PETS MAKE YOU HAPPIER | COLLEEN DELL, PH.D.

Apr 5, 2022

Montel talks with Dr Colleen Dell on this episode of Free Thinking about her research into the positive impact that dog-human interaction can have on our well-being. Dr Dell was appointed to the Centennial Enhancement Chair in One Health and Wellness at the University of Saskatchewan, with a focus on addiction and mental health. She is a Professor in the Department of Sociology, with an Associate appointment in the School of Public Health. She is also a Senior Research Associate with the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction. She is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Carleton University and a past Research Associate with the Indigenous Peoples’ Health Research Centre. She is a 2013 graduate of the Canine Behaviour Psychology Academy, Extreme K-9 Professional Dog Training school, in Illinois, USA and completed a certificate course in animal assisted therapy and activities at Harcum College in 2014. In 2020 she completed the Nonhuman Nature Research Methods course at the Kerulos Centre for Nonviolence. She has thousands of hours of practice providing community-based animal assisted intervention. She is here today to discuss studies on how animals impact our lives in so many positive ways.