companion animal behavior & welfare scientist

Over 90 million families share their homes with a pet in the United States. We have a unique connection with our companion animals, an interspecies relationship where the welfare of both can be deeply affected. Across the country, over five million dogs and cats enter animal shelters each year. Through my research, I strive to better understand these complex relationships and, in doing so, improve the lives of both companion animals and their owners.

Thus far, my research questions have focused upon: a) owner-support programs that provide temporary care for pets whose owners are experiencing hardship; b) weeklong fostering, temporary stays, & short-term outings for dogs as they awaiting adoption; c) canine housing, social interaction, and barking interventions in the shelter; d) outdoor placement programs for cats admitted to animal shelters; e) the interplay between physiology, health, cognition and the in-kennel behavior of dogs living in shelters; f) the social behavior of canids other than dogs and wolves; g) relinquishment and the efficacy of a post-adoption intervention that encouraged physical activity between adopters and their dogs; h) identifying the genetic breed identities of shelter dogs; and i) understanding the impact of breed labeling in animal shelters.

PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS

Howard, S., Gunter, L. M., & Feuerbacher, E. N. (2024). Are smelly toys more fun? Shelter dogs’ preferences for toys, scents, and scented toys. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 106383.

Gunter, L. M.; Blade, E. M.; Gilchrist, R. J.; Nixon, B. J.; Reed, J. L.; Platzer, J. M.; Wurpts, I. C.; Feuerbacher, E. N.; Wynne, C. D. L. (2023). The Influence of Brief Outing and Temporary Fostering Programs on Shelter Dog Welfare. Animals, 13, 3528.

Platzer, J. M.; Gunter, L. M.; Feuerbacher, E. N. (2023). Exploring the Domestication Syndrome Hypothesis in Dogs: Pigmentation Does Not Predict Cortisol Levels. Animals, 13, 3095.

Baldan, A. L., Ferreira, B. L., Warisaia, V., Feuerbacher, E. N., Monticelli, P. F., & Gunter, L. M. (2023). Reducing barking in a Brazilian animal shelter: A practical intervention. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 105992.

Gunter, L. M., Gilchrist, R. J., Blade, E. M., Reed, J., Foster, A., Isernia, L. T., Barber, R. T., Feuerbacher, E. N., & Wynne, C. D. (2022) Emergency Fostering of Dogs from Animal Shelters During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Shelter Practices, Foster Caregiver Engagement, & Dog Outcomes. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 423.

Gunter, L. M., Gilchrist, R. J., Blade, E. M., Barber, R. T., Feuerbacher, E. N., Platzer, J. M., & Wynne, C. D. (2021). Investigating the Impact of Brief Outings on the Welfare of Dogs Living in US Shelters. Animals, 11(2), 548.

Gilchrist, R. J., Gunter, L. M., Anderson, S. F., & Wynne, C. D. (2021). The Click is Not the Trick: The Efficacy of Clickers and Other Reinforcement Methods in Training Naïve Dogs to Perform New Tasks. PeerJ, 9, e10881.

Van Bourg, J., Gunter, L. M., & Wynne, C. D. (2021). A Rapid Serial Reversal Learning Assessment for Age-related Cognitive Deficits in Pet Dogs. Behavioural Processes, 104375.

Gunter, L. M., Feuerbacher, E. N., Gilchrist, R. J., & Wynne, C. D. (2019). Evaluating the effects of a temporary fostering program on shelter dog welfare. PeerJ, 7, e6620

Gunter, L. M., Barber, R. T., & Wynne C. D. (2018). A Canine Identity Crisis: Genetic Breed Heritage Testing of Shelter Dogs. PloS one, 13(8), e0202633

Protopopova, A., & Gunter, L. M. (2017). Adoption and Relinquishment Interventions at the Animal Shelter: A Review. Animal Welfare, 26(1), 35-48

Gunter, L., Protopopova, A., Hooker, S. P., Der Ananian, C., & Wynne, C. D. (2017). Impacts of Encouraging Dog Walking on Returns of Newly Adopted Dogs to a Shelter. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, 20(4), 357-371

Gunter, L. M., Barber, R. T., & Wynne, C. D. (2016). What’s in a Name? Effect of Breed Perceptions & Labeling on Attractiveness, Adoptions & Length of Stay for Pit-Bull-Type Dogs. PloS one, 11(3), e0146857

book chapter

Gunter, L., Feuerbacher, E. Canine Enrichment. In Animal Behavior for Shelter Veterinarian and Staff, 2nd ed. DiGangi, B., Reid, P., Collins, K., Cussen, V., Eds. John Wiley & Sons: Hoboken, NJ, USA.

MANUSCRIPTS IN PREPARATION

Gunter, L. M.; Platzer, J. M.; Reed, J. L.; Blade, E. M.; Gilchrist, R. J.; Barber, R. T., Feuerbacher, E. N.; Wynne, C. D. L. (2023). Investigating the Effects of Weeklong Fostering and Co-housing on Shelter Dog Welfare

Gunter, L. M.; Blade, E. M.; Nixon, B. J.; Reed, J. L.; Gilchrist, R. J.; Platzer, J. M.; Wurpts, I. C.; Feuerbacher, E. N.; Wynne, C. D. L. (2023). The Deployment and Performance of Shelter-Based Animal Fostering Programs for Owned Pets

Gunter, L. M., Hagen, L., Gilchrist, R. J., Blade, E. M., Barber, R. T., Vollin, L., & Brayshaw, G. Investigating the Effects of Housing and Social Interaction on Canine Welfare in the Animal Shelter

Gunter, L. M., Gilchrist, R., & Wynne, C. D. Behavioral Indicators of Welfare for Shelter Dogs

Gunter, L.M.; Blade, E.M., & Mendenhall, C. Behavioral Characteristics and Outcomes of Shelter Cats Rehomed Through an Alternative Placement Program

OTHER PUBLICATIONS

Gunter, L. (2018, July). How Does Temporary Fostering Affect the Welfare of Shelter Dogs? Becoming an Anthrozoologist.

Gunter, L. & Farber, N. (2018, March). Being a Dog’s Best Friend. Psychology Today.

Wynne, C. D. L. & Gunter, L. (2017, June). Stop Stereotyping Dogs. Slate.

Feuerbacher, E. N. & Gunter, L. (2015, September). Clever, Prepared, & Creative: Good Science & Dog Training in the 21st Century. The Chronicle of the Dog

Feuerbacher, E. N., & Gunter, L. (2015, January). Good Science: Skinner’s Functional Relations and Dog Training. The Scoop