My first thought was to suggest a paper on puppy mills, but then I figured it might be too sad and utterly depressing. But researching the origins of your favorite breed of dog, or maybe even a paper about some of the wild dogs of Africa might be less sad. Or you could pick some endangered species to research, or maybe one of the unique kinds of animals in the Galapagosm wher the big oil spill just was. Of course I'm full of ideas now - I'm no longer in school, so don't HAVE to write papers!