• Professor, Management and Organizational Studies, Huron University College and Coordinator of Animal Ethics and Sustainability Leadership, Western University
Une femme évacuée d’Irpine pleure en embrassant un chat enroulé dans une couverture dans un poste de triage à Kyiv, en Ukraine, le 11 mars 2022. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

La guerre en Ukraine magnifie notre amour des animaux

Cette guerre met en lumière l’interdépendance des vies humaines et animales et notre détermination à agir avec amour, même quand on fait face à un danger mortel.
A woman who was evacuated from Irpin cries kissing a cat wrapped in a blanket at a triage point in Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 11, 2022. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

The war in Ukraine is powerfully magnifying our love for animals

This war has powerfully and painfully magnified the connections among human and animal lives, and our unrelenting commitment to love in the face of darkness.
Annika Schleu of Germany cries when Saint Boy, the horse she was assigned to ride, wouldn’t co-operate in the equestrian portion of the modern pentathlon at the Tokyo Summer Olympics. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Saint Boy’s rebellion spurs debate about ethical treatment of horses at the Olympics — and beyond

The treatment of the horse Saint Boy has ignited fierce discussion about horses in modern pentathlon, and reanimated ethical debates about horses’ jobs beyond the Olympics.
A growing number of accredited justice facility dogs work supporting child victims, like Dorado, a valued member of the IWK Suspected Trauma and Abuse Response Team at the SeaStar Child & Youth Advocacy Centre in Halifax. (Justice Facility Dogs Canada)

Justice facility dogs: The quiet, skilled heroes helping child victims

Highly skilled dogs are hard at work supporting the child victims of crime. Meet the justice facility dogs.
The pandemic shone a spotlight on the plight of exotic animals after the Netflix Tiger King series. It also resulted in a run on pet adoptions. But what is the state of animal welfare more than a year into the crisis? Tom Copus/Unsplash

Adoptions but also abuse: The COVID‑19 pandemic is the best and worst of times for animals

One year ago, the ‘Tiger King’ docuseries raised public concern about animal cruelty to new heights. But what’s happened to animals since?
Horses have been our companions and partners for thousands of years. They deserve better than to be shipped from Canada in inhumane and cruel conditions for slaughter. (Jerzy Górecki/Pixabay)

Horse slaughter is a national disgrace we can and must end

This story is not graphic, but what happens to slaughter-bound horses is, and it’s time for change.
The demise of factory farming will have many social benefits. (Piqsels)

Looking forward to a future without factory farming

The end of factory farming will lay the foundation for a rural resurgence and the development of more just and sustainable communities for people and animals alike.
When crimes are committed against animals, their bodies become evidence. Dominik Qn/ Unsplash

Painstaking veterinary forensics work helps combat animal abuse

Forensic veterinarians are helping to combat crimes against animals – and since animal abuse often occurs alongside violence against women and children, they are helping to protect people, too.
The results of a new animal cruelty study are clear. People view fighting animal cruelty as a public responsibility and want crimes against animals to be taken more seriously. (Shutterstock)

Why animal cruelty should become a matter for dedicated police units

A new study examines how to best enforce and prevent animal abuse, including through a dedicated anti-cruelty policing unit.
The commitment of vegan businesses to animal welfare is laudable, but are they being sheep in their labour practices by doing things the old way? Researchers are asking questions about their labour standards and commitment to social justice. (Shutterstock)

It’s not business as usual for vegan businesses

While the commitment of vegan businesses to animal well-being is laudable, is that where their ethical commitments stop? Are they reproducing bare-minimum labour standards, or aiming higher?
The male cardinal tenderly feeding his mate is just one example of the hard work wild animals undertake in springtime. That work often benefits humans. (Shutterstock)

How the hard work of wild animals benefits us too

Wild animals are hard at work this spring. Here’s how their hard labour benefits humans, and why we should be more appreciative.
Horses graze on a ranch as the sun rises near Smithers, B.C., in September 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Getting the facts about work in horse stables

Horses have played a major role in our culture and have worked hard for human beings for eons. But there’s high turnover and pressing labour issues in horse stables. It’s time to figure out why.
A Polish cow who escaped while on her way to the slaughterhouse is seen here with her new companions, a herd of wild bison. It’s time to treat the animals who work so hard for us with humanity and compassion. (Rafal Kowalczyk via AP)

Beyond beasts of burden: How to reward our animals for their work

Animals do so much work for humans, from farm animals who die to feed us to service animals helping veterans with PTSD. It’s time we gave back by providing humane living and working conditions.