ph: (03) 5444 7460 anthrozoologyresearchgroup@gmail.com
Who we are We are a group of post-doctoral researchers and research students working under the direction of Associate Professor Pauleen Bennett. Pauleen is based in the School of Psychological Science at the Bendigo campus of La Trobe University, in Victoria, Australia, but most of the group is still at Monash University, where she was based previously. The group is affiliated with the 'Animal Welfare Science Centre', and our backgrounds are diverse; ranging from psychology and social science right through to animal behaviour, biological sciences, zoology and veterinary science. We are all animal lovers, but we represent a number of countries, age groups and lifestyle choices. To find out more about specific group members, click on the 'Personnel' links. Otherwise keep reading to find out about the group in general. What we do Anthrozoology is the study of human (anthro) and animal (zoo) relationships. In our work, we focus particularly on companion animals. Australia has one of the highest rates of companion animal ownership in the world. Almost two thirds of us live with one or more animals and, for many of us, our relationships with these animals are extremely important. When interspecies relationships work well, they provide terrific health and well-being benefits for both humans and animals. When they fail, however, animals can suffer terribly and so can humans. What we do is use a multidisciplinary approach to try to understand what makes our relationships with companion animals succeed or fail. We then use our knowledge to try to make life better for everyone, whether they have two legs or four. Why we do this There are three reasons why we try to understand and improve human - companion animal relationships. First, we are committed to improving human health. People who have good relationships with animals are healthier and happier and animals can also be used to improve the lives of disadvantaged people. Second, we are committed to improving animal welfare. Companion animals who have good relationships with their caregivers generally have much better welfare than those who don't. Third, like everyone else we are concerned about the health of our planet. We believe that by promoting good relationships between people and the natural world, represented in our case by companion animals, we can foster a stronger sense of respect and responsibility for our broader environment. As you'll find out if you continue to explore this site, our research takes us in many different directions. Generally, however, we can group our studies into five main areas: Human factors influencing human – companion animal relationships Not everyone is an equally great pet owner. To find out why we've examined why dog and cat adoptions succeed or fail and how strongly-committed owners differ from those who are less committed. We've looked at how owners contribute to animal health problems such as obesity, and why dog owners prefer some breeds over others, choose to dock some dogs' tails and attend training classes. We've also developed a questionnaire to measure the strength of peoples' relationship with their companion dog. Animal factors influencing human – companion animal relationships Not all animals make equally terrific pets. To find out why we've worked with shelters to categorise factors associated with different outcomes for admitted animals and we've asked Australians to describe their ‘ideal' dog. We've also developed behavioural assessments for shelter dogs and those in the community, and constructed a model of canine personality. More recently we've extended our work to cats and have also started to investigate the development of social cognition in puppies. If we can figure out when young animals are able to learn different skills we can help them adjust by providing appropriate experiences. Social and political factors influencing human – companion animal relationships We spend a lot of time collecting information for State and local government so that they can develop good policies, informed by science. In some of our recent work we've taken a long, hard, look at the issue of cat overpopulation, writing several detailed reports and contributing to the very successful 'Who's for cats?' campaign. Companion animals in human health It is well established the companion animals can improve peoples' physical, psychological and social health, but we need to find out much more about exactly how this works and which people can benefit. We've done several studies investigating how specially trained animals can be used to help people with dementia or developmental disabilities such as autism spectrum disorder. Our results are promising but we desperately need funding to continue this important work. Companion animal welfare Although many companion animals live terrific lives, there is always room for improvement. Some of our research involves trying to improve the lives of companion animals living in confined situations, such as kennels, catteries and shelters. We also spend a lot of time trying to figure out how to help people select the most appropriate pets, and how to train and socialise them appropriately.
First, we are committed to improving human health. People who have good relationships with animals are healthier and happier and animals can also be used to improve the lives of disadvantaged people.
Second, we are committed to improving animal welfare. Companion animals who have good relationships with their caregivers generally have much better welfare than those who don't.
Third, like everyone else we are concerned about the health of our planet. We believe that by promoting good relationships between people and the natural world, represented in our case by companion animals, we can foster a stronger sense of respect and responsibility for our broader environment.
Human factors influencing human – companion animal relationships Not everyone is an equally great pet owner. To find out why we've examined why dog and cat adoptions succeed or fail and how strongly-committed owners differ from those who are less committed. We've looked at how owners contribute to animal health problems such as obesity, and why dog owners prefer some breeds over others, choose to dock some dogs' tails and attend training classes. We've also developed a questionnaire to measure the strength of peoples' relationship with their companion dog.
Animal factors influencing human – companion animal relationships Not all animals make equally terrific pets. To find out why we've worked with shelters to categorise factors associated with different outcomes for admitted animals and we've asked Australians to describe their ‘ideal' dog. We've also developed behavioural assessments for shelter dogs and those in the community, and constructed a model of canine personality. More recently we've extended our work to cats and have also started to investigate the development of social cognition in puppies. If we can figure out when young animals are able to learn different skills we can help them adjust by providing appropriate experiences.
Social and political factors influencing human – companion animal relationships We spend a lot of time collecting information for State and local government so that they can develop good policies, informed by science. In some of our recent work we've taken a long, hard, look at the issue of cat overpopulation, writing several detailed reports and contributing to the very successful 'Who's for cats?' campaign.
Companion animals in human health It is well established the companion animals can improve peoples' physical, psychological and social health, but we need to find out much more about exactly how this works and which people can benefit. We've done several studies investigating how specially trained animals can be used to help people with dementia or developmental disabilities such as autism spectrum disorder. Our results are promising but we desperately need funding to continue this important work.
Companion animal welfare Although many companion animals live terrific lives, there is always room for improvement. Some of our research involves trying to improve the lives of companion animals living in confined situations, such as kennels, catteries and shelters. We also spend a lot of time trying to figure out how to help people select the most appropriate pets, and how to train and socialise them appropriately.
