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The BIG news is that there was an incredible conference focussing on the management of companion animal care for Indigenous communities and that you should be VERY disappointed if you missed it. Now for the rest of the news... |
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NewsVanstone launches conferenceStimulating programmeThe end of surgical speying?High calibre presentersKeynote speakersDr Henry BakerDr Frank AscioneAMRRIC General meeting
Useful linksContact usProgrammeGet involved
“To help raise the health standards of Indigenous communities by improving the health of companion animals in rural and remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.”AMRRIC mission statement
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Vanstone launched conferenceAmanda Vanstone, the former federal minister for immigration and multicultural affairs, launched the Dog People conference with a pre-recorded message. Although her portfolio no longer includes Indigenous Affairs, Senator Vanstone is a keen dog lover and has a passion for addressing Indigenous disadvantage. Her recognition and funding of AMRRIC in 2004 reflected this commitment; making this conference possible (along with many other things). She remains a keen observer in the development of AMRRIC and her ongoing contribution is greatly appreciated. Wednesday, 26th JulyStimulating programmeThe range of topics and calibre of speakers laid the foundation for an intense, stimulating conference. Together, they brought significant depth of knowledge based on leading edge research and frontline, practical experience over a comprehensive range of topics. The themes of the conference covered: Setting the Scene, Community Dog Programs, Indigenous Public Heath and Education, Animal and Human Welfare – International and Indigenous Perspectives, Wildlife and Indigenous Communities. The keynote addresses will cover Animal Population Control and Violence/ Human/ Animals. More on the programme. Wednesday, 26th JulyThe end of surgical speying?You heard it first at DOG PEOPLE, 2006! Possibly the most exciting thing presented at this conference was on the development of a safe and effective fertility control agent for use in dogs and cats (and probably other species as well). Dr Loretta Mayer is Chairman and CEO of Senestech Inc and presented a paper on ChemSpay®, their revolutionary new product. ChemSpay works, in one application, by selectively depleting all primordial and primary follicles in the ovaries, thereby inducing a state of total and irreversible ovarian failure i.e. a permanently sterile animal. If current reports are accurate, this will mean permanent sterility with a single injection; no more surgical speying! This will have enormous value in population control programs with dogs and cats and potentially, many other species. Dr Tony Peacock of the Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre is investigating the potential of the product. Both Drs Mayer and Peacock presented their papers on the Thursday morning of the Dog People conference. Wednesday, 26th JulyHigh calibre presentersThe speakers that presented at the conference included: Professor Henry J Baker, Professor Frank Ascione, Professor Anthony English, Professor Richard Speare, Professor Ross Bailey, Dr Mark Lawrie, Alison Hunt, Lisa Dijke, Anne Celan, Dr Stephen Cutter, Janet Lee, Gamaritj Gurruwi, Dr Graeme Brown, Dr Malcolm McDonald, Greer Ashby, Pat Lowe, Dr Loretta Mayer, Vet Charities Australia, International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), Dr Laurie Corbett, Dr Rupert Woods, Dr Paul Burgess and many others. More on the presentations. Wednesday, 26th JulyKeynote speakers bring international perspectiveWe were honoured to have two extraordinary keynote speakers for the conference; Dr Henry Baker and Dr Frank Ascione. Both are recognized internationally as leaders in their field and brought with them an enormous depth of experience and insight (see below). More on the keynote presentations. Wednesday, 26th JulyDr Henry Baker
Dr Baker is the director of the Scott-Ritchey
Research Center
and has, for over 20 years, conducted research into fatal
inherited diseases in children, dogs and cats. In 2004 he was
presented with the
Pfizer Animal
Health Award for Research Excellence from the College of Veterinary
Medicine. Sunday, 25th September, 2005Dr Frank R. Ascione
Dr Ascione has been invited to
speak at many international conferences and has applied his
findings in many different contexts, from
collaborating ‘on the ground’ in programs for abused children,
youth corrections personnel and in state shelters for battered
women, to influencing legislation regarding cruelty to animals.
Dr Ascione has been
a guest of many prominent television and radio programs including
CNN and the Oprah Winfrey Show. He received the 2001 Distinguished
Scholar Award
from the International Association of Human-Animal Interaction
Organizations and serves on the editorial boards of Aggression
and Violent Behavior and
Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment, and Trauma. Sunday, 25th September, 2005AMRRIC General MeetingAMRRIC’s annual general meeting was held during the conference. Sessions addressed future directions and developed strategic plans for the next five years. More on AMRRIC. Wednesday, 26th July
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Dr Baker is a distinguished and widely published researcher and veterinary pathologist, as well as an active member of
the academic community at Auburn University where he contributes
to the research training
of postdoctoral scholars, graduate students, professional
students and undergraduates.
Dr Ascione is a world-renowned researcher currently examining
the common roots of violence toward people and animals with
the aim of identifying an early indicator of at-risk children.
He is currently Professor of Psychology (and Adjunct Professor
of Family and Human Development) at Utah State University and
has authored many articles and books about the link between
animal abuse and
violence in interpersonal relationships (violent youth, child
and spouse abuse).
Dr Ascione's latest book,
published in 2005, is 'Children and Animals: Exploring the
Roots of Kindness and Cruelty'.We are grateful to our sponsors for their help in making this conference possible  |
Dog People is an initiative of AMRRIC and we acknowledge the continuing support of the following:  |