It's All On Us w/ Anastasia Stellato, PhD

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Applying Our Learnings About Dogs, We Can Deepen Our Mutual Connection

About The Episode

For centuries now, humans and dogs have formed an interspecies bond that has only become stronger over time. However, we are still only beginning to truly understand them. For example, why do our dogs get anxious in certain situations? How can we help them to best address that? These questions are our responsibility to answer. We need to be active participants in observing, considering, and understanding each of our individual dogs.

While Anastasia Stellato always had an affinity for cats, she developed a relationship and interest in dogs while finishing her Masters and PhD studies. On an academic and professional level, she got more experience with dogs as a behaviorist and adoption counselor in Toronto. On the personal side, her longtime boyfriend – now husband – had his own dogs, who she helped raise. Upon moving to Texas, Anastasia finally got a dog she could call her own, too.

These experiences drove a curiosity and desire for Anastasia to learn more about companion animal science through her work. She wanted to understand the reasoning behind why dogs felt or reacted a certain way, what motivated their behavior, and how she can figure out ways to help them live their best life. This led her to a deeper study of animal welfare.

At Texas Tech University, Anastasia works in the Human-Animal Interaction Lab, a companion animal behavior and welfare research lab in the Department of Animal and Food Sciences. Her colleagues for the lab include Dr. Nathaniel Hall, Dr. Edgar Aviles-Rosa, and Kristina O'Hanley.

In the process of learning how to identify behavior, Anastasia looks at dogs behavior in a variety of applied settings. A technique that Anastasia and her PhD students have integrated into their process is a One Welfare approach – which aims to improve conditions and relations for both human, animals, and the environment.

An example of an applied setting they look at is veterinary clinics, which can often be a place of stress for dogs. In using the One Welfare approach there, they are seeking ways to improve the experience for everyone involved: the dog, the dog parent, and the vet. They want to optimize the environment to be low stress and make sure all stakeholders are receiving benefits.

Making sure that everyone is accommodated also helps ensure that none of these variables are impacting the results. For example, if you’re tense, your dog might sense that and could impact their anxiety. So if that is ignored, and you’re only looking at the dog’s behavior and reactions, you won’t be getting the full picture and you won’t be able to address all of the factors.

Anastasia and the lab have also done research on animal-assisted intervention. One recent example of this came when they did a study bringing together veteran students and shelter dogs. The veterans who are also students may have higher stress levels that may require support. The shelter dogs, on the other hand, need human socialization. They were a great fit and several of the veterans even asked about adopting a dog after, so it was a win-win.

Through Texas Tech’s Human-Animal Interaction Lab, they hope to continue to share educational resources with a larger audience and help improve responsible dog ownership for people everywhere. This includes helping realize how to identify when one’s dog is stressed, uncomfortable, fearful, and so forth. While there are some general indicators, it is also important to remember that this is still individualized for a dog, and it’s essential to get to know our dogs better.

About The Guest - Anastasia Stellato

Anastasia Stellato received her B.S in Conservation Biology at the University of Toronto, M.S in Animal Behavior and Welfare at the University of Guelph, and PhD in Epidemiology from the Ontario Veterinary College Companion Animal Behavior and Welfare lab. She also served as a dog behaviorist for Toronto Animal Services and a Canine Adoption Counselor at the Toronto Humane Society. Now, she is the Principal Investigator at Texas Tech University’s Human-Animal Interaction Lab, where she studies animal welfare. Anastasia is also an Assistant Professor of Companion Animal Science at Texas Tech, teaching classes on Advanced Animal Behavior and Training or Animal Shelter Management.

About The Host - Dr. Sharon Holland

Dr. Sharon Holland is a Distinguished Professor of American Studies at the University of North Carolina (UNC). She teaches a popular class on animal studies, where Sharon challenges students to re-think the way we co-exist with other beings in the world through philosophical discussions. Her most recent book, an other: a black feminist consideration of animal life, explores this concept from a personal perspective as well. She is a lifelong equestrian, who has found strong connections with both horses and dogs. Sharon currently lives in North Carolina with her two rescues: Winnie, a senior lab mix, and Saol Sa'ed, a German Shepherd / Husky / Cattle puppy.

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