CattleDog Publishing, VIN and the VIN Foundation Partner to Honor Dr. Sophia Yin’s Legacy The Low Stress Handling® Movement: How Sophia and Her CattleDog Started It All! Davis, CA:  As the 8th anniversary of Dr. Sophia Yin’s death approaches, CattleDog Publishing, Veterinary Information Network, and the VIN Foundation, honor her memory by highlighting her life achievements and contributions. Her Read More

When you live in a country such as the United States, where vaccination of dogs and cats is common, at least in your neighborhood, it can be easy to forget that there’s a reason why we vaccinate. The core vaccines we provide to our pets were invented in response to specific fatal outbreaks and epidemics that have killed many animals but that are much less frequent now due to our widespread vaccination programs. One can be reminded of the negative effects of non-vaccination by looking at shelters statistics or by visiting a developing country. Says Janice Girardi, founder and director

During the course of my undergraduate degree in Animal Science, I quickly realized that working in a vet hospital setting wasn’t going to be my thing – but research was so cool! I discovered that I could study animal behaviour from an applied research perspective instead of becoming a veterinarian. This was in great part due to an incredible mentor, veterinarian, and applied animal behaviourist, Dr Sophia Yin. Not only did Dr Yin let me assist in her research projects and private consultations, she also encouraged me to take on as many outside learning opportunities as I could fit in:

Even before I learned less stressful handling techniques and created a more animal friendly clinic environment, I was always aware of what my technician needed to do to hold an animal, what equipment to gather for a procedure, and I tried not to interfere with them delivering care. The Low Stress Handling™ Certification program solidified this knowledge of communicating with the technician about what tests, exams, or procedures I needed to do before jumping into it. A plan for handling based on reducing stress and pain was determined by both of us, with either the technician or myself leading the process.

As I am leading handling labs in Low Stress Handling, I have come to realize the tremendous impact hands-on learning has to actually feeling confident using Low Stress handling techniques. This type of learning is also called tactile learning – because you literally feel the process of what you are learning.

Over the past few years, various certification programs to reduce fear, anxiety, and aggression in animals receiving veterinary care have been established. Currently, four of the most well known of these programs are: Cat Friendly Practice® American Association of Feline Practitioners https://www.catvets.com/cfp/cfp    Low Stress Handling® Certification CattleDog Publishing, founded by Dr. Sophia Yin https://lowstresshandling.com/    Karen Pryor Clicker Training Karen Pryor Academy https://www.karenpryoracademy.com/         Fear Free℠ Fear Free, LLC, headed by Dr. Marty Becker https://fearfreepets.com/courses/fear-free-certification-program/      2018VMXLogo Other sources for learning how to reduce pet fear and aggression during veterinary care also exist, such as a