Mia Cobb is a canine researcher and science communicator. She holds a BSc(Hons) with a focus on animal behaviour from Monash University and is nearing completion of a PhD researching the welfare, enrichment and work performance of kenneled working dogs as part of the Anthrozoology Research Group in Australia. Her research was awarded the RSPCA Australia Alan White Scholarship for Animal Welfare Research in 2009. Cobb’s work in various animal industry contexts, including over a decade in shelter and working dog facilities, has given her unique insight to a range of human-animal interactions and animal welfare issues. She led the working dog group within the Australian Animal Welfare Strategy, a federal government initiative to improve the welfare of all Australian animals and founded the Australian Working Dog Alliance in 2013, a not-for-profit organisation working with industry to improve the welfare of Australia’s working and sporting dogs. Cobb regularly attends and presents at scientific conferences, professional development workshops and public information/education sessions. She believes in helping scientific research escape academic journals and founded the popular canine science blog, Do You Believe in Dog?, with fellow researcher, Julie Hecht, in 2012. She is co-host of the Human Animal Science podcast series, has written for ABC The Drum and has been the focus of Dumbo Feather: Conversations with extraordinary people.
Twitter: @doubelieveindog Web: www.doyoubelieveindog.com
Ethology and Canine Behavior lecture: Why is Animal Welfare Important to Dogs?