Lisa Gunter, MA is a doctoral candidate at Arizona State University in the Department of Psychology and conducts her research under the mentorship of Clive Wynne in the Canine Science Collaboratory. Before beginning her graduate studies, Lisa worked for nearly a decade with dogs both in animal shelters and with pet dogs and their owners. Lisa’s research attempts to better understand the influence of breed labels on perceptions of dogs; what breeds and breed mixes are in animal shelters; stress and its impact on the welfare of kenneled dogs; and post-adoption interventions focused on owner retention. Her research has been published in PLoS One, Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science and Animal Welfare, and she has presented at numerous scientific and training conferences.

Webinar: Behavioral and Cognitive Differences Between between Owned and Shelter Dogs

Dr. Hall is an Assistant Professor of Companion Animal Science at Texas Tech University and the Director of the Canine Olfaction Research and Education Laboratory in the Department of Animal Science. Dr. Hall earned his PhD at the University of Florida, specializing in the study of Behavior Analysis and canine olfaction. As a post-doc, he continued his studies at Arizona State University investigating the optimization of training to enhance canine’s detection of Homemade Explosives. At Texas Tech, his work continues to explore canine olfactory perception and how experience influences odor perception. His lab also investigates predictors and correlates of problem behavior, behavioral predictors of working aptitude, and canine health. Throughout his career, Dr. Hall has published numerous peer-reviewed scientific publications and book chapters.

Recorded OnDemand Lectures:

Pairing Pavlovian Conditioning with Operant Odor-Discrimination Training

Who knows what the dog’s nose knows?

The Nose Knows: Recent Research in Canine Olfaction

With 30 plus years of professional animal sheltering experience, Renee offers animal welfare consultation services, specializing in shelter operations, dog and cat behavior training including assessment, enrichment and intervention, orphaned kitten care, and staff and volunteer training. 

Renee is always striving forward with an innovative approach in active leadership for progressive shelter and animal welfare organizations.  In 2009, Renee developed and implemented the San Diego Humane Society’s Paws to Success program which included an orphaned kitten nursery program. The first of its kind, this nursery provides 24 hour care for orphaned kittens between the ages of one day old to eight weeks, and has subsequently provided SDHS the opportunity of saving over 10,000 kittens to date.  In 2010 Renee developed and implemented a rehabilitation program for cats older than four months to address intake protocols as it impacts behavior and subsequent success in a shelter setting.  Through environmental housing changes and some minor behavior modification, she led the program to success which now boasts a 90% life release rate.  In 2012 the rehabilitation efforts were expanded with the development of the SDHS behavior center for dogs and cats.  This center was designed to address behavior challenges common in the shelter setting.  In 2013 Renee began offering her expertise as a full time consultant and teacher to share her expertise with others.  Renee has worked with organizations who seek to further develop their positive effect on the animal welfare community, including the San Diego Humane Society, RSPCA of Queensland Australia, Humane Society of United States, ASPCA and the Montgomery County Animal Services Division in Maryland.  Projects have included training and guidance in behavior assessment and modification programs, operation needs assessment, development of policy and procedures, and staff training. 

Renee also provides other specialized presentations and workshops on local, state and international levels.

Lynette A. Hart, Ph.D. is a full Professor at UC Davis and the Director of UC Center for Animal Alternatives,  Department of Population Health and Reproduction.  Dr. Davis’ primary research focus is on human-animal interactions. In recent years she has worked with a postdoctoral student from Japan, Mariko Yamamoto, in evaluating the expanding role of pets as assistance dogs for people with physical or mental disabilities. One emphasis is evaluation of the advantages of dogs of varying body sizes ranging from those of the size of Chihuahuas to the Golden and Labrador Retrievers, to the German Shepherd Dogs. A second focus of recent years has been in collaborating with others in exploring the adverse disease-related effects of spay/neuter in dog as a function of breed membership, gender and neuter age. The first paper with her PhD student Gretel Torres de la Riva, has had a large impact in the veterinary profession. A major theme concerns differences between breeds and genders. Together with coauthor Benjamin Hart, this research has shown that the breeds essential as assistance dogs, military dogs and police dogs-Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers and German Shepherds – all have a marked increased incidence of joint disorders from early spay/neuter that can impact the working life of the dog, and cause major psychological and financial stress for the handler. Simply avoiding a spay/neuter in the first year can eliminate most of the risks of a joint disorder.
Recorded OnDemand Lecture: Roles of dogs for assistance/service, emotional support, facilities/therapy, and companionship

Melissa McMath Hatfield received her Certified Behavior Canine Certification,”CBCC” in June 2015. She has a Masters in Counseling Psychology [1981] and is a retired Licensed Psychological Examiner and Psychotherapist. She is a member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers “A.P.D.T” and has enjoyed their conferences since 2011. She is also a member of the Society for the Promotion of Applied Research in Canine Science, “SPARCS”. She has a private consulting practice where her main focus is Temperament Assessments and Behavior Evaluations of dogs who exhibit aggression, anxiety, fear, shyness, phobia, obsessive compulsive behaviors or behavior problems resulting from lack of socialization. She has volunteered for multiple local shelters and rescue groups and gives presentations on the Human-Canine Bond as well as workshops regarding Temperament Assessments. Since 1981 her “real job” has been as a Jury Consultant where her area of specialization is jury selection, developing jury profiles, witness and Voir Dire preparations and Focus Groups. The owner of McMath Trial Consultants for the last 35 years Ms. Hatfield has made multiple state bar associations continuing legal education presentations as well as for the American Bar Association. She has been published in numerous state bar association magazines and is considered an expert on jury selection for both state and federal courts. She has participated in high profile cases across the country. Her passion however is the human-canine relationship where she states she has gone from examining and assessing the two legged client to the four! She lives with two Ch. Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, “Princeton” and “Stetson” and a very supportive husband an attorney, whom she meet selecting a jury 25 years ago, Dick. However, there is a recent void as her life could not be summarized fully with out mentioning her beloved first Cavalier, Ch. Truman McMath, the ultimate “showman” who they lost this April. Oh, the bittersweet of the human-canine relationship!
To learn more about Melissa, please visit her websites: www.lovingdogs.net;  www.mcmathtrialconsultants.com

Recorded OnDemand Lecture:  Temperament Assessment in Identifying Mental Health Issues in Dogs