Anthrozoology Research Group

Linda Marston

Background:

I'm one of those people who are lucky enough to work in an area that fascinates me – human-companion animal interaction. My PhD looked at ways to improve the adoptive success of shelter dogs. Results of this research have been used by shelters in a number of Australian states and recently in Spain and South Africa (which is very exciting!). My background in human psychology and my interest in animal welfare have led me to conduct a number of projects looking at the efficacy of Animal-assisted interventions. Recently this interest has developed even further, and I have become a partner in the Centre for Service and Therapy Dogs Australia. This organisation supplies and trains dogs as an integral part of a therapeutic program for individuals who live with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Epilepsy and Dementia.
Since completing my PhD I have undertaken a number of studies on behalf of state governments around Australia including:

• A comprehensive review of the management of unwanted cats and dogs,
• Identification of key factors in shelter cat admissions, adoption and outcomes
• An investigation of how various strategies proposed to reduce the numbers of unwanted cats and dogs are likely to impact different sections of the population.
• A review and development of a procedure to extract strategic data from the IT systems of welfare organizations to inform State on the effect of interventions.

Other projects undertaken include:

• Evaluating the effect of activities undertaken during pet-visitation on outcomes for institutionalised elderly persons with mild to moderate dementia
• A comparison of a dog-training intervention with drama therapy for at-risk adolescents
• The characteristics and motivations of people who participate in pet visitation programs.

I work in a consultative capacity with:

• State governments regarding issues of companion animal management.
• Animal welfare organizations to develop environmental enrichment and training programs to increase the adoptability of animals in their care.
• The World Society for the Protection of Animals on Companion Animal Issues. This role has required me to complete a number of international assignments dealing with issues such as compassion fatigue and its prevention in animal care workers, shelter design, rehabilitation training and customer relations.
• Clients whose pet dogs who have behavioral issues.
• Urban planners regarding ways to include dogs and cats within the urban landscape and designing dog park equipment and layouts.

I work closely with Animal Aid to develop and deliver high quality, practically oriented training in animal handling and behaviour to animal management officers, shelter staff and volunteers who work in pounds and shelters and am currently developing materials for new vocationally based training in the companion-animal area. I lecture regularly at a number of dog training clubs on how dogs learn and dealing with behavioural problems and write occasional pieces for local newspapers and media, contribute regularly to the review panels of a number of scientific journals and present my research at local and international conferences.

Current Research:

I am a member of the data gathering group for the RSPCA led project investigating Animal Hoarding which is trying to determine the prevalence, characteristics and severity of animal hoarding cases in Victoria.

I am currently developing a tool to determine the features of the relationship between a cat and their owners and measure them.

Projects in the pipeline include:

Establishing and evaluating a rehabilitation program for prison inmates utilizing shelter dogs and cats.

Evaluating the effects on the family and client of including a service dog in the home.

Research interests:

Human-Animal interaction and its effect on human health and well-being, The mechanisms the human-animal bond including the role of Oxytocin, The continuum of companion-animal ownership and cultural differences in pet ownership, Animal Welfare.

Journals:

1. King, T., Marston, L. C., & Bennett, P. (2009). Describing the ideal Australian companion dog. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 120, 84-93.
2. Marston, L. C. & Bennett, P. C. (2009). Admissions of Cats to Animal Welfare Shelters in Melbourne, Australia. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, 12, 189-213.
3. Marston, L. C., Bennett, P. C., & Coleman, G. J. (2005). What happens to shelter dogs? Part 2.Comparing three Melbourne welfare shelters for nonhuman animals. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, 8, 25-45.
4. Marston, L. C., Bennett, P. C., & Coleman, G. J. (2005). Adopting shelter dogs: Owner experiences of the first month post-adoption. Anthrozoös, 18, 358-378.
5. Marston, L. C., Bennett, P. C., & Coleman, G. J. (2004). What happens to shelter dogs? An analysis of data for one year from three Australian Shelters. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, 7, 27-47.
6. Marston, L. C. & Bennett, P. C. (2003). Reforging the bond -towards successful canine adoption. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 83, 227-245.

Reports:

1. Marston, L. C. (2009). An Analysis of Feline Admission Data from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty (RSPCA) and Animal Welfare League (AWL) of South Australia for July 2007 to June 2009. A Report prepared for the Dog and Cat Management Board of South Australia Melbourne Australia: LC Marston
2. Marston, L. C. & Bennett, P. C. (2009). Owner experiences of adopting a shelter cat. A Report to the Bureau of Animal Welfare, DPI, Victoria. Animal Welfare Science Centre, Monash University
3. Bennett, P. C. & Marston, L. C. (2008). Mandatory Desexing as a Potential Solution to Perceived Pet Overpopulation in Victoria. A Report to the Bureau of Animal Welfare, DPI, Victoria Melbourne: Animal Welfare Science Centre, Monash University.
4. Marston, L. C., Bennett, P. C., Rohlf, V. I., & Mornement, K. (2008). Review of Strategies for Effectively Managing Unwanted Dogs and Cats in Queensland. A report to the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, Queensland. 2008 (Rep. No. A report to the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, Queensland. 2008). Monash University: Animal Welfare Science Centre.
5. Marston, L. C. & Bennett, P. C. (2007). Volunteer visitation programs for institutionalized persons with aged dementia: are benefits increased by the inclusion of companion dogs and reminiscence techniques? A Report to the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation. Melbourne: Anthrozoology Research Group, Monash University.
6. Marston, L. C. & Bennett, P. C. (2007). A Summary of Australian Research Pertaining to Cat Ownership and Overpopulation.A Report to the Bureau of Animal Welfare, DPI, Victoria Monash University: Animal Welfare Science Centre.
7. Marston, L. C. & Bennett, P. C. (2007). An Evaluation Of The Efficacy Of Drama And Animal-Assisted Therapy Groups With Adolescents. Conducted for MonashLink Community Mental Health Services. Melbourne, Australia: Monash University.
8. Marston, L. C. & Bennett, P. C. (2006). A Comparison of Dog and Cat admissions to shelters in Melbourne, Victoria. A Report to the Bureau of Animal Welfare, DPI, Victoria. Melbourne: Animal Welfare Science Centre, Monash University.
9. Marston, L. C. (2006). Factors affecting the success of canine adoptions from animal welfare shelters. PhD (Psychology) Monash University
10. Marston, L. C., Bennett, P. C., & Toukhsati, S. R. (2006). Cat Admissions to Melbourne Shelters. A Report to the Bureau of Animal Welfare, DPI, Victoria. Melbourne: Animal Welfare Science Centre, Monash University

Conferences:

1. Argow, S., Marston, L. C., & Bennett, P. (2010). Pet-Visitation. Motivating factors and characteristics of volunteers and their dogs. In the proceedings of the 12th International Association of Human-Animal Interaction Organizations Conference (pp. 125). Stockholm Sweden: International Association of Human-Animal Interaction Organizations.
2. King, T., Marston, L. C., & Bennett, P. (2010). Describing the ideal Australian Dog. In the proceedings of the 12th International Association of Human-Animal Interaction Organizations Conference (pp. 49). Stockholm Sweden: International Association of Human-Animal Interaction Organizations Conference.
3. King, T., Marston, L. C., Bennett, P., Marder, A., Dowling, S., & D'Arpino, S. (2010). Describing the ideal companion dog. In the proceedings of the International Society for Anthrozoology Conference (pp. 24). Stockholm Sweden: International Society for Anthrozoology.
4. King, T., Marston, L. C., & Bennett, P. (2010). Development of a valid and reliable assessment to measure amicablity in dogs. In the proceedings of the Australian Institute of Animal Management Conference (pp. 61-66). Glenelg, South Australia: The Proceedings of the Australian Institute of Animal Management Conference.
5. Marston, L. C. (2010). Learning to behave: The science behind animal behaviour and animal management. In the proceedings of the Australian Institute of Animal Management Conference Australian Institute of Animal Management (Ed.), (pp. 45-49). Glenelg, South Australia: Australian Institute of Animal Management.
6. Marston, L. C. (2010). Science and dog training: Getting it out of the lab and into practice. In the proceedings of the Australian Institute of Animal Management Conference Australian Institute of Animal Management (Ed.), (pp. 67-68). Glenelg, South Australia: Australian Institute of Animal Management.
7. Marston, L. C. (2010). Training shelter dogs to be quiet. In the proceedings of the Australian Institute of Animal Management Conference Australian Institute of Animal Management (Ed.), (pp. 69-71). Glenelg, South Australia: Australian Institute of Animal Management.
8. Marston, L. C. & Bennett, P. (2010). Factors that affect the success of cat adoption from Australian animal welfare shelters. In the proceedings of the 12th International Association of Human-Animal Interaction Organizations Conference (pp. 82). Stockholm Sweden: International Association of Human-Animal Interaction Organizations Conference.
9. Humphreys, L. & Marston, L. C. (2009). Planning for dogs in open space with a focus on integrated planning and dog parks. In the proceedings of the Third Annual Conference on Urban Animal Management, Geelong. 14- 16 Oct, 2009 Australian Institute of Animal Management (Ed.), (pp. 31-35). Geelong: Australian Institute of Animal Management.
10. Marston, L. C. & Bennett, P. C. (2009). The effect of cat behaviour on adoption, relinquishment and retention of shelter cats.
11. Marston, L. C. (2009). The burning question - What can we learn from the Victorian bushfires? Experiences from a shelter on the frontline. In the proceedings of the Third Annual Conference on Urban Animal Management, Geelong. 14- 16 Oct, 2009 Australian Institute of Animal Management (Ed.), (pp. 47-50). Geelong: Australian Institute of Animal Management.
12. Marston, L. C. & Bennett, P. C. (2009). Victorian Cat Tracking Study - Part 2: After the adoptoion. In the proceedings of the Third Annual Conference on Urban Animal Management, Geelong. 14- 16 Oct, 2009 Australian Institute of Animal Management (Ed.), (pp. 127-129). Geelong: Australian Institute of Animal Management.
13. Marston, L. C. & Bennett, P. C. (2009). Managing Unwanted Cats and Dogs - Current Practice and Can we do Better. In the proceedings of the 2009 International Academic and Community Conference on Animals and Society: Minding Animals, 13 - 18 July 2009, Newcastle, NSW, Australia. Newcastle, NSW: University of Newcastle, Australia.
14. Marston, L. C. & Bennett, P. C. (2008). Defining the 'unwanted cat' problem. In the proceedings of the AAWS08 International Animal Welfare Conference 31Aug - 3 Sept, Gold Coast, Australia (pp. 107). Australian Animal Welfare Strategy, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Australian Government.
15. Marston, L. C. (2007). Cat Populations and what do they mean to overpopulation. In the proceedings of the 2nd National Summit to End Pet Overpopulation, Oct 01-02, 2007 (pp. 66-70). Gold Coast, Australia: National Desexing Network.
16. Marston, L. C., Bennett, P. C., & Toukhsati, S. R. (2007). An investigation of Australian shelter cat admissions. In the proceedings of the 11th International Conference of the International Association of Human-Animal Interaction Organisations. Oct 5-8, 2008. (pp. 86). Tokyo, Japan.
17. Marston, L. C. & Bennett, P. C. (2007). Do dogs and Reminiscence improve the efficacy of volunteer visitation programs for institutionalized persons with aged dementia? In the proceedings of the 11th International Association of Human-Animal Interaction Organisations. Oct 5-8, 2008. (pp. 97). Japan.
18. Marston, L. C. & Bennett, P. C. (2007). Dogs and Cats Are Not Equal When It Comes To Welfare Shelter Statistics. In the proceedings of the Animals and Society II: Considering Animals, Hobart, Australia. 3-6 July, 2007.
19. Marston, L. C., Bennett, P. C., & Toukhsati, S. R. (2007). Victorian shelter cat admissions. In the proceedings of the the Australian Institute of Animal Management Conference Gold Coast: The Australian Institute of Animal Management.
20. Marston, L. C. (2006). Environmental Enrichment for Shelters. In the proceedings of the First Regional Environmental Enrichment Conference. Nov 01 - 02, 2006. Melbourne Zoo, Victoria, Australia (pp. 6). Melbourne Zoo, Victoria, Australia: First Regional Environmental Enrichment Conference.
21. Marston, L. C. (2006). Ensuring a sustainable pet population: Our challenge for the future. In the proceedings of the Inaugrual National Summit to End Pet Overpopulation.15th June 2006, Gold Coast, Australia (pp. 77-83). Gold Coast, Australia: National Desexing Network.
22. Fredrickson, J., Bennett, P. C., & Marston, L. C. (2005). Characterizing attachment behaviours in dogs using the Strange Situation Test. In the proceedings of the 4th Interrnational Working Dog Breeding Conference, 23-27 Jan, 2005 (pp. 71-75). Melbourne, Australia: International Working Dog Breeders Association.
23. Marston, L. C. (2005). Shelter Shakeup - the outcome. In the proceedings of the 15th Urban Animal Management Conference, Canberra. 19- 21 Oct (pp. 121-123). 15th Urban Animal Management Conference, Canberra: Australian Veterinary Association.
24. Marston, L. C., Bennett, P. C., & Coleman, G. J. (2005). Factors affecting the formation of a canine-human bond. In the proceedings of the 4th Annual Conference of the International Working Dog Breeders Conference, Melbourne, Australia (pp. 132-138). 4th Annual Conference of the International Working Dog Breeders Conference, Melbourne: International Working Dog Breeders Association.
25. Marston, L. C., Bennett, P. C., & Coleman, G. J. (2005). Post-Adoptive Training: The effect on the first month after adopting a shelter dog. In the proceedings of the 14th Annual Conference of the International Society for Anthrozoology,11-12 July, 2005. Niagara Falls, NY. (pp. 22-23). International Society for Anthrozoology .
26. Marston, L. C., Bennett, P. C., & Coleman, G. J. (2005). Two Programs introduced in Melbourne shelters. In the proceedings of the 15th Urban Animal Management Conference, Canberra. 19- 21 Oct. Monash University Animal Welfare Evening, Melbourne.
27. Marston, L. C., Bennett, P. C., & Toukhsati, S. R. (2005). Cat Stats: Tracking cat admissions to shelters in Melbourne. In the proceedings of the 15th Urban Animal Management Conference, Canberra. 19- 21 Oct, 2005 (pp. 97-98). Canberra: Australian Veterinary Association.
28. Marston, L. C. (2004). Show & Tell: Why temperament test shelter dogs and how should you do it? In the proceedings of the 14th Urban Animal Management Conference.18-20 Aug, 2004.Adelaide, Australia. (pp. 53). Adelaide: Australian Veterinary Association.
29. Marston, L. C., Bennett, P. C., & Coleman, G. J. (2004). Lost & Found in Melbourne: A snapshot of shelter activity. In the proceedings of the 14th Urban Animal Management Conference. 18-20 Aug, 2004. (pp. 49). Adelaide: Australian Veterinary Association.
30. Marston, L. C., Bennett, P. C., & Coleman, G. J. (2004). Development of human-canine bonds in adult shelter dogs. In the proceedings of the Australian Society for the Study of Animal Behaviour. Apr 15-18, 2004 (pp. 55). Adelaide Zoo, South Australia: Australian Society for the Study of Animal Behaviour.
31. Marston, L. C. (2004). Behavioural Assessment of Shelter dogs. RSPCA National Shelter Managers Conference, Adelaide, Aug 2004. In the proceedings of the RSPCA National Shelter Managers Conference, Adelaide, Aug 2004

Weblink: Centre for Service and Therapy Dogs Australia

Contact: Linda.Marston@monash.edu