The New Era of Canine Science: Reshaping Our Relationships With Dogs

Evan L MacLean; Aubrey Fine; Harold Herzog; Eric Strauss; Mia L Cobb

doi:10.3389/fvets.2021.675782

The New Era of Canine Science: Reshaping Our Relationships With Dogs

Front Vet Sci. 2021 Jul 15:8:675782. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2021.675782. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Evan L MacLean^{1

2

3}, Aubrey Fine⁴, Harold Herzog⁵, Eric Strauss⁶, Mia L Cobb⁷

Affiliations

¹ School of Anthropology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States.
² College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States.
³ Cognitive Science, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States.
⁴ California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, CA, United States.
⁵ Department of Psychology, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC, United States.
⁶ Center for Urban Resilience, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA, United States.
⁷ Animal Welfare Science Centre, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.

Abstract

Canine science is rapidly maturing into an interdisciplinary and highly impactful field with great potential for both basic and translational research. The articles in this Frontiers Research Topic, Our Canine Connection: The History, Benefits and Future of Human-Dog Interactions, arise from two meetings sponsored by the Wallis Annenberg PetSpace Leadership Institute, which convened experts from diverse areas of canine science to assess the state of the field and challenges and opportunities for its future. In this final Perspective paper, we identify a set of overarching themes that will be critical for a productive and sustainable future in canine science. We explore the roles of dog welfare, science communication, and research funding, with an emphasis on developing approaches that benefit people and dogs, alike.

Keywords: animal welfare; canine science; dog; funding; human-animal interaction; science communication; sustainability.