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Analyzing the Safewalk Program with SAS: Saving Shelter Dogs One Walk at a Time
This 2013 study from the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA) details their recent success with "Safewalk," a program designed to train staff on how to behave around shelter dogs to help the dogs survive shelter life and increase their chances of adoption. The paper explores not only why and how Safewalk was implemented, but how initial data from the program seemed to indicate that it was actually increasing euthanasia rates and length of stay at the shelter, which later turned out to be false. The paper pays special attention to the case study of Chopper, a dog who was surrendered twice to the shelter due to behavioral problems, but was eventually homed successfully after Safewalk was implemented. READ MORE

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‘‘We Don’t Tell People What To Do’’: An Examination of the Factors Influencing NGOs to Campaign for Reduced Meat Consumption
With the link between climate change and intensive animal farming ever clearer and more compelling, the question of how to address meat consumption has become a matter that environmental NGOs need to concern themselves with. However, with people's dietary choices being a sensitive subject, navigating the topic of meat-eating with NGO members (and the general public) is a complicated matter to say the least. This study of 48 NGOs from across North America, as well as Sweden, found that addressing (and not addressing) meat consumption in relation to climate change is strategically and tactically complicated, both for "environmentally-focused NGOs" and "food-focused" NGOs. The authors urge new efforts from both angles to address the pressing issue. READ MORE

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Longline Fishing (How What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You)
This article provides a general overview of the subject of longline fishing, including a detailed breakdown of how the practice came to prominence, how it is done, the kind of environmental damage it causes, and what might be done to mitigate or stop that damage. The author compiles global statistics to present a thorough picture of how longline fishing affects many different species (from birds to aquatic mammals), and shows possible solutions in an objective and practical manner. READ MORE

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Effects of Phenotypic Characteristics on the Length of Stay of Dogs at Two No Kill Animal Shelters
In this review of dog populations at two no-kill shelters, researchers looked specifically at how physical traits of dogs, as well as their ages, might affect the length of time they stay at the shelter. Without accounting for any sort of "personality" traits, they found a strong relationship between the size of the dog and their length of stay (LOS), but found only tenuous links between the dog's coat color and their LOS, as well as the type of breed (including "fighting breeds") and their LOS. Researchers hope that their findings will help shelters tailor their adoption efforts to focus on getting LOS down for all dogs, concentrating first on those that might normally stay in the shelter the longest. READ MORE

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Emerging Profiles for Cultured Meat; Ethics through and as Design
As lab-grown, cultured or "in vitro" meat develops further into a viable product fit for human consumption, questions around how we view lab-grown meat and what kind of ethical niche we wish it to fulfill remain up for debate. The authors of this paper consider two dominant profiles in support of cultured meat, one from a standpoint of animal ethics and one from the perspective of environmental sustainability, and offer a third possibility, one that might include real animals as part of the process. In this "third profile," researchers envision a kind of "backyard farming" scenario where farmed animals do not disappear from the process, but are instead kept in small numbers, donating stem cells for meat and also acting as companions. READ MORE

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The Future of Pork Production in the World: Towards Sustainable, Welfare-Positive Systems
This study speculates on forthcoming global trends in pig farming, beginning from the position that as human population grows, so too will "pork" production. The author considers issues of sustainability, defined broadly in terms of environmental sustainability, economic sustainability, and animal welfare. Looking at three animal welfare issues in particular -- "indoor" vs. "outdoor" production, gestation crating vs. pens, and male pig castration, the author outlines what he believes to be important ethical and economic considerations within each. The author takes exponential human population growth as a given, and a clear indicator that our "need" for pork will continue to rise, and always from the bottom line that "if a farming system is not economically competitive, it cannot survive." READ MORE
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