Challenges In Training Companion Animal Biologists: Missing The Research Component, How To Overcome It?

Abstract Text: The basic missions of Departments of Animal Sciences are to train leaders in endeavors related to domesticated animals and to conduct and disseminate research related to domesticated animals.   For agricultural animals we have been successful and society has benefitted greatly.  Yet, as a result of this success and many other factors, the number of people involved in agriculture has declined over half in the last 50 years.  We have seen a major change in demographics of our undergraduate and graduate students, who are now overwhelmingly suburban and urban and interested in companion animals.  Yet we still have a mission and a need to train and do research with agricultural animals.  Many departments have responded to the changing demographics with expand course offerings related to companion animals, by including examples from companion animals in our core disciplinary classes and in some cases by opening and expanding research into the biology of companion animals. The future, as always, does hold some great promise and great challenges for furthering these efforts.  The research and teaching endeavors will not be similar across states.  A few states will maintain significant activity in agricultural animals and have some effort in companions.   But many more states will (if they have not already done so) shift significant effort to study and training with companion animals.  Recent research and applications with animal behavior, welfare and training; use of service and therapy animals; the social and economic relevance and challenges with companion animals (the horse slaughter issue and increases in drop-offs to animal shelters as examples); the equine, canine and feline genome projects; and the revival of ‘dual purpose’ animal research at the federal level provide many opportunities for classroom learning and undergraduate research.  Many of our undergraduates have experience at animal shelters, with service and therapy animals and in animal training. We should tap that expertise, provide education, and work with the communities (service learning courses; community outreach by faculty and students) to improve and expand the use of such animals and reduce the unwanted animal population.  The “Masters in Agriculture” programs that train individuals to improve production provide a successful model that can be adapted to companion animals.   Dogs, cats and horses make up the vast majority of 4H projects and this is an opportunity to expand the role of Animal Sciences.

Keywords: companion animals, curriculum, undergraduate