European Pet Night (Feb)
This was the main message during 8thEuropean Pet Night which assembled more than 160 European decision-makers, animal health and welfare associations and related stakeholders in the Bibliothèque Solvay.
“Training dogs to detect diseases or assist individuals who live with dangerous health conditions can help stimulate innovation in non-invasive diagnosis, but more importantly it can save lives.
This is just one example of the great value companion animals have to society and underlines that pets deserve continuous care from both policy-makers and the general public.” Declan O’Brien (IFAH-Europe Managing Director)
The next Assistance Dogs International (ADI) Conference will be held in Barcelona (Spain) from 27-29 July 2012.
“Pets can save lives” – European Pet Night 2012 showcases ‘how animals detect diseases’
‘Pets not only bring pleasure to life in the form of companionship they can also help save lives through disease detection & can assist people with potentially life-threatening health conditions.’
This was the main message during 8thEuropean Pet Night which assembled more than 160 European decision-makers, animal health and welfare associations and related stakeholders in the Bibliothèque Solvay.
The event helped showcase ‘how pets contribute to society as a whole’ and what Europe can do to ‘improve responsible pet ownership’.
“Training dogs to detect diseases or assist individuals who live with dangerous health conditions can help stimulate innovation in non-invasive diagnosis, but more importantly it can save lives. This is just one example of the great value companion animals have to society and underlines that pets deserve continuous care from both policy-makers and the general public.” Declan O’Brien (IFAH-Europe Managing Director)
The 16 partner Organisations of European Pet Night – all active in animal health and welfare issues – displayed their continued efforts to promote responsible pet ownership and invited Claire Guest from Medical Detection Dogs to present the pioneering work the UK Charity has undertaken in terms of training dogs to alert people with serious health conditions, but also on the cancer detection front.
“This European Pet Night clearly communicated the numerous benefits of healthy pets. Although the recently published European Animal Welfare Strategy makes no direct reference to dogs and cats, it is clear that the 195 million pets in Europe deserve our utmost attention. As a veterinarian, I have seen the joy and support pets bring to their owners. – Responsible pet ownership should be strongly encouraged across Europe.” Dr Horst Schnellhardt (MEP)
Source: FECAVA – Federation of European Companion Animal Veterinary Associations
‘European Pet Night 2010 in the European Parliament.wmv’ – YouTube video
RSPCA Million Paws Walk (May)
RSPCA Million Paws Walk will be held across Australia Sun 20th May 2012. It’s THEbig day out for all animal lovers!
2011 Sydney Million Paws Walk
Purina® Walk for Dog Guides (May)
The Purina® Walk for Dog Guides raises money to help train Dog Guides for Canadians with visual, hearing, medical or physical disabilities
- The Walk has raised more than $9mil dollars for Dog Guides
- 100% of the funds raised from 200+ participating communities across Canada go directly toward raising, training and providing Dog Guides to Canadians at no cost
- 2012 National Walk day is Sunday May 27
- All ages, fitness levels, with or without a dog are welcome to participate
- To register, find a Walk near you or donate to http://dogguides.com/purinawalk.html
Assistance Dogs International Conference (July)
The next Assistance Dogs International (ADI) Conference will be held in Barcelona (Spain) from 27-29 July 2012.The conference will be held back-to-back with the Canine Science Forum (CSI) and there will be a joint session with their delegates, bringing together research and practical action.
ADI Awareness Week (Aug)
International Assistance Dog Week (IAWD) was created to recognize of all the devoted, hardworking assistance dogs helping individuals mitigate their disability-related limitations. IADW is held every year in August. Next International Assistance Dog Week will be held on August 5-11, 2012.
Assistance dogs transform the lives of their human partners with debilitating physical and mental disabilities by serving as their companion, helper, aide, best friend and close member of their family.
World Animal Day – Oct 4
World Animal Day was started in 1931 at a convention of ecologists in Florence, Italy, as way of highlighting the plight of endangered species. Since then it has grown to encompass all kinds of animal life and is widely celebrated throughout the world.
Oct 4 was chosen as World Animal Day as it is the Feast Day of St Francis of Assisi, the Patron Saint of Animals.
Many churches worldwide observe the Feast of St Francis of Assisi on Oct 4 each year. The feast commemorates the life of St Francis, who was born in the 12thC and is the Catholic Church’s patron saint of animals and the environment. It’s a popular day for ets to be ‘blessed’.
Be Kind to Animals Week (1-7 Oct)
The kindness of one person can make a world of difference in the lives of another. Be Kind to Animals Week gives us a chance to take a step back from our busy lives and think about those that ask nothing of us.
During the first week of October (1-7) do something to celebrate your concern for animals worldwide! This could be something as small as taking your dog for a walk, volunteer at an animal sanctuary or picking up litter on the beach.