Doctor Tiffani Howell
ARG Senior Research Fellow
Senior Research Fellow
La Trobe University, Australia
I completed my PhD at Monash University in 2013 under the supervision of Professor Pauleen Bennett. Since graduation, I have continued to work within the ARG at La Trobe University as a Research Fellow. My main research interests are assistance dogs, human-animal relationships, and animal welfare.
Assistance dogs
I have worked with the Australian Government on several projects. One investigated the impacts of assistance dogs as an adjunct to treatment for 20 veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. Others explored the effectiveness of assistance animals for people with disability and issues facing people with owner-trained assistance dogs. I also worked with 76 authors from around the world to provide recommended definitions for commonly used but unclear terms in animal-assisted services (e.g., therapy animal, facility animal).
I have worked with Vision Australia – Seeing Eye Dogs on work about assistance dog public access denials, public knowledge of assistance dog public access rights, and Second (or Successor) Dog Syndrome, when a person struggles to develop the same connection with a new dog compared to a previous dog.
Human-animal relationships
I have studied people’s opinions of dog cognitive abilities, and I have been part of the development of a cat-owner relationship scale internationally. I also co-authored a study about whether dog cuteness impacts the quality of the dog-owner relationship. I am currently interested in the nuanced relationship between pet-owner bond and owner mental health.
Animal welfare
I have been part of greyhound industry-funded research into socialisation and training practices within the industry, as well as whether predatory behaviour (i.e., chasing small animals) can be prevented in greyhounds ready to retire from the industry and be adopted into pet homes.
I have also worked with the state government of Victoria, Australia, to understand pet management practices among pet owners. We found that not all pet owners are aware of how to meet their pet’s welfare needs, so educational campaigns were developed to improve welfare outcomes for pets.