Applied Animal Behavior & Welfare Lab at Virginia Tech

10/08/2026

*Calling all dog and cat owners!* We are looking for a few more pet owners of at least 1 dog and 1 cat who have not already completed this survey (a huge thank you to everyone that already did!) to help us learn more about the relationships between pets inside and outside the home.

Survey Details:
Time Commitment: The brief survey should only take 5–10 minutes to complete!

Who should respond? We are looking for pet owners who have not already completed this survey and owned both 1 or more dogs and 1 or more cats for at least a month to respond.

Confidentiality: Any data collected during this research study will be kept confidential by the researchers.

Benefits: By participating in this study, you will be helping us better understand the connections between dogs’ behavior towards cats inside the home, cats outside the home, and other small mammals. Additionally, as a thank you for your time, you will be entered into a drawing for a $25 Chewy gift card.
Interested in participating? Please scan the QR code in the flyer or follow the link to complete our survey! https://virginiatech.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1Ye0OTsSiAa0Jue

09/18/2026

We have a new paper out! Congratulations to Dr. Rebecca Thompson on being first author on this project in which we explored the utility of automatic grain feeders on changing horses' pasture usage--it could be an effective way to reduce overgrazing without the need for fencing. The link to the article is in the comments. Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

09/11/2026

Thanks to the American Kennel Club for highlighting our work using community dog-handler teams to detect invasive spotted lanternfly egg masses. This work was conducted in partnership with the Canine Olfaction Lab at Texas Tech and Dr. Mizuho Nita at the Virginia Tech's Alson H. Smith Jr. Agricultural Research & Extension Center, through funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Conservation dogs work on all kinds of tasks. They can sniff for endangered wildlife, detect disease, and locate invasive species. One invasive species

09/08/2026

Does your dog or cat have a hard time with vet visits, grooming, or nail trims? 🐾💛

You’re not alone, and our Applied Animal Behavior & Welfare Lab is working on studies to help make those everyday care moments easier on both you and your pet.

If you share your life with at least one dog or cat, scan the QR code (or click on the link in the comments) to join our interest list!

08/28/2026

We have another research opportunity--this time for dogs with separation related problem behaviors. If you think your dog qualified and you are interested in finding out more, please fill out the survey here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeU9TpO_UVmgTF3d7nyTtgTzX5ZOGF2_lmYO1fxYo-5C0_rPw/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=108714820598947319388

08/25/2026

*Calling all dog and cat owners!* The Applied Animal Behavior & Welfare Lab at Virginia Tech is currently gathering insights from pet owners of at least 1 dog and 1 cat to help us learn more about the relationships between pets inside and outside the home.

Survey Details:
Time Commitment: The brief survey should only take 5–10 minutes to complete!

Who should respond? We are looking for pet owners who have owned both 1 or more dogs and 1 or more cats for at least a month.

Confidentiality: Any data collected during this research study will be kept confidential by the researchers.

Benefits: By participating in this study, you will be helping us better understand the connections between dogs’ behavior towards cats inside the home, cats outside the home, and other small mammals. Additionally, as a thank you for your time, you will be entered into a drawing for a $25 Chewy gift card.
Interested in participating? Please scan the QR code in the flyer or follow the link to complete our survey! https://virginiatech.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1Ye0OTsSiAa0Jue

08/05/2026

We are recruiting dog & handler teams in Virginia to participate in a new community science sent detection study! If you’re interested, scan the QR code in the image or look for the link in the comments to indicate your interest! Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

07/29/2026

Thanks to the BBC for highlighting our work on using community science dog detection to detect spotted lanternfly egg masses! The story highlights our recent study showing dogs outperform human searchers for spotted lanternfly egg masses, as well as some of the amazing teams that participated. We conducted this work in collaboration with the Canine Olfaction Lab at Texas Tech through U.S. Department of Agriculture funding. Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Spotted lanternflies are an invasive pest and a multimillion-dollar disaster for the US's w**e industry. Meet the good boys and girls of the resistance.

06/23/2026

Thanks to WFIR for covering our new spotted lanternfly study! We found pet dogs outperformed trained human searchers when looking for invasive spotted lanternfly egg masses. Go dogs! Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

BLACKSBURG, Va. — A Virginia Tech study suggests ordinary pet dogs could become an important tool fighting the invasive spotted lanternfly, with trained dogs finding more than twice as many egg masses as experienced human searchers in some field tests. The spotted lanternfly has spread to 19 stat

06/20/2026

Our School of Animal Sciences also has a poultry welfare researcher! Dr. Leonie Jacobs studies how to improve the lives of poultry (and sometimes even fish). She and her students have offered a chicken welfare workshop in the Summer Enrichment Experience through the Center for Rural Education. Her program has been a hit and has run multiple years. Our personal chickens have participated and love the enrichment they receive while the 7th and 8th grade students learn about chicken behavior and happiness. Check out a story from a few years ago (time flies!) on this fantastic program.

Leonie Jacobs, Associate Professor in the School of Animal Sciences, led a workshop to help rural middle school students participating in the Summer Enrichment Experience at Virginia Tech (SEE VT) learn about chicken behavior and how to tell if a chicken is happy.