companion animal scientist
Lisa Gunter, PhD, MA, CBCC-KA is an Assistant Professor at Virginia Tech in the School of Animal Sciences and directs the Laboratory for Animal Behavior and Welfare. Lisa’s research explores the behavior and welfare of companion animals, specifically our interactions with them, as it relates to animal sheltering, behavioral issues, and training.
Prior to joining Virginia Tech, she was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Coastal Carolina University and the Maddie’s Fund Research Fellow at Arizona State University and managed the ASU/VT Maddie’s Nationwide Fostering Study. Lisa earned her PhD and MA degrees in the behavioral neuroscience and comparative psychology program at Arizona State University in the Canine Science Collaboratory.
Over her academic career, she has investigated owner-support programs that provide temporary care for pets; weeklong fostering, temporary stays, & short-term outings for shelter dogs; canine housing, social interaction, and barking interventions in the animal shelter; behavioral indicators of canine welfare; relinquishment and post-adoption interventions; and the genetic breed heritage and breed labeling of shelter dogs.
Before beginning her graduate studies, she worked for nearly a decade with pets in animal shelters and with dogs and their owners. She was a behavior consultant and trainer in San Francisco, teaching group classes and consulting with owners experiencing issues of fear, anxiety, and aggression with their dogs. Her interest in canine behavior began in 2002 as an animal shelter volunteer, training dogs in basic skills and assisting in shelter dog playgroups. That interest grew into a professional career where she managed the behavior programs of several shelters throughout the West.
Her academic and professional experiences led Lisa to co-found Wagfield Academy, an online dog training and behavior resource for owners (which was acquired by the Humane Society of the United States Pets for Life program), and the Institute for Shelter Dogs with Dr. Erica Feuerbacher, where they combine the latest in shelter research with the current best practices in workshops for staff and volunteers. Seven years ago, she founded and annually organizes the Canine Science Symposium in San Francisco, which disseminates the latest applied canine science to practitioners from across the country.