogs, cats, and horses. Topics covered include the pet industry, breeds, wellness, management, care, training, zoonotic diseases, evolution and domestication, toxicology, nutrition, reproduction, genetics, human animal interactions, and biomedical research. As this course is designated a biological science course, several non-majors also enroll in the class each year. What makes this course different from other courses taught in the Division is that it is a “service-learning course.” This means that students volunteer 20-35 hours with non-profits and neighborhood organizations, including the local animal shelter and equine therapy services for persons with disabilities. The partnerships are coordinated by the Office of Service Learning at MU. The benefits for the students include 1) development of professional skills and exploration of possible careers, 2) civic engagement, 3) public service leadership, and 4) understanding of diversity, equity and inclusion. Together, the students in the course perform more >850 hours of community service and their engagement creates >$18,500 of positive economic impact in the state of Missouri. Overall, 93% of MU students would recommend their service experience to a friend. Early in the semester, Dr. Rivera, the course coordinator, meets for 15 minutes with each student to learn about the reason they chose their service, invariably the majority answer, “because of the animals.” Also, at the end of the semester Dr. Rivera meets for 15 minutes with each student to learn about their volunteering experience. When asked “what was the best part of the service?” the vast majority of the students respond “the people.” In conclusion, the general life skills, social conscience, and personal growth that the students attain from their service is not attainable in the typical classroom setting.

Rethinking the Animal Shelter's Role in Free-Roaming Cat Management.

Substantial societal investment is made in the management of free-roaming cats by various methods, with goals of such programs commonly including wildlife conservation, public health protection, nuisance abatement, and/or promotion of cat health and welfare. While there has been a degree of controversy over some of the tactics employed, there is widespread agreement that any method must be scientifically based and sufficiently focused, intensive and sustained in order to succeed. The vast majority of free-roaming cat management in communities takes place through local animal shelters. Throughout the 20th century and into the 21st, this consisted primarily of ad hoc admission of cats captured by members of the public, with euthanasia being the most common outcome. In North America alone, hundreds of millions of cats have been impounded and euthanized and billions of dollars invested in such programs. Given the reliance on this model to achieve important societal goals, it is surprising that there has been an almost complete lack of published research evaluating its success. Wildlife conservation and public health protection will be better served when debate about the merits and pitfalls of methods such as Trap-Neuter-Return is grounded in the context of realistically achievable alternatives. Where no perfect answer exists, an understanding of the potential strengths and shortcomings of each available strategy will support the greatest possible mitigation of harm—the best, if still imperfect, solution. Animal shelter function will also benefit by discontinuing investment in methods that are ineffective as well as potentially ethically problematic. This will allow the redirection of resources to more promising strategies for management of cats as well as investment in other important animal shelter functions. To this end, this article reviews evidence regarding the potential effectiveness of the three possible shelter-based strategies for free-roaming cat management: the traditional approach of ad hoc removal by admission to the shelter; admission to the shelter followed by sterilization and return to the location found; and leaving cats in place with or without referral to mitigation strategies or services provided by other agencies.

Early maternal separation is not associated with changes in telomere length in domestic kittens (Felis catus).

ObjectiveStudies of multiple species have found that adverse early life experiences, including childhood trauma and maternal separation, can result in accelerated telomere shortening. The objective of this study was to determine if premature separation from the mother affected telomere length in domestic kittens (Felis catus). Subjects were 42 orphaned kittens and 10 mother-reared kittens from local animal rescue groups and shelters. DNA was extracted from whole blood collected from kittens at approximately 1 week and 2 months of age. Telomere length was assessed by qPCR (quantitative polymerase chain reaction) from a total of 86 samples and expressed as a ratio of telomere PCR relative to a single copy gene PCR (T/S).ResultsA generalized linear mixed model found there were no detectable differences in telomere length based on survival (F1, 76.2 = 3.35, p = 0.07), orphan status (F1, 56.5 = 0.44, p = 0.51), time point (F1, 43.5 = 0.19, p = 0.67), or the interaction between orphan status and time (F1, 43.5 = 0.86, p = 0.36). Although in other species telomere shortening is commonly associated with aging, even early in life, we did not find evidence for telomere shortening by two months of age. Our results suggest that the experience of early maternal separation in domestic cats who are subsequently hand-reared by humans does not accelerate telomere shortening compared to mother-reared kittens, at least in the first few months of life.

Population Dynamics of Community Cats Living in a Tourist Area of Onomichi City, Japan, before and after the Trap-Test-Vaccinate-Alter-Return-Monitor Event

ABSTRACT The community cat program (CCP) was recommended by the Ministry of the Environment to reduce cats in local animal shelters and improve stray cat welfare in Japan. It is a non-lethal control measure with stray cats cared for as free-roaming cats for their lifetime in the community, while Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) or Trap-Test-Vaccinate-Alter-Return-Monitor (TTVARM) activities are carried out. In the CCP, community cat colonies are hypothesized to be closed and static populations. However, it remains unknown whether the cats stay in the colonies, without migration of non-neutered cats following TNR/TTVARM events. We examined the population dynamics of cats before and after a TTVARM event using route censuses (107 days), fixed-point observations, and GPS-tracking in a tourist area in Onomichi. Eleven out of the 30 cats remained in the CCP areas, whereas 13 non-neutered cats immigrated into the CCP areas, within a year, suggesting the CCP program has limited efficacy. Besides, the program cannot support the lifetime management of the cats due rapid turnover of cats. Our results reject the CCP hypothesis, so that the program neither restricts cat breeding nor enhances cat welfare.

An adjunctive human-animal interaction intervention for veterans with PTSD: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundPosttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) rarely remits over time, and if left untreated, leads to significant distress, functional impairment, and increased health care costs. Fortunately, effective evidence-based treatments (EBTs) for PTSD, such as Prolonged Exposure (PE), exist. Despite their availability and efficacy, a significant number of individuals with PTSD do not initiate treatment when offered or dropout prematurely. One proposed theory suggests that the emotional-numbing symptoms of PTSD (e.g., blunted affect, apathy) can serve as a barrier to engaging in, and successfully completing, treatment; and the broad human-animal interaction (HAI) literature available suggests that HAI can potentially reduce emotional numbing related to PTSD. Accordingly, this manuscript describes an ongoing, federally funded, randomized controlled trial testing the efficacy of RESCUE, an HAI intervention, as a viable adjunctive treatment component for PE.Methods/designThe study will include 70 veterans with PTSD treated at a Southeastern Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC). All participants in the trial receive up to 12 sessions of PE. Participants are randomly assigned 1:1 to (1) volunteer at a local animal shelter or (2) volunteer at a community agency of their choice as part of their in-vivo exposure exercises for PE. Outcomes will be examined via standard clinical interviews, self-report questionnaires, and thematic interviews.DiscussionIt is hypothesized that participants in the HAI condition will report greater decreases in emotional-numbing symptoms and increased treatment compliance and completion rates relative to those in the community volunteer condition. If successful, RESCUE, could be easily incorporated into standard PE and broadly disseminated.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov. ID: NCT03504722. Retrospectively registered on 2 May 2017.

Seroprevalence of Leptospira spp., Toxoplasma gondii, and Dirofilaria immitis in Free-Roaming Cats in Iowa.

By the nature of their environment and behavior, free-roaming cats are at increased risk of exposure to a wide range of pathogens compared with client-owned cats. Consequently, free-roaming cats can act as a reservoir for possible zoonotic infections. In this study, 140 cats were prospectively recruited over a 12-month period from a free-roaming cat spay and neuter clinic and a local animal shelter in the state of Iowa. The presence of antileptospiral antibodies was measured using a microscopic agglutination test against six leptospiral serovars (canicola, pomona, icterhemorrhagiae, bratislava, hardjo, and grippotyphosa). In addition, serum samples were tested for the presence of antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii and Dirofilaria immitis using an ELISA and lateral flow immunoassay, respectively. Serum samples from 12/139 cats (8.6%) were positive for the leptospiral serovars tested, with bratislava having the highest prevalence. Cats were more likely to be positive in the spring than in the fall or summer. Positive titers to T. gondii and D. immitis were present in 42/140 cats (30%) and 9/140 cats (6.4%), respectively. Cats >72 months of age were more likely to be seropositive to T. gondii than cats in younger age groups. Feline Leptospira spp. seroprevalence was higher in this Midwestern location than has previously been reported elsewhere in the United States. Contrary to previously reported seasonal trends, this population was more likely to be Leptospira spp. seropositive in the spring rather than fall or summer. Seroprevalence of D. immitis in this geographical location was substantially lower than previous reports of free-roaming cats in the United States.

Factors that Influence Intake to One Municipal Animal Control Facility in Florida: A Qualitative Study.

Simple SummaryAnimal shelters try to save homeless dogs and cats by returning lost pets to missing owners, adopting animals to new homes, and by reducing intake. We mapped the annual intake of one county animal shelter to discover where the homeless animals came from and selected one area of high-intake for stray adult dogs to study. We performed field interviews and reviewed available census and child-maltreatment data to create a theory about why so many stray dogs came from this study area. The study-area residents experience multiple socioeconomic challenges secondary to poverty including: interpersonal violence; housing instability; and lack of access to reliable transportation and communication services. Such factors lead residents to view domestic dogs not only as pets, but also as commodities that can add income to households, and often as burdens that results in pet abandonment. The community-specific data collected in this study can drive creation of strategic solutions for preventing pet abandonment and serve to reduce intake of stray dogs to the local animal shelter.This qualitative study identified a study area by visualizing one year of animal intake from a municipal animal shelter on geographic information systems (GIS) maps to select an area of high stray-dog intake to investigate. Researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with residents of the selected study area to elucidate why there were high numbers of stray dogs coming from this location. Using grounded theory, three themes emerged from the interviews: concerns, attitudes, and disparities. The residents expressed concerns about animal welfare, personal safety, money, and health. They held various attitudes toward domestic animals in the community, including viewing them as pets, pests, or useful commodities (products). Residents expressed acceptance as well as some anger and fear about the situation in their community. Interviewees revealed they faced multiple socioeconomic disparities related to poverty. Pet abandonment can result when pet owners must prioritize human needs over animal needs, leading to increased shelter intake of stray dogs. Community-specific strategies for reducing local animal shelter intake should address the issue of pet abandonment by simultaneously targeting veterinary needs of animals, socioeconomic needs of residents, and respecting attitude differences between residents and shelter professionals.

Taking Care of Companion Animals

Focusing on local government and non-governmental nonhuman animal welfare organizations, this paper reports survey results on institutional policies, interpretive frameworks, and practices regarding companion animals in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The findings suggested that local governments and animal shelters use different interpretive frameworks of companion animal welfare, with the former taking a human-centric position and the latter focusing on animal well-being. The results showed that most local governments are not well engaged with animal welfare issues. Instead, these issues are more often dealt with by non-governmental organizations that operate on limited budgets and rely heavily on volunteer labor. Whereas federal and provincial governments are responsible for legislating companion animal welfare, practical implementation of animal welfare has been largely the responsibility of non-governmental organizations. Our findings demonstrated that the ways that animal welfare policy is interpreted and enacted at the local level have significant implications for animal well-being more broadly.

Forensic animal DNA typing: Allele nomenclature and standardization of 14 feline STR markers.

Since the domestic cat (Felis catus) has become one of the most popular pets and owners usually develop a close relationship to their cats, it is necessary to take traces of cats into account for forensic casework. For this purpose feline short tandem (STR) repeat markers have been investigated in several earlier studies, but no detailed description of sequence data, allelic variations or a repeat-based nomenclature is available. The aim of the study was to provide a suggestion for the allele nomenclature of 14 cat STR markers according to the recommendations of the International Society for Forensic Genetics (ISFG) for human DNA typing and to present a standardized system for a secure DNA typing of samples. Samples of 122 unrelated cats from a local animal shelter and private owners in Germany were used to generate a population database with allele frequencies and to analyze the tandemly repeated sequence variations within the alleles of each STR marker. These markers could be grouped into two STR classes: simple repeat STRs and complex STRs (some with the supplement highly complex), consisting of di- and tetranucleotide repeat motifs. After analyzing the repeat structure and elaborating a repeat based nomenclature, allelic ladders of common and rarely occurring alleles for each marker were designed to enable accurate typing of alleles that differ in fragment length and to facilitate data exchange.

Cats and Wildlife: A New Approach to Addressing Cat Over-Population in the Portland Metropolitan Region

Throughout the country, efforts to reduce cat over-population have led to highly acrimonious confrontations between bird advocates and cat advocates. The situation in Portland, Oregon provides a rare exception to this rule. The Audubon Society of Portland and the Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon have a long history of working collaboratively. The two organizations, in conjunction with local animal shelters, have launched an aggressive effort to address both cat over-population and bird predation in ways that are good for both cats and birds and which respect the values of both cat and bird advocates. The Cats Safe at Home™ Campaign includes landscape scale population reduction efforts including Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR), targeted removal from natural areas, targeted education and enforcement at hotspots such at apartment complexes, and shelter-based strategies. It also includes maintaining legal mechanisms for property owners that want to remove cats from their own properties, indemnity for native predatory species such as coyotes that prey upon free-roaming cats, best management practices for caring for feral cat colonies, and research into the efficacy of population control efforts on the ground and attitudinal changes of the local human population regarding free-roaming cats. Some have suggested that this approach, and specifically the inclusion of TNR based strategies, is akin to waving the white flag on cat predation of birds. We see it as exactly the opposite. We believe that the Portland Metropolitan Region has the potential to make real headway on an issue that has seen little evidence of success anywhere in the continental United States over the past century. We have a community that cares passionately about its animals; we have outstanding and well-supported domestic and wild animal advocacy organizations; and we have an aggressive agenda to reduce cat over-population. We believe that by adopting a range of strategies that include TNR, by working together, and by focusing on results, positive change is within our reach.

Service Learning: Priority 4 Paws Mobile Surgical Service for Shelter Animals

The increasing attention given to competencies needed to enter the workforce has revealed a need for veterinary students to gain more experience in performing small-animal elective surgery before graduation. In addition, guidelines for standards of care for shelter animals recommend that all dogs and cats should be spayed or neutered before adoption. Teaching surgical skills while serving the needs of local animal shelters represents an ideal service-learning opportunity. Following a pilot study and the benchmarking of other programs, an elective course in shelter medicine and surgery was created at Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine (PVM) to allow senior DVM students an opportunity to spend 2 weeks on a mobile surgery unit (Priority 4 Paws) and 1 week at an animal shelter. With financial assistance from sponsors and donors, PVM purchased and equipped a mobile surgery unit, hired a full-time veterinarian and a registered veterinary technician, and established relationships with 12 animal shelters. From July 30, 2012, to March 22, 2013, 1,941 spays and neuters were performed with excellent postsurgical outcomes while training 33 veterinary students on rotation and 26 veterinary technician students. The program was well accepted by both students and the shelters being served. The Priority 4 Paws program is an example of an integrated, community-based service-learning opportunity that not only helps to improve the surgical skills of veterinary students but also helps to meet an identified community need.

Smile, you are under arrest: the misappropriation and misuse of mug shots online

Anyone can get arrested: a retired woman who volunteers at a local animal shelter, a loving father and middle school teacher, a circuit court judge, or a straight ‘A’ student attending an Ivy League college. A mug shot is part of the arrest process and these pictures are published on the arresting agency's website and are public records. A problem arises, however, when arrestees' mug shots are ‘scraped’ from arresting agencies websites and republished on private mug shot websites. Regardless of the severity of the crime, or whether charges were even filed by the State, after a simple online search of an arrestee's name, his mug shot displays at the top of online search results, every time. This ‘criminal’ then finds himself explaining to family members and employers about his arrest. He must pay each private company to have his mug shot removed. Not only is this expensive, but new mug shot sites scrape mug shots from arresting agencies every day. It is impossible for an arrestee to prevent his mug shot from appearing at the top of online search results. This paper demonstrates that these private companies are taking advantage of public records laws and are violating the rights of arrestees.

Animal Behavior Case of the Month

The patient was a 2.5-year-old 5-kg (11-lb) castrated male domestic shorthair cat. History The patient was housed exclusively indoors. The family included 2 parents and their 2 daughters (ages, 7 and 12), and there were no other animals in the house. The cat had been obtained from a local animal shelter when it was 10 weeks old; the history of the cat before adoption was unknown. The patient had been neutered when it was 6 months old. The cat had negative results of FIV antibody and FeLV antigen tests, which had been performed when it was 6 months old. A short time after the adoption, the family noticed that the cat seemed to be timid and easily frightened by loud noises (eg, sneezing or laughter) and sudden movements (eg, standing up from a chair) of people. The cat ran from the front door when it was opened or from a room when a person entered it. Two and a half years after adoption, the cat was intolerant of holding or petting by family members for periods longer than a few seconds. When the patient was frightened and nervous, it had its ears back and pupils dilated and ran to hide under furniture. When the cat could not escape from a room, it paced and seemed to look for a door. The cat had always slept on the oldest daughter’s bed during each night. The cat tended to stay in that daughter’s room more often than it stayed in other rooms; however, the cat typically remained > 3 feet from her, at which distance the cat was calm and relaxed. The cat never had aggressive behavior or inappropriate elimination when it was frightened, such as at a veterinary clinic. Members of the family always used quiet voices and slow movements near the cat. A pheromone diffuser a was used to reduce the fearful attitude of the cat. These interventions did not have an effect on the cat’s behavior. Approximately 1 year before the behavioral evaluation, the primary care veterinarian had prescribed an anxiolytic medication (alprazolam [0.1 mg/ kg {0.045 mg/lb}, PO, q 12 h]) for the cat because of an owners’ request. After the cat received the first dose of

Zoonotic potential of Giardia duodenalis and Cryptosporidium spp. and prevalence of intestinal parasites in young dogs from different populations on Prince Edward Island, Canada

The prevalence of Giardia duodenalis, Cryptosporidium spp. and other intestinal parasites was determined in dogs <1 year old from Prince Edward Island, Canada. Fecal samples were collected from the local animal shelter (n=62), private veterinary clinics (n=78) and a pet store (n=69). Intestinal parasites isolated included G. duodenalis, Cryptosporidium spp., Toxocara canis, Isospora spp. and Uncinaria stenocephala. To estimate the zoonotic risk associated with these infections, genotypes of G. duodenalis and Cryptosporidium spp. were determined using 16S rRNA and Hsp70 gene sequencing, respectively.Dogs from the pet store had the highest prevalence of intestinal parasites (78%, 95% CI: 68–88%), followed by the private veterinary clinics (49%, 95% CI: 37–60%), and the local animal shelter (34%, 95% CI: 22–46%).The majority G. duodenalis belonged to host-adapted assemblages D (47%, 95% CI: 31–64%) and C (26%, 95% CI: 13–43%), respectively. Zoonotic assemblages A and B were isolated alone or in mixed infections from 16% (95% CI: 6–31%) of G. duodenalis-positive dogs. All Cryptosporidium spp. were the host-adapted C. canis. While host-adapted, non-zoonotic G. duodenalis genotypes were more common, the presence of G. duodenalis assemblages A and B, T. canis, and U. stenocephala suggests that these dogs may present a zoonotic risk. The zoonotic risk from Cryptosporidium-infected dogs was minimal.

Social Justice at the Animal Shelter

Engaging in an analysis of social justice issues through the lens of mathematics allows students to deepen their understanding of social issues and play a more active role in society. This set of problems is intended to help students better understand issues that affect local animal shelters and make informed decisions by applying mathematics. Included in these problems are researched facts that could accurately represent a shelter.

Dead Time by C. Conlin / Shelter by J. S. Lee

Conlin, Christy A. Dead Time. / Lee, Jen S. Shelter. Single Voice Series. Toronto: Annick Press, 2011. Print. It is difficult to say which of these brief cold showers will leave you feeling happier to leap back into the warmth of the everyday. Presented back-to-back in a single volume, both novellas share an unhappy preoccupation: picking apart the threads of the past in order to untangle – or at least understand – the enmeshments the present. The narrator of Dead Time is Isabella, a teen awaiting trial for a crime which, she repeatedly insists, she did not commit. It was her boyfriend who murdered the interloping Lulu; as soon as he confesses his guilt, Isabella will be released from the grim “youth center” where she awaits trial. Author Christy Ann Conlin deploys the first-person voice masterfully— Isabella’s rage beats palpably from the page, and we are righteously indignant on her behalf. Yet the further she beckons us into her memory, recounting the events antecedent to Lulu’s murder, the uglier and less justifiable her anger becomes. So gradually is the reader’s sympathy eroded that the story’s final twist – though dimly visible all along – still manages to come as a surprise. Though more straightforward than its companion novel, Jen Sookfong Lee’s Shelter is no less dispiriting in its outcome. We begin at the unhappy end: our narrator, Abby, weeps alone on a park bench. Even before her latest catastrophe, it would seem she has plenty to cry about: maimed by debt, her parents abide in private misery, leaving Abby to run a singularly thankless household. Her only solace is a volunteer job at the local animal shelter, where she meets a beguiling young man named Sean. We know Abby’s infatuation with Sean will end badly, but the form and flavour of this badness is not revealed until Abby fully unspools her dismal yarn. Though hampered by some awkward turns of phrase- “… it feels like he’s always been part of me, like an elbow” - the story succeeds as a meditation on the blurred line between the security of a shelter – be it a house, a family, or a lover — and the confinement of a trap. Pitched at mature but not necessarily avid readers, Annick Press’s Single Voice Series entices with the promise of gritty, fast-moving narratives packaged in a clever two-for-one reversible format. Both Dead Time and Shelter are certainly gritty and, at less than 100 pages a pop, fast enough to read in one go. It is unclear, however, what the effect on their intended audience might be. Comfortless in their brevity, joyless in their details, these novels do little to stir the imagination or assuage the loneliness of the young reader. At best, they offer a frisson of discomfort, a chilling affirmation of vague adolescent unease: the world is indeed out to get you.Recommended: 3 out of 4 stars Reviewer: Sarah Mead-Willis Sarah is the Rare Book Cataloguer at the University of Alberta's Bruce Peel Special Collections Library. She holds a BA and an MLIS from the University of Alberta and an MA in English Literature from the University of Victoria.

Domesticated dogs ( Canis familiaris) react to what others can and cannot hear

Recent research suggests some nonhuman primates (e.g., chimpanzees, rhesus macaques) consider what others hear when acting in competitive situations. We explored whether dogs living in private homes or sourced from an animal shelter would show this same predilection. Following an inhibition task where dogs ( Canis familiaris) were commanded not to take a treat left on a plate by a human, we presented subjects with the opportunity to take food from one of two containers. These containers were located within the proximity of a human gatekeeper who was either looking straight ahead or not looking at the time of choice. One container was silent when food was inserted or removed while the other was noisy. Among pet dogs (20 total; 10 in each condition) randomly assigned to the Looking or Not Looking condition, four subjects approached the silent container in the Looking condition (binomial test: P = 0.8) while 10 approached the silent container in the Not Looking condition (binomial test: P = 0.004). We compared pet dogs’ pattern of performance between conditions using a chi-square test for independence, which indicated that dogs significantly preferred the silent container only in the Not Looking condition ( χ 1 2 = 8.8 , P = 0.003). This outcome suggests dogs preferentially attempted to retrieve food silently only when silence was germane to obtaining food unobserved by the human gatekeeper. Interestingly, dogs sourced from a local animal shelter evidenced similar outcomes. Among shelter dogs (20 total; 10 in each condition) randomly assigned to the Looking or Not Looking condition, four subjects approached the silent container in the Looking condition (binomial test: P = 0.8) while nine approached the silent container in the Not Looking condition (binomial test: P = 0.02). We compared shelter dogs’ pattern of performance between conditions using a chi-square test for independence, which indicated that dogs significantly preferred the silent container only in the Not Looking condition ( χ 1 2 = 5.5 , P = 0.02). This result suggests shelter dogs, like pet dogs, preferentially tried to retrieve food silently only if silence was relevant to obtaining food unobserved by a human gatekeeper. This result conflicts with other recent data suggesting that shelter dogs perform more poorly than pet dogs in tasks involving human social cues.