The Chair Purpose Dogs - Assistance Dogs

Introduction

An assistance dog makes a world of difference in the lives of people with a disability. He makes it possible for them to live more independently, to go out more easily, to find social contacts again. Moreover, the special bond and friendship with the dog is invaluable. Unfortunately, such a dog does not come along overnight. Waiting times are long, failure rates are high,...

Objectives

It is for this reason that this chair was established, namely with the aim of making a difference and addressing what is really relevant to people on the waiting list: ensuring that they can be helped more quickly with puppies that are optimally suited to support them and live as independently as possible.
In practical terms, this means that this chair studies in depth the reasons for failure and how the success rate can be increased, all while respecting animal welfare. In short, together we are moving towards even higher welfare for humans and animals!

Donor

Period

2022 - present

Supervisor

Prof. Bart Broeckx graduated as a veterinarian from Ghent University in 2011 with highest distinction. In 2015, he obtained his doctorate from the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences of the same university, where he searched for the genetic causes of hip dysplasia and developed new research methods. It was during this PhD that the foundations of his future research on assistance dogs were laid. As a postdoctoral researcher (FWO) at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, the previously developed methods were further investigated. Meanwhile, he obtained (with distinction) the degree of Master in Statistical Data Analysis (Ghent University). Since 2018, he has been working as a professor at the Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine.