Baby gates are attached to the doorframes of the different offices at the SPCA.

“We all get to bring our dogs to work, which is really great,” SPCA Director of Public Relations Lesley Kirrene said. “It’s beneficial and it keeps you mellow, kinda keeps you down to earth … It’s a great place to work, it’s really a lot of fun.”

The SPCA is a local non-profit organization that took care of over 13,500 animals in 2010. And that is just the tip of the iceberg. In addition to the taking care of the animals, the SPCA holds different programs, organizes a spay and neuter clinic, places animals in homes and hosts multiple fundraising events throughout the year.

PHOTOS: Inside the SPCA

Kirrene’s job is to make sure the public knows about the SPCA’s different programs.

DAVIS - The University of California, Davis, and Michigan State University have received $6 million from the Coalition for Sustainable Egg Supply to support research on the sustainability of laying hen housing in the United States.

The first study of its kind, the three-year "CSES Laying Hen Housing Research Project" will explore the interactions and tradeoffs among food safety, worker safety, environmental impact, hen health and welfare, and food affordability aspects of three different housing systems. Information generated by the research is expected to help egg purchasers and producers make objective, science-based decisions as the egg industry evolves in response to consumer needs and desires.

The goal of the Coalition for Sustainable Egg Supply is to evaluate the viability of various laying hen housing systems.

A UC Davis research team has been awarded $2.6 million by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to carry out research aimed at reducing the incidence of bovine respiratory disease, or pneumonia, which is the leading cause of death in beef and dairy cattle.

The funding comes as part of a 5-year, $9.2 million USDA Coordinated Agricultural Project, which involves collaborators at UC Davis, Texas A&M University, Washington State University, University of Missouri, Colorado State University and New Mexico State University. The project is led by James Womack , the W.P. Luse endowed and distinguished professor at Texas A&M.

The extension component of the project will be headed by Alison Van Eenennaam, Cooperative Extension specialist in animal genomics and biotechnology in the UC Davis Department of Animal Science.