Parizad Baria-Unwalla

Check out the new website built with so much love and pride for SCAS' work and mission!

#AnimalWelfare #ShelterDogs #BehaviorResearch #DogTraining #ScientificPublication

Through it all, I often questioned if I truly belonged in this field. Publishing research that contributes to animal welfare has been a long-held goal. Now I can finally say with confidence: I am one.

Grateful to my co-authors & excited for more conversations on shelter dog welfare! 🐶 (4/4)

On a personal note, this paper marks a turning point. It’s been over 5 years since my MSc in Applied Animal Behaviour & Animal Welfare, and I’ve worked hard to find my footing as a researcher. It’s taken sacrifices, long hours, and juggling multiple jobs to keep going. (3/4)

Improvements were seen in loose leash walking, recall, & response to cues, but temperament scores—like human sociability & playfulness—remained largely unchanged. This highlights the need for shelters to use assessments that truly capture training benefits to make successful dog-human matches. (2/4)

Big milestone—our paper is published in Journal of Veterinary Behavior! 🎉 authors.elsevier.com/c/1kbjW5YRMI...

We explored whether common behavior tests can detect improvements in shelter dogs after a 9-week training program. While temperament scores didn't change, basic education scores did. (1/4)