FREE ONLINE EVENT
đ
May 22, 2025
đ 15:00â17:45 EET
Join this Zoom event: https://eoppimispalvelut.zoom.us/j/61898589808
or scan this code to save to calendar:
Project PAWWS (People and Animal Wellbeing at Work and in Society), funded by the Research Council of Finland, invites you to a free online event. This spring event will showcase the research being conducted by PAWWSâ three work packages – from University of Lapland, University of Helsinki, and Aalto University â on multispecies wellbeing at work in Finland. You can read the bios of the PAWWS team here.
Prof JosĂ©-Carlos GarcĂa-Rosell will open this event by sharing about his work in developing the first sled dog welfare criteria for auditing and certifying sled dog kennels in the Finnish tourism industry. Prof Kendra Coulter will close this event with a keynote entitled âHumane Jobs and Work-Livesâ. Please find more details in the program below.
Program
15:00
Welcome & Introduction to PAWWS
15:10
Developing and Integrating Sled Dog Welfare Criteria in Green Activities Tourism Ecolabel
Prof JosĂ©-Carlos GarcĂa-Rosell
University of Oulu
www.jcgarciarosell.com
Abstract: This talk will provide insights into the development of the first sled dog welfare criteria for auditing and certifying sled dog kennels in the Finnish tourism industry. It will highlight key steps, challenges, and the role of multi-stakeholder collaboration in the process. Drawing from firsthand experience, the presentation will explore how the criteria were developed and integrated, the certificationâs impact on industry practices, and the lessons learned. The session aims to inspire discussions on the importance of ethical standards in animal-based tourism and other industries where animals perform work.
Bio: JosĂ©-Carlos GarcĂa-Rosell is a Professor of Business Ethics in the Department of Marketing, Management, and International Business, at Oulu Business School, University of Oulu, Finland. He also holds associate professorships in corporate social responsibility (CSR) in Tourism at Tampere University, Finland, and the University of Maribor, Slovenia. His research interests are in business ethics, animals and ethical business, and responsible management education. Since 2016, he has been engaged in research on human-animal relations in tourism, with a particular focus on animals working in the tourism industry in northern Finland. Through multi-stakeholder collaboration, his research has contributed to strengthening ethical practices in animal-based tourism. He serves as a board member of the European Business Ethics Network (EBEN) â Finland and acts as a jury member for Green Key Finland, the organization behind Green Activities – the first Finnish certificate for sustainable tourism to include animal welfare criteria for sled dogs and reindeer.
15:30
Multispecies equality and inclusion at work
Prof Astrid Huopalainen & Iida Hietala (Work Package 2)
Aalto University
Abstract: Work Package 2 investigates multispecies inequalities at work, focusing on working dogs in Finland. It explores human-animal relationships, examining roles, interactions, and the spatial, emotional, and discursive aspects of multispecies inclusion/exclusion. The study also looks at power dynamics, gender, and the impact of materiality on human-animal wellbeing. Interviews with human workers or handlers highlight the influence of anthropocentrism and ableism in multispecies in/exclusion.
15:45
Humane partnership – taking the lead
Prof Anna Hielm-Björkman & Nona Borgström (Work Package 3)
University of Helsinki
Abstract: Work Package 3 focuses on the role of humane partnerships in animal-assisted rehabilitation, specifically exploring the dynamics between medical alert dogs, patients with chronic pain, and healthcare professionals. The research examines correlations between these partnerships and factors such as well-being and resilience across various settings. It also delves into the usability of different parameters that influence these outcomes. Additionally, this work package integrates and reviews a innovative method applied in hospital environment in Finland, with a particular emphasis on improving work-life balance for all involved.
16:00
Sled dogs as tourism workers
Dr. Linda Tallberg & Dr. Tiamat Warda (Work Package 1)
University of Lapland
Abstract: Work Package 1 examines how working dogs are integrated into organizational structures and considers the implications of doing so on interspecies work and well-being. Through the lens of Anthrozoology and the subfield of Animal Organization Studies, this work package highlights ethical, structural, and interpersonal dynamics within interspecies work. This presentation offers an overview of research being conducted on the ethical tensions surrounding sled dog work and retirement practices. Data was collected as a multispecies ethnography with participant observation and 41 interviews with mushers, guides, a kennel auditor, and sled dog adopters.
16:15
Panel discussion
.:. Break .:.
17:00
Keynote: Humane Jobs and Work-Lives
Prof Kendra Coulter
Huron University
www.humanejobs.org
Abstract: Analyses of work involving animals have improved in recent years thanks to a growing commitment to ethics and the development of concepts that facilitate contextualized and nuanced understanding of animalsâ experiences and interests. In this keynote presentation, I distil key insights from a decadeâs worth of scholarship to highlight the most significant lenses and tools for not only understanding but also improving animalsâ work and, crucially, their work-lives. Indeed, while academic research has deepened and expanded, how to bridge conceptual insights and real world practice remains a challenge. Therefore, I conclude by identifying areas in need of additional attention and emphasize the importance of knowledge translation and exchange in solidarity with animals â and other people.
Bio: Dr. Kendra Coulter is a full professor in management and organizational studies who leads the world’s first major in animal ethics and sustainability leadership at Huron University College, Western University, Canada. A Fellow of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics, her pathmaking and generative work on labour involving animals and animal protection has shaped global scholarship, organizational practice, and public policy, and given people of all kinds compelling new ways to think about and engage with animals. She is the author of the seminal Animals, Work, and the Promise of Interspecies Solidarity (Palgrave Macmillan) and her most recent book is Defending Animals: Finding Hope on the Front Lines of Animal Protection (The MIT Press). Her fiction debut, The Tortoise’s Tale, will be published by Simon & Schuster this fall.
Join this Zoom event: https://eoppimispalvelut.zoom.us/j/61898589808