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Lori Carscadden Ed.D., is a 2025 graduate of the Ed.D. program in Educational and Professional Practice at Antioch University.

Dissertation Committee:

Gary Delanoeye, Ed.D., Committee Chair

Kristine Tucker, Ed.D., Committee Member

Wing See Vincie Ho Lam, Ph.D., Committee Member

Keywords

humane education, counterstories, scholarly personal narrative, anthrozoology, human-animal interaction, standpoint theory, environmental enrichment theory, trauma informed education, animal welfare, animal shelter, shelter dogs, compassion, empathy

Document Type

Dissertation

Publication Date

2025

Abstract

This study uses Scholarly Personal Narrative (SPN) methodology to challenge dominant narratives surrounding shelter dogs, as well as to examine how human perceptions and subsequent behaviors impact shelter dogs’ experiences in American animal shelter institutions. Drawing from personal and professional experiences as a canine behaviorist, I challenge prevailing “bad dog” narratives and introduce Canine CounterStoryTelling, a framework that I have developed which combines Standpoint Theory, Environmental Enrichment Theory, and Humane Education values. By integrating this theoretical framework in conjunction with the introspective nature of SPN, this study focuses on interrupting the status quo and creating impactful spaces to contribute to a more socially just community for shelter dogs. By examining the contrast in cooperation between dog journeys with or without the inclusion of human kindness and a trauma-informed perspective for each dog’s individual lived experience, this research seeks to uncover alternative viewpoints, or counterstories, through the lens of compassion and empathy.

“Be careful, that one’s aggressive!”—perhaps the dog is thinking the exact same thing.

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