Welfare is ‘Good’, but Well-being is ‘GRRREAT!’: A ‘RUFFFF’ Guide to Heavenly Happiness in Pups and Their People! with Dr. Robert Falconer-Taylor

We humans believe that we are very good at objectively quantifying ‘well-being’ and ‘happiness’ in both ourselves and in the other animals we share our lives with. My claim in this presentation is that this assumption is unwise and dangerous because in life, good is the enemy of great. ‘Good’ makes us complacent, which is why we end up with mediocre governments, mediocre schools and mediocre dog trainers!
Governments, guided by the Social Sciences, are very good at thinking about and objectively quantifying ‘well-being’ and ‘happiness’ in us humans. These terms are reserved as the yardstick for the standards for living we expect as the norm. In contrast, the term ‘welfare’ in our society is restricted to those unfortunate individuals who find themselves living below those accepted standards, at the bottom of the economic heap, and in a state of poverty and ill health.

In complete contrast, the concept of ‘welfare’ is the yardstick for non-human animals. Government departments use this as the standard for drawing up the legislation defining Animal Welfare Law. The two most widely used welfare frameworks are the Five Freedoms and Provisions (launched in 1979), and the more recent Five Domains Model (launched in 1993). In 2022, the European Cooperation in Science and Technology launched another welfare initiative called “Lifting Farm Animal Lives” (LIFT). The good news is that this project has 4 years of Government funding, ending in 2026. The bad news is that this funding is for paying animal scientists to ‘…DO MORE RESEARCH’!

On the surface, this sounds great, doesn’t it? But I argue that it’s just another missed opportunity to MAKE A DIFFERENCE NOW. We already have over a decade of great research and in this presentation, I show you how we can put the emphasis back into animal well-being and happiness, using the knowledge we already have. I believe that this approach will open up more opportunities for an ongoing incremental welfare program that is much easier to understand, implement and disseminate across the globe. An overarching ‘One-Welfare’ approach for all animals, regardless of their role on this planet (companion pets, farm livestock, working animals, wildlife etc.). A Well-being is ‘GRRREAT!’ approach that is a truly ‘RUFFFF’ Guide to Heavenly Happiness in Pups and their People!

Learning Objectives

1. Understand how we are all very good at characterizing ‘well-being’ and ‘happiness’ in our own human species.
2. Understand how we are stuck in a welfare-centric model in other animals, and specifically why our dogs are “limping towards well-being”.
3. Understand why a One-Welfare approach automatically creates a compassionate well-being and happiness-centered model for both pups and their people.

Your Presenters- Dr. Robert Falconer-Taylor, BVetMed, DipCABT, MRCVS

Dr Robert Falconer-Taylor BVetMed, DipCABT, MRCVS
Robert has worked in the veterinary profession for nearly 30 years, as a partner in an innovative small animal hospital group and as a locum. Alongside his role in day-to-day clinical medicine, Robert has also been very much involved in the management, communication, and education side of veterinary practice. During this time, he was directly involved in the conception and implementation of computerisation into the profession. This included a cross-fertilisation with the human healthcare system in the UK and the development of cross-platform coding and classification systems for disease identification, tracking and surveillance. This is now an integral part of the World Health Organisation’s One Health initiative.

CURRENT ROLES
Academic Advisor for the Association of INTODogs community.
Scientific Advisor and Educator for the Pet Remedy Company (companion animal behaviour & welfare).
Trustee and veterinary advisor for Springer Rescue for Scotland Charity.
International consultant to the pet industry (development and risk assessment of pet ‘toys’ targeted & promoting the welfare of pets and their relationships with their guardians. Development of practical and easy-to-use Mood State Assessment tools for dogs, cats and horses.
Active participating member of the social media-led ‘global companion animal community’
His current primary academic interests include companion animal cognitive science and emotionality, nutrition and its effects on behaviour, and applied neurophysiology, pharmacology, and therapeutics in companion animal behaviour therapy.

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