Every study we cite on the podcast

Animal minds, welfare law and science, with Nicole and Dr. Daniel Toker

With Nicole, animal welfare advocate, Dr. Daniel Toker, neuroscientist and host of Sentience

Why breed tells you less about a dog than you think, what shelters see when animals are held for court cases, and how new research methods could replace some animal testing.

The receipts

1. Morrill K, et al. (2022). Ancestry-inclusive dog genomics challenges popular breed stereotypes. Science 376(6592): eabk0639.
   peer-reviewed studyFree to read

   18,385 dogs: breed explained only about 9% of behavior differences between individual dogs.

Pet preferences and consumer psychology

Why picking a dog is less logical than we think: the dog as part of who we are, doodle and flat-faced breed expectations, movie-driven breed fads, and the darker side of status pets.

The receipts

1. Belk RW (1988). Possessions and the Extended Self. Journal of Consumer Research 15(2): 139-168.
   peer-reviewed studyPaywalled

   The classic theory that we treat our possessions, pets included, as part of ourselves.

2. Belk RW (1996). Metaphoric Relationships with Pets. Society & Animals 4(2): 121-145.
   peer-reviewed studyPaywalled

   Five ways people describe their pets, from child to status symbol. Qualitative, not a survey.

3. Brand CL, et al. (2022). How much is that doodle in the window? Exploring motivations and behaviours of UK owners acquiring designer crossbreed dogs (2019-2020). Canine Medicine and Genetics 9: 8.
   peer-reviewed studyFree to read

   Designer crossbreed buyers were far more likely to want a hypoallergenic dog (47.1% vs 7.86%).

4. Hladky-Krage B, Hoffman CL (2022). Expectations versus Reality of Designer Dog Ownership in the United States. Animals 12(23): 3247.
   peer-reviewed studyFree to read

   What US designer dog owners expected compared with what they got, including grooming needs.

5. Packer RMA, Wade C, Neufuss J (2024). Nothing Could Put Me Off. Pets 1(3): 32.
   peer-reviewed studyFree to read

   Owners of extreme flat-faced breeds, and how few said health problems would change their mind.

6. Herzog H (2006). Forty-two Thousand and One Dalmatians: Fads, Social Contagion, and Dog Breed Popularity. Society & Animals 14(4): 383-397.
   peer-reviewed studyPaywalled

   Breed popularity rises and crashes like other fads, using AKC registration data.

7. Ghirlanda S, Acerbi A, Herzog H (2014). Dog Movie Stars and Dog Breed Popularity: A Case Study in Media Influence on Choice. PLOS ONE 9(9): e106565.
   peer-reviewed studyFree to read

   Movies can spike a breed's popularity for years afterward.

8. Egan V, MacKenzie J (2012). Does Personality, Delinquency, or Mating Effort Necessarily Dictate a Preference for an Aggressive Dog? Anthrozoos 25(2): 161-170.
   peer-reviewed studyPaywalled

   Tests the stereotype about who wants a tough-looking dog.

9. Beverland MB, Farrelly F, Lim EAC (2008). Exploring the Dark Side of Pet Ownership: Status- and Control-Based Pet Consumption. Journal of Business Research 61(5): 490-496.
   peer-reviewed studyPaywalled

   When a pet is about status or control rather than the animal. We read the abstract only (paywalled).

10. CBS News Sacramento. Game of Thrones dogs filling shelters.
    newsFree to read

    News report, not a study: shelters linking a husky and shepherd influx to the show.

Premium dog food: fear, guilt and the price of love

How premium pet food marketing sells relief from the fear that you're failing your dog, what the brand-funded studies actually show, and why "processed" can be a safety step.

The receipts

1. Tannenbaum MB, et al. (2015). Appealing to Fear: A Meta-Analysis of Fear Appeal Effectiveness and Theories. Psychological Bulletin 141(6): 1178-1204.
   reviewPaywalled

   127 papers and 27,372 people: fear-based messages do change behavior, on average.

2. Yamka R, et al. (2025). Serum Metabolomics of Senior Dogs Fed a Fresh, Human-Grade Food or an Extruded Kibble Diet. Metabolites 15(10): 676.
   peer-reviewed studyFree to read

   Cornell and The Farmer's Dog. 22 dogs, and the two diets did not have matched nutrients.

3. Ortiz AV, et al.; Dog Aging Project Consortium (2025). Association Between Diet Type and Owner-Reported Health Conditions in Dogs in the Dog Aging Project. J Vet Intern Med 39(3): e70060.
   peer-reviewed studyFree to read

   27,478 dogs: limited support for claims that alternative diets are healthier.

4. Solis D, et al. (2022). Microbiological Quality and Presence of Foodborne Pathogens in Raw and Extruded Canine Diets. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 9: 799710.
   peer-reviewed studyFree to read

   Raw diets were more likely than kibble to carry harmful bacteria.

5. FDA. Get the Facts: Raw Pet Food Diets can be Dangerous to You and Your Pet.
   government sourceFree to read

   FDA guidance on raw pet food and pathogens like Salmonella.

6. FDA advisory (July 2025). Do not feed certain lots of Darwin's Natural Pet Products pet food due to E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella.
   government sourceFree to read

   A child became ill after contact with a dog fed this food. There was no known direct contact with the food itself.

7. Gallup (April 15, 2025). 52% of U.S. Pet Owners Skipped or Declined Veterinary Care.
   survey/reportFree to read

   2,498 pet owners; 71% of those who skipped care said cost was the reason.

Can't afford the vet, can't afford the pet

Vet care access is a system failure, not a character flaw. Rising prices, vet deserts, language barriers and an exhausted workforce hurt both pet owners and the people who care for their pets.

The receipts

1. Diana A, Croney C, et al. (2024). Access to veterinary care: evaluating working definitions, barriers, and implications for animal welfare. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 11: 1335410.
   reviewFree to read

   Cost was the top barrier in 74% of the 77 papers reviewed.

2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Consumer Price Index, veterinary services vs. all items.
   government sourceFree to read

   Vet service prices rose about 48.8% from 2019 to 2025, roughly double overall inflation.

3. USDA NIFA. Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program shortage map.
   government sourceFree to read

   A record 243 rural vet shortage areas across 46 states in 2025.

4. AVMA News. USDA announces plan to address rural, federal veterinary shortages.
   newsFree to read

   Includes the AVMA figure that only 3.4% of US vets work in food-animal practice.

5. Veterinary Care Accessibility Project (Greenberg SA, Neal PR). Veterinary Care Accessibility Score.
   survey/reportFree to read

   A county-level access index: about 21 million households sit in the lowest-access group.

6. Program for Pet Health Equity. National access to veterinary care research.
   survey/reportFree to read

   National household surveys on families who face barriers to vet care.

7. Park RM, Gruen ME, Royal K (2021). Association between Dog Owner Demographics and Decision to Seek Veterinary Care. Veterinary Sciences 8(1): 7.
   peer-reviewed studyFree to read

   Willingness to seek vet care was similar across owner demographic groups.

8. Weisent J, et al. (2024). Assessing the veterinary health care needs of Knoxville's Latino community. Journal of Shelter Medicine and Community Animal Health 3(1).
   peer-reviewed studyFree to read

   A small local sample (46 people), not national, on cost and not knowing where to go.

9. Landau RE, et al. (2016). Preparedness of small animal veterinary practices to communicate with Spanish-speaking pet owners. JAVMA 248(6): 690-699.
   peer-reviewed studyPaywalled

   Only about 8% of practices had Spanish-speaking staff.

10. Peterson MC, et al. (1992). Contributions of the history, physical examination, and laboratory investigation in making medical diagnoses. Western Journal of Medicine 156(2): 163-165.
    peer-reviewed studyFree to read

    Human medicine: the patient history alone gave the diagnosis in 76% of cases, which is why telehealth has limits.

11. Hawes SM, Hupe T, Morris KN (2020). Punishment to Support: The Need to Align Animal Control Enforcement with the Human Social Justice Movement. Animals 10(10): 1902.
    peer-reviewed studyFree to read

    Enforcement costs about $400 per animal compared with about $116 per pet for support programs.

12. Ly LH, Gordon E, Protopopova A (2021). Inequitable Flow of Animals in and Out of Shelters: Comparison of Community-Level Vulnerability for Owner-Surrendered and Subsequently Adopted Animals. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 8: 784389.
    peer-reviewed studyFree to read

    21,270 Canadian shelter records: animals flow from more vulnerable to less vulnerable areas.

13. Tomasi SE, et al. (2019). Suicide among veterinarians in the United States from 1979 through 2015. JAVMA 254(1): 104-112.
    peer-reviewed studyFree to read

    Vets die by suicide at 2 to 5 times the general population rate, with female vets highest.

14. Volk JO, et al. (2022). Merck Animal Health Veterinarian Wellbeing Study III and Veterinary Support Staff Study. JAVMA 260(12): 1547-1553.
    survey/reportPaywalled

    The source of the roughly 44% burnout figure for vets.

15. U.S. Census Bureau (2022). Record drop in child poverty.
    government sourceFree to read

    The expanded Child Tax Credit contributed to a 46% drop in child poverty.

16. CDC. About One Health.
    government sourceFree to read

    The idea that human, animal and environmental health are connected.

Episode 1: Fat phobia and dog ownership

A lot of what gets called a weight problem is a perception problem wrapped in judgment. How weight bias shows up in the vet clinic, why owners misjudge their dog's body, and how to talk about it without shame.

The receipts

1. Pearl RL, et al. (2020). Who's a good boy? Effects of dog and owner body weight on veterinarian perceptions and treatment recommendations. International Journal of Obesity 44(12): 2455-2464.
   peer-reviewed studyFree to read

   205 vets and 103 vet students felt more blame and frustration toward heavier dogs and owners. Online vignettes, not real exams.

2. Eastland-Jones RC, et al. (2014). Owner misperception of canine body condition persists despite use of a body condition score chart. Journal of Nutritional Science 3: e45.
   peer-reviewed studyFree to read

   110 owners: most misjudged their dog's body condition, with or without a chart, usually guessing too lean.

3. Courcier EA, et al. (2011). A cross sectional study of the prevalence and risk factors for owner misperception of canine body shape in first opinion practice in Glasgow. Preventive Veterinary Medicine 102(1): 66-74.
   peer-reviewed studyPaywalled

   680 Glasgow owners: 44% misjudged their dog's body shape.

4. Muñoz-Prieto A, et al. (2018). European dog owner perceptions of obesity and factors associated with human and canine obesity. Scientific Reports 8: 13353.
   peer-reviewed studyFree to read

   3,185 owners in ten countries: owners who did not see obesity as a disease were more likely to have obese dogs.

5. Purina Body Condition System chart (hosted by Morris Animal Foundation).
   otherFree to read

   The 9-point body condition chart used in the episode. Made by a pet food company.