On Oct. 20, 2015, community members, students, University of Guelph staff, and researchers gathered for the first event in the annual Why Research Matters panel. The event, titled “Let’s talk about pets!” focused on how the University of Guelph contributes to the lives of humankind’s beloved companion animals.
Owen Roberts, the director of the university’s research communications department, and one of the evening’s organizers, explained that the event was created with the purpose of reaching out and sharing information with the Guelph’s non-scientific community in a free and accessible manner. Dr. Malcolm Campbell, vice-president of research at the University of Guelph, added that he hoped the evening would promote “citizen science.”
Roberts explained that citizen science is the involvement of everyday individuals in order to inspire collaboration with professional scientists to collect and share data. In the past, events like annual bird watches and bio blitzes have helped connect active citizens with professional researchers.
In keeping with the desire to connect the community with science, the decision to host the event at the Guelph Civic Museum was a deliberate choice, specifically to include local Guelph citizens.
The first of the evening’s four speakers was Dr. Shane Bateman. Bateman has three cats, works in emergency and critical care in the OVC, in addition to the Guelph Humane Society, and, more recently, the Guelph Cat Population Taskforce. His research concerns the large feral cat population, how best to manage its effect on ecosystems, the ways that community members believe are the best to manage it, and the ways in which the community can be involved in its management.
The Guelph Cat Population Taskforce’s purpose is to spread knowledge and understanding concerning cat overpopulation in regions, as well as to facilitate decision-making concerning feline overpopulation management.
Following Bateman was Lee Niel. She is an expert in animal behaviour and specializes in canine behaviour. Her talk focused on aggressive behaviour in dogs and its danger for both humans and dogs. For humans, aggressive canine behaviour can result in hospitalization and even fatality. For dogs, aggressive behaviour leads to marginalization, abuse, neglect, euthanization, and abandonment.
Neil’s research investigates the factors that may indicate a dog’s potential for being at risk of aggression. Neil researches indicators like impulsivity and poor social referencing. Additionally, she researches the best methods to treat canine aggression, including proper socialization from a young age and encouragement-based training.
For both Neil and Bateman, the main solution to their research is educating and informing the public about their specific causes.
The last two speakers, Dr. Brenda Coomber and Dr. Paul Woods spoke about their efforts fighting cancer in pets. Coomber and Woods revealed that they have found that dogs develop very similar types of cancer as humans.
As a result of their findings, Coomber and Woods began the Institute for Comparative Cancer Investigation at the University of Guelph, which facilitates cancer research to benefit all species. As opposed to mice, cats and dogs are far closer to humans in terms of their ability to develop cancerous cells.
Coomber and Woods also began the Companion Animal Tumor Sample Bank—the only one of its kind in Canada. The bank stores surgically removed animal tumors in a vault at -85 degrees Celsius and provides samples to scientists, in order to improve and advance cancer research. These cells are better to study because of their frozen nature. Cells preserved in formaldehyde are to frozen cells as pickles are to cucumbers, explained Coomber.
The event also featured the Pet Trust—a charity started by OVC veterinarians 30-years-ago that raises money to donate to disease research projects that are typically considered difficult to fund. The trust aims to help find new ways to advance pet welfare by providing cutting edge technology, the latest knowledge, and the latest equipment to the students of the OVC.