Extension and Engagement

Upcoming Events

Welfare of Dogs in Commercial Breeding Kennels Mini-Research Symposium - Friday, June 24, 2022
Canine Welfare Science Forum - Friday, June 24, 2022- Saturday, June 25, 2022
Canine Care Certified Founding Breeder Celebration - Friday, June 24, 2022
Virtual Shell Egg Academy - August 15-19, 2022
2022 CAWS Virtual Symposium - September 29-30, 2022

Annual CAWS Symposium

Each year the Center for Animal Welfare Science hosts a symposium.

2022

The 2022 Annual CAWS Symposium will be held on September 29-30, 2022. Additional information regarding speakers and registration will be available soon.

2021

One Welfare: What has COVID-19 taught us about balancing human and animal interests?

2020

Postponed due to Covid-19

2019

Building capacity to ensure innovative solutions to emerging animal welfare challenges

2019 Center for Animal Welfare Science Conference Proceedings

2018

2017

Presentations from the 2017 CAWS Symposium and Canine Welfare Science Forum

HOW WELL DOES AN ORAL EXAMINATION DETECT PERIODONTAL DISEASE? (PDF)

Amy Bauer

BEHAVIOR AND WELFARE CONSIDERATIONS IN REHOMING BREEDNG DOGS (PDF)

Candace Croney

ENVIRONMENTAL ENRICHMENT FOR CAPTIVE ANIMALS: THE PAST PRESENT AND FUTURE (PDF)

James Ha

LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF EARLY ENVIRONMENTS ON THE BEHAVIOR AND WELFARE OF DOGS (PDF)

James Serpell

NUTRIENT SUFFICIENCY THROUGH A DOG'S LIFETIME: IMPLICATIONS FOR DEVELOPMENT AND LEARNING (PDF)

Kate Shoveller

ANIMAL WELFARE AT THE INTERSECTION OF POLITICS, POLICY, PROFIT AND PEOPLE (PDF)

Jennifer Walker

MORE THAN 3RS. IMPROVING THE VALIDITY AND REPRODUCTIBILITY OF ANIMAL RESEARCH (PDF)

Hanno Würbel

2016

The second annual CAWS Symposium was held May 19, 2016, and focused on current welfare challenges and strategies to address them in pets, food animals and laboratory animals. Speakers from academia and industry were featured, including talks by Dr. Ed Pajor, University of Calgary, who gave the keynote address on improving animal welfare and Dr. Andrew Luescher, Purdue Professor Emeritus, who spoke on the psychological suffering of dogs in a human environment.

There were 135 in attendance for the day long symposium which included, in addition to the talks, graduate student poster presentations and a Q and A session by an Animal Welfare panel comprised of specialists from Cargill, AbbVie Research and Development, and the Humane Society of the United States.

Graduate students and CAWS members Megan LaFollette (center) and Amy Robinson-Junker (left) discuss their posters with Symposium attendees.

CPB Graduate student Shankar (left) with Symposium attendees during poster session.

Symposium attendees during the Q and A session with the panel of representatives from Cargill, AbbVie Research and Development, and the Humane Society of the United States.

Andrew Rowan, President and CEO of Humane Society International, speaks at the Symposium.

2015

On May 21, CAWS welcomed 140 attendees from seven different universities, as well as industry personnel affiliated with the companion, laboratory and food animal industries, along with private practice veterinarians, legislative aides, and media representatives. Topics included public perceptions of agricultural animal welfare, ethics, the role of animal welfare in biomedical research, and current issues in companion animal welfare science. A major highlight of the program was the corporate panel on animal welfare which included representatives from McDonald's, Cargill and Merck. Academic speakers included Bernie Rollin, Colorado State University, Joe Garner, Stanford University, James Serpell, University of Pennsylvania, Chris Wolf and Janice Swanson, Michigan State University, Alan Beck and Bill Muir. The program was sponsored by AgSeed, Merck, Elanco and Dean Foods. Winners of the CAWS poster competition judged by representatives from MARS Petcare and Cargill included Elizabeth Byrd, Agricultural Economics, Carissa McCray, Agricultural Economics and Shankar Yadav, Comparative Pathobiology.