Lynette A. Hart, Ph.D. is a full Professor at UC Davis and the Director of UC Center for Animal Alternatives, Department of Population Health and Reproduction. Dr. Davis’ primary research focus is on human-animal interactions. In recent years she has worked with a postdoctoral student from Japan, Mariko Yamamoto, in evaluating the expanding role of pets as assistance dogs for people with physical or mental disabilities. One emphasis is evaluation of the advantages of dogs of varying body sizes ranging from those of the size of Chihuahuas to the Golden and Labrador Retrievers, to the German Shepherd Dogs. A second focus of recent years has been in collaborating with others in exploring the adverse disease-related effects of spay/neuter in dog as a function of breed membership, gender and neuter age. The first paper with her PhD student Gretel Torres de la Riva, has had a large impact in the veterinary profession. A major theme concerns differences between breeds and genders. Together with coauthor Benjamin Hart, this research has shown that the breeds essential as assistance dogs, military dogs and police dogs-Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers and German Shepherds – all have a marked increased incidence of joint disorders from early spay/neuter that can impact the working life of the dog, and cause major psychological and financial stress for the handler. Simply avoiding a spay/neuter in the first year can eliminate most of the risks of a joint disorder.
Recorded OnDemand Lecture: Roles of dogs for assistance/service, emotional support, facilities/therapy, and companionship