TTU Human-Animal Interaction Lab

We are thrilled to celebrate Rituparna Sonowal and Lindsay Nakonechny on the successful defense of their dissertations. Congratulations, Dr. Sonowal and Dr. Nakonechny!🎉🎉🎉

Dr. Sonowal’s research focused on the influence of scented enrichment on owned dog behavior and welfare.

Dr. Nakonechny’s research explored factors that influence veterinary staff interactions with dog patients during routine care.

Last chance to participate in the cat scratching study!

Are you tired of your cat scratching household items?

The TTU Human-Animal Interaction Lab is looking for 10 more cats in the Lubbock area to participate in a two-week study exploring ways to reduce unwanted scratching.

Visit the following link to sign up:
bit.ly/CatScratchStudy

Congratulations to Ilea Chapman for graduating as an Outstanding Senior in Animal Science!

Ilea has been an integral part of the Texas Tech Animal Behavior Clinic, and we are so excited to see her begin her next journey as a veterinary student at Texas A&M this fall!

🎓🎉

What shapes how veterinarians handle dogs during exams?

Our latest paper explored this question through in-depth interviews with veterinarians about their real-world experiences.

🔍 What we found:

🐾 Handling decisions reflect a balance between patient needs, safety, time pressures and clinic constraints

🩺 Even though veterinarians value stress-reducing handling, it is not always perceived to be feasible

🧠 The well-being of veterinarians and workplace factors play important roles in how dogs are handled

🐶 Improving dog welfare isn’t just about training - it also means supporting veterinary teams and individuals in ways that allow stress-reducing practices to be applied effectively.

Read the full paper in our bio!

Looking for cat parents in Lubbock 🐱

If you have a cat that’s 1 year or older, we would love for you to join our study on cat water consumption using scented water bowls!

Incentives are included as part of your participation. ✨

Tap the link in our bio to register!