InfoStream (IS): Tell us about an important pet experience that helped bring you to where you are now.
Dawn Rault (DR): It’s hard to choose one. I think the acquisition of your own pet is a good place to start. Growing up we couldn’t have anything other than fish because my brother, sister, and dad all had allergies to cats and dogs. I always wanted a pet and it wasn’t until I was an adult with a house of my own that I was able to get a pet and I was so excited to get one. My husband and I went to the humane society with the intention to get one cat but there were two from a litter that were left. They were 4-5 months old and bonded so we went home with two cats. It’s amazing to finally have some furry friends.
IS: Tell us about what prompted this study and how it developed?
DR: The study has a bit of a history behind it. When I was interested in starting my PhD I was introduced to my supervisor, Dr. Melanie Rock. Dr. Rock studies the benefits and challenges of pets in urban areas. When I was an undergraduate student I worked for four summers in a joint program between Bylaw and Calgary Police and became familiar with the work that bylaw officers do. Because of my background in Criminology and working with Bylaw it was a serendipitous fit with Dr. Rock and her focus. There was an opportunity to explore the legal aspects of animal bylaws and the work of Bylaw Officers. Dr. Rock was able to get funding for the researh from the Canadian Institues of Health Research. We’re looking at a very understudied population, that being Bylaw Officers
IS: While you’ve partially answered this question, what in your history has taken you to where you are now?
DR: I did my Undergrad in Criminology and my Masters in Human Security and Peacebuilding. For my PhD I spent quite a bit of time looking at different programs to see what would fit and marry my interest in criminology and public health. What also interested me in studying this area was that I also work at Mount Royal University as an instructor in the Department of Justice Studies and we place third or fourth year students in an intensive practicum placement. Some of these students are placed in bylaw positions and it was really interesting to hear about their experiences in bylaw and I felt bylaw positions were also really undervalued and underappreciated. They’re really multifaceted and quite important for animal bylaws, noise complaints, etc. They serve a really important role in urban environments.
IS: Your research seems to be geared towards reducing pet-related nuisances; are you hoping to change how pets are viewed in communities?
DR: It’s hard to answer that question. Personally, living in Calgary, I think that people have healthy attitudes towards pets and pet ownership. This is reflected in the high licensing rate of pets. The Calgary model can be seen as the gold standard of responsible pet ownership bylaws. It’s not that I’m attempting to change peoples’ attitudes. What I do think is that each municipality is unique in terms of how they approach their bylaws because they each have their own challenges and environments. I’m hoping to facilitate dialogues and lessons learned and to bring to light some of the amazing and progressive work that these municipalities are doing in reference to pets.
IS: Your research also requires ride-alongs with bylaw offices. Can you tell us about those?
DR: I’ve done ride-alongs in four municipalities. Some municipalities I’ve done interviews with. Over the summer I’m planning to do more ride-alongs. It’s been a really amazing experience because I think it’s important to see the work of Bylaw Officers and the work they do with animals in context with their other responsibilities. Working with animals is only part of their responsibilities so I think it’s important to understand the full spectrum of their work.
IS: What are your ultimate research goals?
DR: With qualitative research, sometimes you start with some goals in mind and sometimes the research takes you in a different direction. The good thing about qualitative research is that you can take it where it needs to go. For example, when we first submitted our proposal for funding some of our goals were interagency collaboration, to gather best practices, lessons learned, and have some case studies. As the research progresses those goals could change based on what the agencies need. One agency has asked for staff training sessions (communication skills around challenging animal-based complaints). I’m hoping to marry my teaching experience witht the needs of the different municipalities.
IS: Many people are familiar with quantitative research, can you tell us more about qualitative research?
DR: I think a traditional lab experiment where you go in with a hypothesis, have a control group and an experimental group makes more linear sense to people. What method you choose depends on what you’re studying. This study has an exploratory quality to it. There’s very little literature on the work of Peace Officers. There’s some information on smoking and other infractions but there’s nothing about the work of Bylaw Officers pertaining to animals, which leads to exploratory research. I went in with an open mind and the flexibility to ‘go with the flow’. When I go into my ride-alongs I don’t have much structure, I anticipate that the officers, their work, and their responses will direct the flow of conversation. I think when there’s so little known about people’s work and you’re exploring what they’re doing then having that flexibility and using a qualitative design is really advantageous. It gives you the ability to ask the questions you need to ask depending on the context.
IS: What draws you to the work of bylaw officers in regards to animals?
DR: I think the work of Bylaw Officers is really misunderstood and in my opinion underappreciated. I don’t think that people have really recognized how important Bylaw Officers can be in terms of mediating conflicts people may have with pets, and in regards to public health concerns. I really want to validate the work of Bylaw Officers and how important they are and how they can really be an effective actor in mediating concerns that we have with animals. Animals are lovely and important but they can also cause problems and Bylaw Officers are critical to that equation.
IS: Is there anything else you would like us to know?
DR: Sometimes this topic seems a bit foreign, why would one study Bylaw Officers when you’re in a Public Health program? I think especially with the number of people that have pets, sometimes upwards of 50% that it’s very important to look at some of these issues. We know that the human-animal bond is very important but on the other side there are some really negative things that can happen. In the media we hear about high profile cases such as dog bites and we really need to look at mediating some of the conflict between people and within communities.
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