dogwordz

Fluorescent puppy is world’s first transgenic dog 

by Ewen Callaway in New Scientist, April 2009

From the article:  “This new proof-of-principle experiment should open the door for transgenic dog models of human disease, says team member CheMyong Ko of the University of Kentucky in Lexington. ‘The next step for us is to generate a true disease model,’ he says.”

With all the trend toward less use of animals in research, is this a good development?  Maybe for understanding fertility and human diseases, but is it fair at animals’ expense?  The attitude of the researchers seems to value dogs simply as objects that can be exploited for human benefit.  But what about benefit for the dogs that are being so exploited?

See also

The Animals’ Lawsuit Against Humanity

Lisa Marie Ordakowski
DC Animal Welfare Examiner
4/23/09

Although this campaign was first announced way back in November, The HSUS and Maddie’s Fund proclaimed their partnership with The Ad Council for the Shelter Pet Project during HSUS’s 2009 Animal Care Expo in Las Vegas.  The campaign will launch in July.  A pre-Expo workshop by Maddie’s Fund tipped their hand.

The website isn’t active yet but the blogosphere already has been taking note.  In February, Christie Keith had a great post on PetConnection.com that stimulated comments from her co-blogster Gina Spadafori, among others.  Sounds like the action steps the Shelter Pet Project will incorporate are going to resemble principles of positive training for animal behavior — focusing on rewarding the desired behavior.

The May-June issue of The HSUS magazine, Animal Sheltering, has a terrific preview, with hints for shelters to get ready for its anticipated huge impact.  Jim Baker writes that shelters will need to be sure they’re at their tip-top most presentable, on board with excellent customer service, and proactive with adoption policies that encourage prospective adopters to reach the level they need for the right animal(s) to being into their families.  [Many AS articles are available online after subscribers get the benefit of being the first to read them.  When a link to this one becomes available, I’ll add it here.]

As a public relations counselor, I have to point out, however, that it isn’t all about advertising.  This is a classic example of how even just a simplistic understanding of Jim Grunig’s situational theory of publics — for purposes of developing relationships with them and understanding who will take action — can take a program’s effectiveness far beyond mere message crafting and delivery.  (Newer iterations of the theory and how it can be applied shed additional insights about the importance of public relations — perhaps in conjunction with other functions such as marketing and advertising, perhaps not —  in bringing about behavior change.)

In brief:  People need to recognize a problem (or opportunity), feel they can do something about it, and feel a personal connection to the issue.  The ad agency that’s developing the creative for this campaign, Draftfcb in Chicago, conducted research that, in essence, found the equivalent of all three of these factors that influence whether there is (or can be) an active public on a given issue.  Now it’s a matter of triggering their interest and action.

So why adopt?  Here’s the HSUS rationale, along with a nuanced message for the Obamas and others who want to add a purebred to their family.  About 25% of shelter dogs are purebreds, and breed-spceific rescue groups are another excellent resource.  The important considerations are to give an animal a second chance — and most important, to make and live up to a commitment to provide care for the animal’s entire life.

And I want to put in a plug, meantime, for another of my favorite titles in the United Animal Nations program, Humane Education Ambassador Readers.  Let’s Get a Pup!  Said Kate exemplifies a family’s experience with bringing both a puppy and a senior dog into their home.  Told in a gentle manner with lively illustrations, the story presents an opportunity for family members to talk about the behavior of the animals at different life stages and what’s involved in caring for them.  Knowing your own capabilities relative to an animal’s needs is a key factor in keeping that lifelong commitment to your furry friend.  Kate’s family knew they could handle the demands of companion animals at both ends of the spectrum, from bouncing energetic puppy, to slower-paced but always loving older dog.  What a great example!

I’m betting the Ad Council’s new campaign will make a big impact on the lives of millions of Americans.  It’s targeted to reach 33,000 media outlets, with first-year spending alone budgeted at $50 million.  Shelters are being advised to prepare for a 300% increase in adoptions over the course of the campaign.

Perhaps the Shelter Pets Project will simultaneously raise awareness of the role Americans have had in creating the problem of thinking shelters are places to dump unwanted animals, and ultimately changing their sense both of who’s responsible and who has the power to change the outcome for these animals for the better.  Now wouldn’t that be a great win-win?!

Well, the Obamas have let many of us down by not adopting from a shelter or rescue.  But just as with Marley and Me, even people who come by their companion animals in other ways can still make good in learning devotion between our respective species.  Let’s see how that evolves — and allow plenty of time!

Report: Senate Lion To Deliver White House Puppy
By Mary Ann Akers, WashingtonPost.com blog,  4/11/09

Wish they had consulted Victoria Stilwell!  Nothing against Sen. Kennedy, but the British lady’s instincts about adopting are much more on target, IMHO.  Either way, though, once an animal is brought into the White House, the Obamas would do well to follow Victoria’s  Top 10 most important things pet adopters can do to make sure they have a positive and successful adoption experience.  Maybe Sasha and Malia should switch to attending a school in Montgomery County so they could enter the Montgomery County Humane Society’s youth art contest, Rules to Love By:  10 Commandments of Responsible Pet Ownership… (deadline extended to May 1)

Our rating:  ??? kongs (if I remember, I’ll come back and update this periodically…)

Olney Theatre has made a name for itself not only with familiar repertory but also several creative new explorations, most recently, its current world premiere of Call of the Wild, liberally adapted from Jack London’s classic works by Jon Lipsky with score by Bill Barclay.  This New Play Initiative by the Olney Theatre represents the most recent iteration since its origin at Boston University, then the  University of Kansas, University of Virginia, and touring workshop version by the National Players at Olney Theatre Center.

Before tonight, I couldn’t imagine how they’d pull off a musical adaptation.  COTW was one of my very favorite childhood reads, although with the passage of years, I’d forgotten most of the story.  The thought of it as a musical almost trivialized it in advance, but other than that, I really had no other preconception.  I just guessed it would have to be something different.

Yet it mostly came back to me seeing this staged version.  Cast members doubled as human and dog, which seems most appropriate given London’s probing — even as far back as 1903 — of the special understanding that develops between the two species.  Given how much research and popularization have been focused on the human-animal bond in recent years, it would be even more provocative if we could commune with London today and ask him what he thinks about that bond as we suburbanized softies now experience it.

Life in the Yukon during the Gold Rush was unforgiving and harsh.  The play doesn’t hide that, incorporating several dog fights provoked by both the dogs themselves and greedy, blood-lusting, power-hungry humans — “gods” from the dogs’ perspective.  It took at least a couple of numbers to get used to this dark story being told through words, movement and music that uses a wide repertoire of jazz and pop styles.  The compositions and choreography hint at the influence of Sweeney Todd, Age of Aquarius, Les Miz, Cats, and stepping (stomps and kicks traditionally styled among African American college fraternities and sororities), among others.

Somehow, it all seemed to fit and work.  I think the glue was how well most of the cast captured so many typical dog-wolf movements — licking, sniffing, scratching, growling — combined with behaviors and imagined thoughts.  Implicit for understanding the human-animal bond is an acknowledgment that even though each species uses a different kind of language, both feel common emotions toward events and each other.  How they come to realize that and draw close to one another is most poignantly expressed in Act 2, when White Fang (as a she-wolf hybrid in the musical version) and Thornton overcome their initial doubts or mistrust based on prior bad experiences with other members of their respective species.  (This is a part of the story that has been considerably modified from the original for the sake of the live performance.)

Some of the sound wasn’t crystal clear, resulting in occasional muffled words.  But overall, this unusual adaptation gets a solid “Good Dog” from me.

Our rating:  9 kongs