Monday, June 5, 2017

The 2017 AVA Annual Conference, and some thoughts on animal consciousness

The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. Our new home for the week.

What do you miss most on work trips? I have to confess I am missing the non-humans in my life. This may be why I had a dream that I had a big old English sheepdog in my room, although the combined weight of all of my companions wouldn't quite amount to an OED). I also dreamed that there was no suitable place to take him for a toilet walk and this caused both of us great distress. 

We’ve relocated SAT HQ to Melbourne where the 2017 Annual Australian Veterinary Association conference has begun. (You can still register online: http://conference.ava.com.au/ or at the registration desk from 7am – you can register for a week, or single day registrations are available). 

If you're in Melbourne, or can get to Melbourne, its worth checking out the program - there are some excellent speakers, some great topics, and its also a good chance to catch up with loads of people you haven't caught up with in forever.

Apart from learning everything we can possibly learn in a week about small animals, we also have the honour of tweeting on behalf of @onewelfareworld, so if you’re on twitter, follow us. If not, dive into the twitter stream.

SAT reader Jess shared this video of a TED talk by Carl Safina. Safina, an ecologist and writer, argues that we need to rethink the way we claim to relate to animals – not just companion animals, but those in the wild. It’s a thought provoking discussion – what does it take for us to change “minor” habits, like using and disposing of plastic, that devastate millions, if not billions, of lives? And why do we always frame questions like “does my dog really love me?” in terms of our own perspective. You can watch here. Thanks Jess for sharing.