The Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors releases details of its 35th-anniversary conference. The two-day event takes place on Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st April at the Mercure Hotel in Daventry, Northamptonshire.
This exciting weekend conference is centred around the theme of One World. One Health. One Welfare. It will investigate the multi-faceted relationship between humans and their companion animals, with welfare front-of-mind, in the wider contexts of society, environment and sustainability.
APBC brings together world-renowned speakers including leading academics, and animal welfare experts to discuss, debate and shine a light on a wide spectrum of topics. The conference agenda consists of four half-day sessions.
Session One: Pets and their people. The opening session will investigate aspects of dog behaviour in a post-Covid world and whether pets truly are good for humans.
Session Two: Working animals in the community. We delve into the welfare of assistance dogs, emotional support animals, and companion animals in the workplace. We will also discuss the welfare of working animals in disaster zones and challenging scenarios.
Session Three: The darker side of pet ownership. We ask the question: – Is pet keeping truly sustainable? This session will also investigate the ethics of exotic pets, the international perspective of pet homelessness and the risks/rationales of no-kill policy in animal shelters.
Session Four: People and their pets. The final session will consider the link between human and animal abuse. We also ask: – Is society a hindrance or help when it comes to homeless pet owners? We conclude with the issue of fashion in pet ownership.
Dr Anne McBride, Chairperson at APBC says: “This is our first in-person conference in four years. We are delighted to bring together some of the world’s leading names in animal welfare and behaviour, for an insightful and informative event. This is the biggest conference of its kind, and we are lifting the lid on a plethora of hard-hitting gritty issues that have not been explored together in this way before. 2024 is set to be a defining year for the organisation and our conference will be fundamental to that.
We want our delegates to grow their understanding of how the relationship between humans and animals can be improved holistically. This will contribute to the ongoing and cohesive development of a ‘One World. One Health. One Welfare.’ perspective amongst the animal welfare community and the public.”
The APBC is committed to inclusivity and accessibility. The venue is fully wheelchair accessible and there is a designated sensory room. Real-time subtitles will be displayed on screens to support each speaker session. The event will also feature an exhibition with retail stalls and demonstrations from suppliers relevant to the animal welfare community.
Tickets are available now from the dedicated APBC 2024 conference website – which also provides further information on the conference agenda and speaker line-up. There are special ticket rates for APBC members, split payments and an ‘early bird’ option. The event is open to everyone including non-members.
