PB3A

Part One: (Reflection)

I never really thought about narrowing my research question down to a single breed, only because you would never go to a shelter and find a single breed there. However, many of my classmates suggested that I narrow my research question down. If I were to do that I would narrow it down to maybe a specific breed, age range, or gender. another way I was thinking of narrowing down my research question was by adding in how the adoptability of a dog changes from the way exercise and calm interactions alter the behavior of dogs in shelters. I thought that was something else I could look at, but I was unsure if maybe I was getting too specific there. In terms of my presentation, my classmates gave me feedback on how I shouldn't have read directly off the screen in some cases. Another point someone made was that I was talking too fast and I think that ties into how I spent too much time on certain parts of the powerpoint. I went too into detail for some parts and I should've realized that and sped up the process a little, which would've helped me to manage my time and speak at a more clear pace. I like where my research question stands and I think that if I narrow it down to one breed it would be too specific to the point where I wouldn't be able to find scholarly articles relating to the topic. On the other hand, I liked my idea of adding how the behavior of dogs in shelters changes their 'adoptability features'.

Part Two: (Refined research Question)

How do calm interactions and exercise alter the behavior of dogs in shelters, thus effecting their chances of being adopted?

Part Three: (Possible Scholarly Articles for Annotated Bibliography)
Key Words→ 

Environmental enrichment + Olfactory stimulation + Dog welfare + Dog behavior

Adoption + Canis familiaris + Relinquishment + Shelter + Training

Dog + Canine + Animal welfare + Animal behavior + Human-animal relationships

Shelter dogs + Human-animal interaction + Petting + Behavior + Cardiac response + Well-being

Dog + Human contact + Multivariate permutation test + Shelter + Social enrichment + Welfare

Shelter + Dog + Overpopulation + Behavior + Adoption

Shelter + Dog + Overpopulation + Training + Adoption

Behavior + dog + Enrichment + Exercise + Learning

Dogs + Enrichment + Housing + Welfare

Behavior problems + Dog + rescue shelters + Reliability

Dogs + Stress + Pheromones + Behavior + Separation + Kennels

References (APA)

Binks, J., Taylor, S., Wills, A. and Montrose, V. (2018). The behavioural effects of olfactory stimulation on dogs at a rescue shelter. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 202, pp.69-76.

Luescher, A. and Tyson Medlock, R. (2009). The effects of training and environmental alterations on adoption success of shelter dogs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 117(1-2), pp.63-68.

Marston, L. and Bennett, P. (2003). Reforging the bond—towards successful canine adoption. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 83(3), pp.227-245.

McGowan, R., Bolte, C., Barnett, H., Perez-Camargo, G. and Martin, F. (2018). Can you spare 15 min? The measurable positive impact of a 15-min petting session on shelter dog well-being. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 203, pp.42-54.

Normando, S., Corain, L., Salvadoretti, M., Meers, L. and Valsecchi, P. (2009). Effects of an Enhanced Human Interaction Program on shelter dogs’ behaviour analysed using a novel nonparametric test. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 116(2-4), pp.211-219.

Protopopova, A. and Wynne, C. (2014). Adopter-dog interactions at the shelter: Behavioral and contextual predictors of adoption. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 157, pp.109-116.

Protopopova, A., Gilmour, A., Weiss, R., Shen, J. and Wynne, C. (2012). The effects of social training and other factors on adoption success of shelter dogs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 142(1-2), pp.61-68.

Protopopova, A., Hauser, H., Goldman, K. and Wynne, C. (2018). The effects of exercise and calm interactions on in-kennel behavior of shelter dogs. Behavioural Processes, 146, pp.54-60.

Schipper, L., Vinke, C., Schilder, M. and Spruijt, B. (2008). The effect of feeding enrichment toys on the behaviour of kennelled dogs (Canis familiaris). Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 114(1-2), pp.182-195.

Stephen, J. and Ledger, R. (2007). Relinquishing dog owners’ ability to predict behavioural problems in shelter dogs post adoption. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 107(1-2), pp.88-99.

Tod, E., Brander, D. and Waran, N. (2005). Efficacy of dog appeasing pheromone in reducing stress and fear related behaviour in shelter dogs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 93(3-4), pp.295-308.

Elevator Pitch (Draft)

Hello, my name is Kate Wright and I am a student studying veterinary and biomedical sciences at Penn State Abington. Over the past two weeks I took some time to educate myself on the topic of animal behavior, more specifically, I looked into how calm interactions and exercise can alter the behavior of dogs in animal shelters. I've always been interested in how animals transition from a cruel past life to a more welcoming one- and an animal shelter is where that phase takes place. To continue my research on this topic, I dug into some scholarly journal articles that analyzed experiments that the authors conducted, researching the topic that recently took a deeper interest in. I personally find this a very important topic because I've always been interested in animal welfare. However, in today's society this is relevant because there has been a recent increase in the total amount of dogs owned in the United States. This means that more people are even considering to adopt dogs, and with the information gathered from the experiments done by the researchers, shelters can apply those results to the animals at their shelters to increase their adoptability. Dr. Kennett, I've looked at some of your work and I believe that you could be the mentor that I'm looking for to lead me on the right path to continue my research, which will ultimately increase the chances of dogs being adopted into loving homes. The years of experience and knowledge that you have will be a vital asset to the success of my ACURA project.

Classwork - October 16

Part One (Presentation rubric):

Part Two (Elevator Pitch):

An elevator pitch is a 15-30 second (or 100-200 word) description of an idea, concept, or person that is spoken in simple terms so that any listener can understand in the short period of time. 

Tips: Highlight main points, back it up with examples, make it personal, follow up

Conventions: 

- Say your name

- Give background information

- Provide context

- Make connection

- Ask, what is it that you want 

- Conclusion, avoid awkward goodbye

Part Three (Elevator Pitch Examples):

PB2B

Part One →
For my project builder I chose two scholarly journal articles by researches in the discipline of animal behavior science that examine the positive impacts on the behavior of shelter dogs through exercise and calm interactions. The first article is titled 'Can you spare 15 min? The measurable positive impact of a 15-min petting session on shelter dog well-being' and was created through the collaboration of Ragen T.S. McGowan, Cynthia Bolte, Hallie R. Barnett, Gerardo Perez- Camargo, and François Martin. The article in which I will comparing it to is titled 'The effects of exercise and calm interactions on in-kennel behavior of shelter dogs' and the writers are Alexandra Protopopova, Hagar Hauser, Kissel J. Goldman, and Clive D.L. Wynne.

Part Two →
first, we have article number one where the researchers who conducted this experiment studied the phenomena through observation and testing. They instructed volunteers to calmly interact with the dogs while the experimenters observed the interactions from the outside of the observation room where the test subjects were located. Each session was recorded in order to have a second look for the purpose of analysis. In addition to this, they took samples of each dogs saliva before and after the sessions took place to test the change in the cortisol levels. Lastly, they also traded the cardiac activity of the dogs throughout the session to compare changes if any occurred. The only question being asked throughout this whole study is as follows: "Does one 15-min petting session make a positive difference for shelter dogs?"(McGowan 50). After the experiment had played out and analysis had been completed, the only argument stated was that "'15 min can make a difference' for many shelter dogs when that time includes close interaction with a person petting and speaking to them in a calm manner"(McGowan 53).

For article number two, these researches did a similar approach with their experiments. They; also, tested through observations. The only difference was that they did not use any testing; all their research was solely based on their observations. This article went about their experiments by specifically observing the movement of the dogs in their kennels. They recorded the activity "(e.g., time spent in the back of the kennel, facing backwards, back and forth motion, etc.)" of the dogs in their kennels before they were exposed to exercise or calm interactions and compared it to the activity in their kennels after being exposed to the experiment (Protopopova 59). After they analyzed the information they gathered, they found that certain behaviors impacted the adoptability of each dog. The only possible question that was left to be proposed challenged the results that showed dogs were even more active in their kennels after exercise. In comparison to the first article, the results matched the calm interactions part of this experiment proving that calm interactions lower the stress levels and activity of the dogs. The final argument of this article is "that providing additional exercise results in increased hyperactive behavior when a person is first seen by the dog" and, "that pairing the visual presentation of a person with calm interactions serves to increase calm, desirable behavior in these dogs"(Protopopova 58).

Part Three →
These scholarly journal articles are seen as unique due to their distinctive conventions, affordances, constraints, purpose, and primary and secondary audiences. To start off, there are many conventions but some of the first ones that I noticed are as follows: an abstract, introduction, charts, graphs, methods, results, discussion, conclusion, conflicts of interest, acknowledgments, and references. Even further, the information in the charts were similar due to the fact that they both consisted of the dogs name, breed, age, gender weight, length of time in the shelter, and the dogs general behavior change through the experiments. One affordance of these articles is that even someone who isn't exposed to the jargon of this discipline can still tell how long a dog has been in a shelter for; therefore, revealing to them the cruel life some of these animals endure and encouraging them to adopt a dog. A constraint would be that these articles only appeal to people interested in the behavior of shelter dogs and its effect on their chances of being adopted. The authors purpose for each of these articles is to educate other scholars and students in similar disciplines on the impacts that exercise and calm interactions have  on the behavior of shelter animals. There are many audiences that these articles are directed towards; including, scholars, students, shelter employees and managers, volunteers, people looking to adopt dogs, veterinarians, and possible animal rights activists. The statement in article one that explains "15 min can make a difference for many shelter dogs when that time includes close interaction with a person petting and speaking to them in a calm manner" reaches out to volunteers and workers at shelters who can change the adoption outcome of these dogs by bonding with them and mellowing out their moods (McGowan 53). In the second article directly addresses animal shelters with their conclusion by mentioning that they can may decide which behaviors they would like to see in their population of dogs and provide these enrichment strategies accordingly"(Protopopova 59). The writing style of these articles are very similar, if not identical. They are both written in a scientific sense and covered in similar jargon. They are also very detailed with explanations which is probably because of the scientific style of writing. That is also why they are organized as a science experiment journal article with labels named measures and analyses, methods, conclusions, procedure and materials and methods. They structured it this way to introduce the experiment, provide the procedure, give the results, analyze them, and then deliver the final conclusion. 

Part Four →
To me, the most important aspect of these two scholarly articles is the conclusion. Especially for the first article that states that fifteen minutes of human interaction with a shelter dog makes all the difference to them. The conclusion of these articles gives people the idea that they can help these dogs find forever homes by temporarily bonding with them. On the other hand, the most interesting aspect of these articles are their subject groups. I find it intriguing to look at the behaviors of different breeds and watch how they change with the interactions. I also find it enthralling to think about how gender, size, and time at the shelter can effect the behaviors of these dogs and why they effect them the way they do.

PB2A Parts 3, 4 & 5

Curiosities to Questions (Research questions)→

- How have the veterinary medical services developed through animal shelters in America?

- What veterinary medical services have been provided in animal shelters in India

- Are the same kinds of veterinary medical services available in animal shelters in India as they are in Northern America?

- What is the different canine behavior in animal shelters in the Czech Republic before and after adoption?

- What are the behavioral and physiological indicators found in shelter canines welfare being disregarded by shelter workers in Northern America?

- How can the development of animal welfare in shelters over the past 20 years be shown through the behavior of canines?

- How successful are adoptions from no-kill shelters in Australia after a canine adoption?

- How effective is human interaction with a shelter dog in changing to a positive behavior?

Disciplinary Keywords→

- Veterinary

- Animal Shelter

- Northern America

- Canine

- Behavior

- Adoption

- Physiological

- Welfare

- Indicators

- Veterinary medicine

Five Scholarly Journal Articles (Citations; BMC Veterinary Research)→

Mcgowan RT, Bolte C, Barnett HR, Perez-Camargo G, Martin F. Can you spare 15 min? The measurable positive impact of a 15-min petting session on shelter dog well-being. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 2018;203:42–54.

Mornement KM, Coleman GJ, Toukhsati SR, Bennett PC. Evaluation of the predictive validity of the Behavioural Assessment for Re-homing K9s (B.A.R.K.) protocol and owner satisfaction with adopted dogs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 2015;167:35–42.

Protopopova A, Hauser H, Goldman KJ, Wynne CD. The effects of exercise and calm interactions on in-kennel behavior of shelter dogs. Behavioural Processes. 2018;146:54–60.

Scott S, Jong E, Mcarthur M, Hazel SJ. Follow-up surveys of people who have adopted dogs and cats from an Australian shelter. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 2018;201:40–5.

Willen RM, Mutwill A, Macdonald LJ, Schiml PA, Hennessy MB. Factors determining the effects of human interaction on the cortisol levels of shelter dogs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 2017;186:41–8.

PB2A Parts 1 & 2

From a young age, I have always been in love with and fascinated by animals! Walking into college, the academic discipline that I find the most interesting is veterinary and biomedical sciences. I hope to, one day, become a veterinarian to help as many animals as I can. The professor whose research that I chose to follow is Mary J. Kennett. I plan to collaborate closely with her as my mentor on a hands-on research project, which will help me gain valuable research skills and technical and artistic experience to use in my future careers. 
Her areas of expertise include:
- Comparative medicine
- Animal models
- Infectious disease and biocontainment
- Rodent pathology
- Animal behavior
- Laboratory animal resource management
- Veterinary medicine
I am mostly interested in animal behavior, laboratory animal resource management, and veterinary medicine. When I was younger, I did not know what it was that I liked about animals, besides the fact that they were cute and cuddly. Now, I find that I am intrigued by the way animals behave and why they behave that way. I like veterinary medicine because I would love to diagnose, treat, and mend sick animals back to health. Finally, I did not know much about laboratory animal resource management until I did some research on it. I found that I like the concept that it stands for and how useful it can be to different people in this discipline. 

WP1 Proposal

WP1 Proposal

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Animal Housing→Land Animal Housing→Chicken Pens→Chicken Coop Layout Plans

Signs→Trail Signs→Mountain Trail Signs→Appalachian Mountain Hiker Blogs