Rate My Professor Lisa Gunter

Lisa Gunter, PhD, CAAB, serves as an Assistant Professor of Animal Behavior and Welfare in the School of Animal Sciences at Virginia Tech, where she directs the Companion Animal Research and Education (CARE) Laboratory. She earned her Ph.D. in Behavioral Neuroscience and Comparative Psychology from Arizona State University in 2018, followed by an M.A. from the same program in 2015. Earlier, she received a B.A. in Journalism from The Evergreen State College in 2001 and an A.A. in Communications from Elgin Community College in 1998. Prior to her current role, Gunter was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Coastal Carolina University and a Maddie’s Fund Research Fellow at Arizona State University, managing the ASU/VT Maddie’s Nationwide Fostering Study. She has nearly a decade of experience working in animal shelters as a behavior consultant and trainer, managing behavior programs and teaching group classes on fear, anxiety, and aggression in dogs. At Virginia Tech, she instructs courses such as APSC 4984: Companion Animal Socialization and Behavior Laboratory Component and APSC 5984: Managed Animal Ethology and Welfare.

Gunter's research centers on the behavior and welfare of companion animals, with a focus on human-animal interactions in sheltering, behavioral issues, training, breed labeling, genetic heritage, housing, social interactions, fostering, brief outings, post-adoption interventions, and owner retention during crises like the COVID-19 pandemic. Her influential publications include 'Adoption and relinquishment interventions at the animal shelter: A review' (2017, Animal Welfare), 'What’s in a name? Effect of breed perceptions and labeling on attractiveness, adoptions, and length of stay for pit-bull-type dogs' (2016, PLOS ONE), 'Evaluating the effects of a temporary fostering program on shelter dog welfare' (2019, PeerJ), 'A canine identity crisis: Genetic breed heritage testing of shelter dogs' (2018, PLOS ONE), 'Investigating the impact of brief outings on the welfare of dogs living in US shelters' (2021, Animals), and the book chapter 'Canine Enrichment' (2022, Animal Behavior for Shelter Veterinarians and Staff). She has received the Nestlé Purina Companion Animal Award from the International Society for Applied Ethology in 2019 and 2021, the Outstanding Mentor Award from Arizona State University's Graduate and Professional Student Association in 2018, and Best Student Oral Presentation at the International Society of Anthrozoology Conference in 2016, among others. Gunter co-founded the Institute for Shelter Dogs and organizes the annual Canine Science Symposium.