Inherited defects in pedigree dogs. Part 1: Disorders related to breed standards

The United Kingdom pedigree-dog industry has faced criticism because certain aspects of dog conformation Stipulated in the UK Kennel Club breed standards have a detrimental impact oil dog welfare. A review of conformation-related disorders was carried out in the top 50 UK Kennel Club registered breeds using systematic searches of existing information A novel index to score severity of disorders along a single-scale was also developed and used to conduct statistical analyses to determine the factors affecting reported breed predisposition to defects According to the literature searched, each of the top 50 breeds was found to have at least one aspect of its conformation predisposing it to a disorder. and 84 disorders were either directly or indirectly associated with conformation. The Miniature poodle, Bulldog. Pug and Basset hound had most associations with conformation-related disorders. Further research oil prevalence and severity is required to assess the impact of different disorders oil the welfare of affected breeds (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Dogs as a diagnostic tool for ill-health in humans

Researchers have long reported that dogs and cats improve the physical and psychological health of their human caregivers, and while it is still inconclusive, a substantial amount of research now lends support for the commonly held view that "pets are good for us." Recently, studies have directed attention toward exploring the use of animals, most notably dogs, in the detection of disease and other types of health problems in people. This article reviews the evidence for dogs' ability to detect ill health in humans, focusing specifically on the detection of cancer, epileptic seizures, and hypoglycemia. The author describes the research carried out in this area and evaluates it in an effort to determine whether dogs have a role to play in modern health care as an "alert" tool or screening system for ill health. Where necessary, the author has highlighted weaknesses in the work and proposed directions for future studies.

Deer Park

The score to a musical setting of a text by J. K. Randall.

The anonymity of the hunt: A critique of hunting as sharing

Hunter-gatherers are often ascribed a “monistic” worldview at odds with the nature-society dichotomy. The centerpiece of this claim is that they view hunting as similar to sharing within the band and prey animals as part of a common sphere of sociality. This article challenges this thesis. An examination of the work of its main proponents shows that it conflates two different senses of “animal”—the flesh-and-blood animals of the hunt and the animal Spirit that is said to control the animals. The sharing motif in hunting makes sense with respect to the anthropomorphic Spirit but not to the animals hunted. The conditions of the hunt as a spatiotemporal event provide further grounds for skepticism toward the idea of hunting-as-sharing. Drawing on biologist Robert Hinde’s model of relationships, I argue that hunting represents an anonymous one-off interaction that cannot develop into a personal relationship, in stark contrast to the durable forms of personalized sociality associated with the hunter-gatherer band. This is not to deny the possibility of human-animal cosociality in the form of personal relationships but rather to redirect the search away from the hunt to the interface with domesticated animals.