Tuesday, July 28, 2020

Planning for people and pets during crises, making pet adoption equitable, and more citizen science for pet owners

Dr Sonja Olson baked the banana chocolate chip muffins from the Vet Cookbook to fuel her morning run. Loving the oven mitt!


This week, I want to share a few resources which may be of interest.

You may not be aware, but one of the negative aspects of the Covid-19 pandemic has been an increase in reports of domestic and family violence. Lucy’s Project, founded by the tireless Anna Ludvik, is hosting a webinar about the Concurrent Crises we are facing on August 17 at 1pm.
The webinar will explore how we can plan for animals during bushfires, droughts, pandemic(s) and other crises, as well as safety planning for families with animals who are experiencing DFV. The webinar is available free of charge but participants are welcome to make a donation. Click here for more info.

This webinar is part one of a three-part series.

CARE – Companions and Animals for Reform and Equity – is a US-based organisation established to address organisational and personal biases within animal welfare and advocating for a more inclusive path to pet adoption. The website contains some harrowing but ultimately uplifting stories of companion animals being adopted by those who initially faced discrimination or inequity. Check them out here.

Our colleague, Wingham and Valley Vets veterinarian, Dr John Dooley, retired earlier this year. He contributed an incredible personal essay to The Vet Cookbook, as well as some brilliant tips for new graduates in the CVE’s Recent Graduate Survival Seminar. He has been an advocate of mindfulness and meditation, as well as mentoring, in the veterinary profession. In an era where the attrition rate of veterinarians is high, and where there are shortages of veterinary professionals, its great to read about a 45-year-long career in this comprehensive article in Dr Dooley’s local paper which you can read here.

Finally, whether you work in the veterinary profession or not, if you identify as a pet owner, parent or guardian your knowledge can help citizen science. The study is exploring the risks and benefits of pet ownership during a pandemic.

To participate, click here.  

You can also opt-in to the very first longitudinal study tracking pet owner wellbeing and animal welfare.