Selected Published Research
Contact me for the full list of my publications
Open Access
Interviews with 5 canine-assisted speech therapists, and online surveys with 42 caregivers of children receiving speech therapy. Dogs are perceived to help children establish a rapport with the therapist, motivate them to attend therapy, improve social skills and regulate their emotions.
Open Access
Position paper about the potential benefits of dog-assisted psychotherapy for veterans and their families, and the importance of including clients and clinicians in the process of developing a dog-assisted psychotherapy program for this population.
Open Access
Encyclopedia entry about the role of assistance animals, the types of work that they do, and the importance of protecting their welfare
Open Access
Frequency and contexts of assistance dog public access denials among Australian assistance dog handlers.
Open Access
Systematic review investigating the potential impacts of dog-assisted psychotherapy for child survivors of complex trauma (e.g., child abuse, family violence).
Open Access
Recommends replacing the term 'animal-assisted interventions' with the less controversial 'animal-assisted services', and defines animal-assisted treatment, education, and support programs
Open Access
Reviewed findings from six studies investigating the impact of a dog's presence in therapy on the relationships between the therapist and client, with mixed findings: three studies reported a benefit, three did not, but none reported a negative impact.
Open Access
Large international collaboration (75+ authors) defining terms like 'assistance animal', 'therapy animal', 'facility animal, and 'emotional support animal'.
Contact me for full text
Interviews with 11 handlers of courtroom dogs described the pros and cons of working with dogs in legal settings. Pros included better quality testimony and more confident witnesses, and cons included heavy workloads for the dog and lack of support from the legal community more broadly.
Open Access
Interviews with 6 assistance animal trainers to understand the stressors that make their job more challenging, and the resources that help them manage.
Open Access
Uses an established behaviour-change framework to apply to assistance dog puppy raisers, to enhance their puppy raising experience, and to improve training outcomes for the puppies, and ultimately, the people with disability that they support.
Open Access
Interviews with 5 pet dog owners and 5 assistance dog handlers about their experience with Second Dog Syndrome (SDS), when the bond with a second dog doesn't develop like it did with the first dog. Causes of SDS include unmet expectations of the second dog, comparing the second dog to the first dog, and unresolved grief over the loss of the first dog.
Open Access
Behaviours observed among 16 children at an early intervention centre for Autism Spectrum Disorder, when in the presence of a school support dog, Muffin. Children were more likely to remain still when Muffin was in the room; children may have been calmer when she was present.
Open Access
Survey of over 300 Australian adults gauging knowledge of assistance dogs. Awareness of what assistance dogs do, and their public access rights, was high..
Contact me for full text
Interviews with eight assistance dog handlers as they adjust to living with their dog. Themes included managing expectations about what the dog can do for the person with disability, navigating social interactions with the general public, and establishing a routine.
Contact me for full text
Interviews with 23 assistance dog trainers, handlers, and carers found that societal, environmental, social, and personal factors influenced whether someone can effectively work with an assistance dog, most of which are outside the control of the training provider.
Contact me for full text
Survey of over 600 participants, comparing support provided by an assistance dog with a pet dog for people with a disability, or a pet dog for someone without a disability. Assistance dog handlers reported significantly more perceived support from their dog than pet dog owners with and without disabilities.
Open Access
Challenges experienced by assistance dog handlers affecting their ability to work with their dog included: the complexity and stability of their medical condition, the maturity of the handler and dog, relationships with carers.
Open Access
Compared social interactions with the community during outings among 16 participants with intellectual disability when with, vs without, a dog. Encounters with other people were more frequent when the dog was present, and interviews indicated that this helped reduce stigma against disability.
Open Access
Review focusing on assistance animal legislation in Australia and the EU, assistance dog welfare considerations, the existing evidence base at the time of publication.
Contact me for full text
Interviews with 16 people participating in a program for adolescents with a vision impairment to learn about working with guide dogs, their families, and staff. Expectations of guide dog support included improved safety and mobility, but also companionship and improved confidence, independence, and social interactions.