Revolutionizing Pet Care: Steve Dale Advocates for Canine Consent and Unveils Breakthroughs in Feline Health Research

A recent interview with acclaimed radio host and certified animal behavior consultant, Steve Dale, underscored critical advancements in both canine behavior and feline health, highlighting the increasing importance of understanding animal communication and the profound impact of veterinary research. The discussion centered on Dale’s new children’s book, Ask the Dog, which champions the concept of canine consent to prevent dog bites, and his pivotal involvement with the EveryCat Health Foundation, revealing how funded research has led to life-saving treatments for cats and even informed human medicine.

The Critical Conversation: Dog Bite Prevention and Canine Consent

Steve Dale’s new children’s book, Ask the Dog, illustrated by Shelby Koehler, introduces a paradigm shift in how children, and adults, interact with dogs. Beyond the traditional advice of asking a dog’s owner for permission to pet, Dale advocates for actively seeking the dog’s consent. This crucial message comes at a time when dog bites in America are reportedly at a record high, with significant societal implications.

According to Dale, children are disproportionately affected by dog bites, often experiencing the most severe injuries due to their height, which places their faces at a dog’s eye level. A primary factor contributing to these incidents is a widespread inability, even among adults, to accurately interpret canine body language. Dale emphasizes that dogs are sentient beings with the right to communicate their preferences, including a clear "no" to interaction.

The book, presented as a "fun story with an important message," follows a little girl named Morgan and her mother through a park, where the mother teaches Morgan "how to speak dog" by observing various canines’ communication cues. This educational approach aims to instill early a nuanced understanding of canine behavior, fostering safer and more respectful human-animal interactions.

Redefining Safe Interactions: Beyond Traditional Advice

Dale challenges long-standing conventional wisdom regarding dog introductions. He specifically advises against extending a hand directly into a dog’s face for sniffing, a practice he deems potentially rude or even dangerous. Instead, he advocates for allowing dogs to initiate contact and approach on their own terms. "Let the dog come to you," Dale states, emphasizing that a dog’s interest or disinterest will be clearly communicated if given the space to do so. This approach minimizes perceived threats and allows the dog to feel in control of the interaction.

Another common human behavior often misinterpreted or tolerated by dogs is hugging. Dale explains that dogs, unlike primates, do not naturally understand or appreciate hugs. While some dogs may tolerate it, many find it uncomfortable or even threatening. This discomfort can be exacerbated in older dogs suffering from conditions like arthritis, ear infections, or dental pain, leading to defensive reactions even towards beloved family members. Dale proposes a "National Love Your Dog Day" instead of a "National Hug Your Dog Day," advocating for affection that respects canine boundaries and preferences.

Societal Ramifications of Increasing Dog Bites

The rising incidence of dog bites extends beyond individual injury, posing significant challenges to society. Dale outlines several far-reaching implications:

• Insurance Costs: Increased dog bite claims lead to higher insurance premiums for veterinary clinics, businesses that allow dogs (e.g., outdoor patios, retail stores), and homeowners across the board. This financial burden affects everyone, regardless of pet ownership.
• Breed-Specific Legislation (BSL): Dale expresses concern that the increase in bites could reignite debates around breed bans. He notes that while bites from breeds like Golden Retrievers or miniature poodles are often reported simply as "dog bites," incidents involving certain blocky-headed mixed breeds are frequently sensationalized as "pit bull bites," fueling discriminatory legislation he has actively fought against in the past.
• Cynophobia: The American Psychological Association reports a rise in cynophobia, the fear of dogs, directly linked to increasing dog bite statistics. This impacts public comfort and interaction with dogs in shared spaces.
• Animal Welfare: Dog bites are traumatic for the animals involved. Dogs that bite are often euthanized, and even those that are not endure significant fear or anxiety that often underlies aggressive behavior. Dale asserts that dogs do not "wake up wanting to attack" but act out of fear or pain, often after displaying subtle warning signs that go unnoticed.

Historically, dog bite prevention efforts have focused on early socialization of puppies, championed by researchers like John Scott and John Fuller in the 1950s and 60s, and later popularized by figures like Dr. Ian Dunbar through puppy classes. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) also leads a long-standing Dog Bite Prevention Week initiative. However, Dale argues that these measures, while vital, are no longer sufficient given the current trends, necessitating new approaches like the "Ask the Dog" philosophy.

Pioneering Cat Health: The EveryCat Health Foundation’s Transformative Research

Shifting focus to feline well-being, Steve Dale also detailed his extensive involvement with the EveryCat Health Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to funding cat health studies globally. As a board member for over two decades, Dale highlighted the foundation’s instrumental role in advancing virtually all current knowledge about feline health, from vaccines to disease treatments.

Landmark Discoveries and Treatments:

• Taurine Deficiency and Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM): In the 1960s, a devastating heart condition in cats, dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), was a significant cause of mortality. Dr. Paul Pion, then a veterinary student in cardiology, hypothesized a link between DCM and a deficiency of taurine, an essential amino acid cats cannot produce themselves. Funded by the EveryCat Health Foundation, Pion’s research proved this link, leading to universal taurine supplementation in commercial cat food worldwide. This intervention virtually eliminated DCM as a widespread threat, except in cases where pet owners prepare homemade diets without adequate taurine.

• Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) – From Fatal to Treatable: For decades, Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP), a devastating viral disease primarily affecting kittens, was considered invariably fatal. However, groundbreaking research led by Dr. Niels Peterson at the University of California, Davis, and supported by the EveryCat Health Foundation, changed this prognosis. In 2017, a pivotal meeting of FIP experts, convened by the foundation, reached a consensus: FIP was now treatable. This monumental achievement brought tears to the eyes of hardened veterinarians worldwide, signifying a new era of hope for cats diagnosed with the condition.

• The One Health Connection: FIP and COVID-19: A remarkable outcome of FIP research has been its unexpected contribution to human medicine. FIP is caused by a mutation of a feline coronavirus. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, governments globally scrambled to find effective antiviral treatments. Researchers, reviewing existing antiviral studies, discovered that a drug effective against feline coronavirus in FIP treatment, Remdesivir, showed promise against SARS-CoV-2. Steve Dale personally communicated this crucial link to Dr. Anthony Fauci, then Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Remdesivir has since been widely used to treat hospitalized human COVID-19 patients, demonstrating a profound "One Health" connection where animal health research directly benefits human well-being.

  

• Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) and The Ricky Fund: Dale also initiated "The Ricky Fund" after his own cat, Ricky, tragically died from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a common and often fatal heart disease in adult cats. This fund supported research into HCM, leading to significant breakthroughs. Just a few years ago, an Irish company developed Felisin 1, a treatment for preclinical HCM based on this funded research. Conditionally approved by the U.S. Center for Veterinary Medicine, Food and Drug Administration, Felisin 1 offers hope for saving lives by intervening before symptoms manifest, addressing what is arguably the leading cause of death in indoor adult cats.

Ongoing Research and Future Endeavors:

The EveryCat Health Foundation continues to fund vital research into a wide array of feline health challenges. The newly launched O’Malley Fund, inspired by incoming board chair Kara Burns’ cat who suffered from insulin-resistant diabetes (acromegaly), is dedicated to understanding and preventing feline diabetes. This includes addressing the epidemic proportions of feline obesity, a major contributing factor, and exploring treatments for insulin resistance. The fund also targets hyperthyroid disease, increasingly common in aging cats, aiming for preventive strategies beyond existing treatments.

Further studies are underway for kidney disease, various cancers, and even behavioral aspects of feral and community cats, including the efficacy of early spay/neuter programs. Dale proudly notes that many common issues, such as high blood pressure and asthma in cats, have seen advancements directly from the foundation’s work, significantly extending and improving the lives of countless felines.

Expert Perspectives and Public Education

The interview, hosted by Zazie Todd, PhD, and Kristi Benson, underscored the importance of continuous public education. Dale’s dual focus on preventive canine behavior and advanced feline medicine exemplifies a holistic approach to pet care. Resources such as Steve Dale’s website (stevedale.tv), which offers newsletters and educational content, and the EveryCat Health Foundation’s website (everycat.org), provide invaluable information for pet owners seeking to enhance their understanding and care for their animal companions.

The discussion concluded by highlighting the ongoing need for research and public awareness to ensure a safer, healthier, and more respectful coexistence between humans and their beloved pets. The insights shared by Steve Dale serve as a powerful reminder of the profound impact that dedicated individuals and organizations can have on the well-being of the animal kingdom and, by extension, human society.