CPT founder and Head Trainer, Dog Star Technologies co-founder and Chief Operating Officer, and noted expert witness in the field of canine behavior Mark Spivak presented at the 20thannual “Animal Law, Enforcement, Veterinary, and Shelter Symposium” hosted by Animal Law Source. The Symposium was held at the Georgia Bar Association building in Atlanta on October 3 and 4, 2018. Mark also spoke at the 2017 Conference. He was invited back due to survey responses that found his talk the most highly rated of all the lecturers.
Mark’s 2018 presentation was entitled “Training and Behavioral Advances Obtained from Canine fMRI.” The talk discussed findings from various research projects in which Mark participated and their relevance to canine behavior, training, and husbandry. Subject questions discussed during the presentation included:
• Can dogs take MRIs without the use of sedation or restraints?
• Who do dogs prefer: humans or dogs?
• Does it matter who accompanies a food reward?
• Can fMRI be used to determine a dog’s suitability for a working role?
• Do dogs exhibit inhibitory control similarly to humans?
• Is inhibitory control generalized to multiple contexts?
• Do dogs have an area in the brain exclusively dedicated to the visual processing of faces?
• Do dogs process human faces similarly to how they process canine faces?
• Do dogs prefer food or praise? Or does preference depend upon the dog?
• Is preference subject to depletion?
• Do dogs exhibit jealousy? If yes, where in the brain is jealousy exhibited?
• What is the temperament profile of a jealous dog?
• Can canine fMRI accurately predict which dogs will develop into optimal service dogs?
• Can awake, nonrestrained MRI have practical utility in the veterinary field?
• Can awake, nonrestrained MRI detect cancer in early stages?
• Are there other veterinary applications for alert canine fMRI?
• How do dogs process human words?
• Do dogs process human words differently dependent upon whether the words are familiar or unfamiliar?
• From which sensory modality do dogs learn best? Visual?Auditory? Olfactory?
• How should pet owners and trainers apply this information to improve knowledge acquisition and training results?
The presentation, especially the question and answer session, was well received by the audience, who appreciated Mark’s animated, enthusiastic speaking style. At the conclusion of the talk Mark also participated as part of the panel that discussed an overview of animal law issues.
Other speakers and subjects at the 2-day conference included:
• Claudine Wilkins, Attorney, Former Prosecutor, Founder of Animal Law Source, and Founder of the Animal Law Section of the Georgia Bar – “Animal Law Overview and Resources”
• John Thompson, Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer for the National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA) and Founder of the National Coalition on Violence Against Animals (NCOVAA), Washington, DC. – Keynote Speaker
• Mock Trial of an Animal Cruelty and Dog Fighting Case
• James W. Crosby, M.S. CBCCKA, Canine Aggression Consulting LLC, Director of Canine of Encounter Training at the National Law Enforcement Center on Animal Abuse – “Virtual Reality Training; Law Enforcement and Dog Encounters”
• Bliss Jones, Nonprofit Specialist and Certified Public Accountant, Jones and Kolb, CPAs Atlanta, Georgia – “Obtaining, Maintaining, and Retaining Tax Exempt Status”
• Joan Maki, DVM, Technical Director, North America, Veterinary Public Health at Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health – US, Athens, Georgia – “Rabies & Diseases. Understanding the Complexities of Disease Transferable to Humans, Protecting Yourself, New/ Proper Protocols, and Reporting”
• Cheryl McAuliffe, Co-Founder of Georgia Pet Coalition, 501 (c) (3), Atlanta, GA – “Animal Related Legislative Update from the 2018 Georgia Session”
• Joseph Sternberg, Director of Environmental Health and Injury Prevention at Gwinnett, Newton, and Rockdale County Health Departments, Georgia and Officer Joey Brooks, Animal Cruelty Investigator, Gwinnett County Animal Services, Georgia – “Animal Hoarding”
• William Sessa, Canine Officer with Forsyth County Sheriff’s Department.- “Canine Officers, Training, Safety Interaction & Laws Protecting Law Enforcement Animals (Tanja’s Law) ”
• Claudine Wilkins, Attorney, Former Prosecutor, Founder of Animal Law Source, and Founder of the Animal Law Section of the Georgia Bar – “Veterinarians and Vet Techs and Animal Law”
• James W. Crosby, M.S. CBCCKA, Canine Aggression Consulting LLC, Director of Canine of Encounter Training at the National Law Enforcement Center on Animal Abuse – “Dangerous Dog Investigation and Prosecution”
• Bliss Jones, Nonprofit Specialist and Certified Public Accountant, Jones and Kolb, CPAs Atlanta, Georgia – “Registration Requirements for Soliciting Charitable Contributions”
• Matt Thompson, Manager of Equine Health, Georgia Department of Agriculture, Atlanta, Georgia-“Equine Law and Cruelty”
• Taylor Johnson, M.S. Victim Services Coordinator, Ahimsa House 501 (c)(3), For People With Pets, Escaping Domestic Violence, Atlanta, Georgia- “The Link between Domestic Violence and Animal Cruelty “
• Lisa Millot, Associate Professor of Law & Practicum in Animal Welfare Skills Director, University of Georgia School of Law. Athens, Georgia – “Creating an Animal Cruelty Task Force”
• Carrie Ducote, Senior Manager, Best Friends Animal Society & Josh Wiesner, Executive Director of Fix Georgia Pets, & Chandler Giddes, Deputy Division Director, Gwinnett Animal Welfare and Enforcement. – “Collaborative Tools to Save More Shelter Pets ”
• Amy Soeldner, Senior Patrol Officer Atlanta Police Department – “Link Between Animal Cruelty and Other Types of Crimes – The Importance of Police/Animal Control Involvement in Animal Cases ”
• Bill Garst, Account Executive, Value Stream Media Group & Pet Life Magazine, Garst Marketing – “Social Media Stardom & Marketing Your Organization Successfully ”
• John Keating, M.D. Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon, Founder of Surgeons for Strays – “Surgeons for Strays”
• Regina Wells, Ambassador and Secretary-Treasurer of the Georgia Animal Control Association (13 years), Retire Animal Control Officer (15 years) – “Tools Every Animal Control Officer Should Have and Duties and Working with Police and Prosecutors ”
• Kimberly Schwartz, Senior Assistant District Attorney, Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit- “Search and Seizure and Impound in Animal Cases and Other Tips on Prosecuting Animal Cruelty Cases Successfully”
• Lieutenant Timothy Deck, Animal Services Division of the Office of the Sheriff, Durham, North Carolina– “Healthy Animal Initiative; A New Day for Law Enforcement and Animal Control: Be a Resource, Not the Enemy”
The event was informative, productive, and provided excellent networking opportunities for Mark’s participation as an expert witness in criminal and civil cases involving canine behavior and animal law.
Persons wishing to request CPT speakers or expert witness services should contact CPT via email.
(Atlanta, GA)
(Expert witness in dog behavior)
(Expert witness in canine behavior)
