Position Title
Professor of Human-Animal Interactions and Behavior
Unit
Dept. of Population Health and Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine
Profile Introduction
Human-animal relationships; communication and social behavior in large mammals; applied animal behavior in dogs and cats.
Research Interests
Human-animal relationships; communication and social behavior in large mammals; applied animal behavior in dogs and cats.
Grad Group Affiliations
- Epidemiology
- Geography
Specialties / Focus
- Psychosocial Effects of Animals
- Animal Management and Welfare
- Communication
Courses
- PHR 106 Human-Animal Interactions: Benefits and Issues, Winter
Professional Societies
- International Society of Anthrozoology
- Animal Behavior Society
- American Veterinary Society for Animal Behavior
Degrees
- BA Physical Science Education Brigham Young University
- MS Educational Psychology University of California, Berkeley
- PhD Animal Behavior, Zoology Rutgers University
Publications (selected)
Hart LA, Thigpen AP, Willits NH, Lyons LA, Hertz-Picciotto I, Hart BL. 2018. Affectionate interactions of cats with children having autism spectrum disorder. Frontiers in Veterinary Science. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2018.00039
Walther S, Yamamoto M, Thigpen AP, Garcia A, Willits NH. 2017. Assistance dogs: Historic patterns and roles of dogs placed by ADI or IGDF accredited facilities and by non-accredited US facilities. Frontiers Vet Sci. DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2017.00001
Hart LA, Yamamoto M. 2016. Dogs as helping partners and companions for humans, In: J Serpell (ed), The Domestic Dog: Its Evolution, Behaviour and Interactions with People, Second Edition, Cambridge University Press, England. Book chapter
Yamamoto M,Lopez MT, Hart LA. 2015. Registrations of assistance dogs in California for ID tags: 1999-2012. PLoS ONE 2015;10(8). DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0132820
O'Connell-Rodwell CE, Arnason B and Hart LA. 2000. Seismic properties of Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) vocalizations and locomotion. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 108:3066-3072
O'Connell-Rodwell CE, Rodwell T, Rice M, and LA Hart. 2000. Living with the modern conservation paradigm: can agricultural communities co-exist with elephants? A five-year case study in East Caprivi, Namibia. Biological Conservation. 93:381-391
Zasloff RL and LA Hart. 1998. Attitudes and care practices of cat caretakers in Hawaii Attitudes and care practices of cat caretakers in Hawaii. Anthrozoos. 11:42-248