Feedback is still coming in for the NCAP which is fantastic news. The National Meeting of Stakeholders will be held in August to work through any areas still requiring consensus and to confirm revisions to the Plan. We will keep you posted and are looking forward to getting some new resources up on the National Cat Action Plan web page.
The University of Queensland are researching pet predation and need our help. The survey is targeted at pet owners and aims to better determine what proportion of prey captured by people's cats and dogs is native, what factors (such as proximity to bushland, time of day etc.) may affect their hunting behaviours, and what attitudes exist in the general public with regards to pets hunting. The findings of this survey will hopefully help to better determine what sort of an impact domestic cats and dogs might have on wildlife (if any), and subsequently help to determine what action may help to both protect our wildlife and the welfare of our pets. All responses to this survey are anonymous. The results from this research could better inform us and assist us in determining what we need to do in terms of education for pet owners and combating negative attitudes about, in particular, cat ownership. You can find the survey
here.
Has your organisation signed up to participate in National Desexing Month? The new posters are out and are eye catching as usual! National Desexing Month takes place in July each year and vet clinics and organisations that are part of the National Desexing Network will often increase the discount they provide, for the month, plus others come on board to be part of the action.
If you would like to know more or sign up to be an NDM provider contact the NDN office on 1 300 368 992 or visit the website at
www.ndn.org.au
Did you see the recent story about popular Swedish furniture retailer, Ikea, getting behind their local shelter dogs in Singapore? The project
Home for Hope , partners two not for profit animal shelters with the corporate giant by showing off individual animals to shoppers, or at least life size, cardboard cut-out versions of them! The marketing strategy combines giving people the opportunity to consider adopting a dog when they may not have done so already by seeing it in a home like situation, with tech savvy QR codes on their collars to enable them to get the info on the individual in real time. We would love to hear what innovative adoption (or other) programs and promotions there are out there across Australia so let us know what is happening in your neck of the woods!
A study conducted by the University of Kent, of over 2000 shelter dogs, investigated the physical and behavioural characteristics that help dogs get rehomed. The study used techniques from consumer analysis to gain a better understanding of people’s choices when adopting a dog from a shelter. The researchers looked at the different characteristics of dogs waiting for homes and compared it to the likelihood that a new home is found. Consumer and adopter attitudes are a vital part of the equation, perhaps there are changes you can make to increase adoptions using this information? Check out a rundown of the study (thanks to
Companion Animal Psychology)
here which also includes a link to the full paper.
What would you like to see at next year's 6th National G2Z Summit? Now is your chance to tell us! If you would like to present or suggest a topic or presenter please
contact us.
Shelter dogs on display
