The University of Guelph's commitment to animal welfare has been strengthened by the appointment of three animal welfare scientists to chair positions.

Tina Widowski, a professor in the Department of Animal and Poultry Science for more than 12 years, has been named the Col. K. L. Campbell University Chair in Animal Welfare. Ian Duncan, an animal and poultry science professor for 21 years, has been named Emeritus Chair of Animal Welfare. In addition, Lee Niel has been appointed the Col. K.L. Campbell Chair in Companion Animal Welfare and an assistant professor in the Department of Population Medicine.

"These three chairs will enhance our reputation for excellence in teaching and research dedicated to improving the lives of animals," said Provost Maureen Mancuso. "They will provide new training and learning experiences, and have a positive effect on animal welfare now and in the future."

U of G's Colonel K.L. Campbell Centre for the Study of Animal Welfare was the first Canadian centre dedicated to conducting research on providing a better quality of life for animals. It offers a regular series of public lectures, seminars and educational opportunities.

Guelph was also the first institution in Canada to establish an animal care policy for animals used in research and teaching.

Widowski said she always knew she wanted to specialize in the behaviour and welfare of farm animals. As an undergraduate, she was fascinated by the applied aspects of animal behaviour in food production, and the challenges of managing food animals while protecting their welfare. Her current research focuses on how housing and management practices affect the physiology, behaviour and welfare of pigs, poultry and cattle.

"I am honoured with this appointment," she said. "This provides the opportunity to enrich undergraduate and graduate teaching programs and will support the growth of research projects focused on animal welfare."

In addition to the chair position, Widowski has been re-appointed to another five-year term as director of the Campbell Centre for Animal Welfare.

"Tina has done a remarkable job in her initial appointment as director by increasing awareness of the mission and objectives of the centre," said OVC dean Elizabeth Stone. "Her expertise and commitment to animal welfare are inspirational."

Duncan, a former centre director, was one of the first people to bring a scientific approach to solving animal welfare problems. He has published more than 150 scientific papers on animal welfare. In 2000, he received the inaugural Animals and Society Course Award from the Humane Society of the United States, North America's largest animal protection organization.

Niel is a graduate of Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia. The Vancouver native comes to the University of Guelph following post-doctoral work in behavioral neuroscience at the University of Toronto's Mississauga campus.

Her work in Guelph will be focused on assessing and mitigating pain and distress in companion animals in veterinary and shelter settings. She will also be looking at problems associated with aggressive dogs, how the problems develop and how to prevent them.

"This is the ideal job for me," she said. "I'll be doing research that I love and I get to work with cats and dogs and other animals, plus I'll be collaborating with others who are as passionate about animal welfare as I am."

Funding for the endowed companion animal welfare chair comes from a $4.25-million gift last year to the OVC animal welfare fund from the estate of Mona Campbell, a longtime supporter of the University of Guelph. The endowment funds for the university chair in animal welfare have come from Mrs. Campbell's estate and from other contributions in the 1990s from Mrs. Campbell, the Eden Conservation Trust and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

Ever wonder what's on your dog's mind?

Find out the answer at the 2010 OVC Pet Trust Forum on Oct. 2 when renowned dog psychologist Dr. Stanley Coren explores "How Dogs Think" in a special guest presentation.

An award winning behavioral researcher and psychology professor, Coren is best known to the general public for his books and television appearances. His books include bestsellers such as How to Speak Dog. Coren was the host of the Life Network television show Good Dog! and he is now seen regularly on the Pet Network's Pet Central.

During his talk, Coren will provide insight into the silly, quirky and seemingly irrational behaviours that dogs demonstrate on a regular basis -- as well as those occasional flashes of brilliance. He will explore the latest research that attempts to answer questions like, compared to other animals, how intelligent are dogs? How much language can a dog understand?

The annual OVC Pet Trust Forum celebrates the special bond between people and their pets by giving Pet Trust supporters a behind-the-scenes look at how their donations benefit companion animal health and contribute to the success of the veterinary profession.

This year's event takes place Oct. 2 from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the OVC Lifetime Learning Centre. The day wraps up with optional tours of the Hill's Pet Nutrition Primary Healthcare Centre.

In addition to Coren's presentation, program highlights include:

• "Research projects and what they mean to the pet owner" with Dr. Gordon Kirby, OVC's associate dean of research and innovation

• "Cushing's disease, endocrinology and obesity in pets" with Dr. Shauna Blois

• "What's new in avian/exotics?" with Dr. Michael Taylor

• "Ask a Cancer Specialist" with Drs. Sarah Boston and Paul Woods

• optional tours of the new Hill's Pet Nutrition Primary Healthcare Centre

Seating is limited. For more information or to register, call 519-824-4120, Ext. 56929, or rsvpovc@uoguelph.ca.

A fictional circus veterinarian might teach something about human-animal relations to real-life vets in training at the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) and to Guelph book- and animal-lovers.

Water for Elephants, a historical novel published in 2006 by Canadian-born novelist Sara Gruen, will be featured in this year's OVC Community Readers program Sept. 24, 12:30 p.m., in the OVC Lifetime Learning Centre.

The event is free and open to the public, although space is limited. All first-year veterinary students at the University of Guelph will take part.

OVC Dean Elizabeth Stone and college faculty members will lead discussion of the book, whose narrator recounts his life spent caring for animals in a second-rate circus. Gruen's fourth novel, Ape House, was published this month.

Stone said Water for Elephants provokes questions about our relations with animals, a topic central to veterinary students and animal owners.

The human-animal bond was the theme of books chosen in previous years for the OVC Community Readers event. Earlier books included The Chickens Fight Back by Population Medicine Prof. David Waltner-Toews (one of this year's discussion moderators) and the story collection The Rhino with Glue-On Shoes.

"I've been quite interested in how literary works can help veterinary students and veterinarians understand the challenges facing the profession, the bond between animals and people, how to relate to clients and co-workers, how to deal with death, dying and grief, and how to remain committed and energized as a veterinarian," said Stone, who began the annual event after arriving as OVC dean in 2005. "Some students may question why they are being asked to do this, but many welcome the opportunity to read non-scientific works, engage with faculty and staff, and consider new ideas and viewpoints."

Members of the public are invited to join the event. This year's event is part of Culture Days, a cross-Canada celebration of arts and culture.

For more information, contact Catherine Bianco at 519 824-4120 Ext. 53306 or cbianco@uoguelph.ca.

Helping prevent people from surrendering and abandoning their pets is the goal of a new $1-million chair supported by Nestle Purina PetCare Canada at the University of Guelph's Ontario Veterinary College (OVC).

"Far too many pets are surrendered to shelters each year by people who did not have a good understanding of what's involved in being a pet owner," said OVC Dean Elizabeth Stone.

"Studies have shown that many people who surrendered their pets knew little about the importance of spaying and neutering, or about animal behaviour and positive training techniques to avoid behaviour problems that can rupture the bond between pet owners and their pets."

The five-year chair will support teaching and research, including developing new strategies to encourage positive behaviour training and address pet overpopulation and abandonment. The chair will be held by Jason Coe, a professor in the Department of Population Medicine and head of OVC's veterinary communications program.

"This new chair will help address a serious social issue and allow OVC to remain at the forefront in researching and providing training in areas such as clinical communication, ethics and human-animal interaction," said Stone.

Karen Kuwahara, president of Nestle Purina PetCare Canada, said: "Our company is committed to supporting, enhancing and celebrating the bond between people and pets. We believe that pets make our lives better and we are working to make theirs better. We're pleased to support this new chair at OVC to address pet surrender, and help ensure bonds between people and pets last a lifetime. The five-year chair is a natural extension of our education and community-building programs focusing on enriching the lives of pets."

The Nestle Purina PetCare Canada Chair in Communications will support post-doctoral and graduate student research into issues relevant to pet behaviour, pet overpopulation and abandonment; the dissemination of research results to veterinarians and pet owners; a 2011 symposium on the human and animal bond as part of OVC's 150th- anniversary celebrations; and a clinical communications co-ordinator position to assist researchers and support educational initiatives.

"This generous gift will allow OVC to enhance its reputation for providing an educational experience centred around the relationships between people and their pets," said U of G president Alastair Summerlee. "Improved communications can boost satisfaction for both the client and veterinarian, and lead to better treatment outcomes and pet health."

For more, watch the video.

For media questions, contact contact:

Barry Gunn

Ontario Veterinary College

519-824-4120, Ext. 54414

bagunn@uoguelph.ca

About Nestle Purina PetCare Canada

Nestlé Purina PetCare Canada is best known for popular dog and cat food brands such as Friskies, Cat Chow, Fancy Feast, Beneful, Dog Chow, Pro Plan available at pet specialty retailers and Purina Veterinary Diets available exclusively through veterinary clinics Purina has pioneered innovative and socially important programs to strengthen the bond between people and pets, such as the creation of PawsWay in downtown Toronto â€" an event and exhibit centre that promotes responsible pet ownership, the MyBestMatch online program to help dog owners find the right breed, and the Purina Animal Hall of Fame.

About the Ontario Veterinary College

Since 1862, the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) has been a world leader in veterinary health care, learning and research. We work at the intersection of animal, human and ecosystem health: training future veterinarians and scientists, improving the health of our animal companions, ensuring the safety of the food we eat and protecting the environment that we all share.

Starting this semester, OVC is changing the way student veterinarians are taught basic anesthesia and surgical skills.

Instead of performing procedures on anesthetized animals, which are then euthanized while they are still anesthetized, more surgical skills models and cadavers will be used. Additional experience will be gained with anesthetic recoveries and with ovariohysterectomies (spays) and castrations (neuters) for shelter animals that are then returned to shelters for adoption. Students will also participate in supervised anesthetic and surgical procedures in the new Primary Healthcare Centre, as well as in their surgery, anesthesia and other rotations during their 4th year of the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program as they have in the past.

This curricular change will not affect our American Veterinary Medical Association/Canadian Veterinary Medical Association accreditation status, which is based on outcome assessment not on specific teaching methodologies. The curriculum at OVC is always evolving -- what is constant is our focus on providing effective learning experiences to meet clear learning objectives for our student veterinarians.