Dr. Lee Niel
Dr. Niel is an Associate Professor at the Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, where she holds the Col KL Campbell Chair in Companion Animal Welfare and the Marion and Herb Hallatt Beau Valley Professorship in Human-Animal Bond. She completed her PhD at the University of British Columbia in the Animal Welfare Program examining procedural pain and distress in laboratory rodents, and her postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Toronto in behavioural neuroendocrinology. Dr. Niel plays a key role in teaching veterinary students about animal behaviour and welfare, and her current research is mainly focused on the behavior and welfare of companion species, including cats, dogs and rabbits. She has expertise in developing and validating various approaches for identifying emotional states in animals and conducts both fundamental and applied research investigating factors that influence the expression of fear and aggression in companion species both broadly, and during handling and procedures for veterinary care.
Dr. Carol Tinga
Carol Tinga is a Postdoctoral Scholar and recent graduate of the PhD program in population medicine at the Department of Population Medicine, Ontario Veterinary College (OVC), University of Guelph. Her thesis focused on assessing two previously validated human-animal relationship scales for describing owner-companion rabbit relationships, identifying risk factors for owners contemplating giving their rabbits away or letting them loose outside, and analyzing recent domestic rabbit intakes and management at animal shelters and rabbit rescues in Canada and the USA. Forthcoming studies include challenges of rabbit ownership, access to veterinary care, an additional human-animal scale assessment, and owners’ favourite rabbit behaviours and why they are so. Prior to the PhD, Carol completed an MSc in population medicine at the OVC where her research focused on self-rated perceptions of veterinary technical and professional skills in OVC student veterinarians and recent graduates. She has also served as a simulated client in OVC’s clinical communication program. Carol’s research was inspired by Vespa, an extraordinary lop-eared rabbit. Carol currently shares her home with a bonded pair of free-range, up-eared rabbits, Ellie and Coco. The duo, affectionately known as “the hooligans,” came to her from a foster family who took them in after they had been turned loose outside by their previous owners.
Dr. Dan O’Neill
Following 22 years as a veterinary surgeon in general practice, Dan is now Associate Professor in Companion Animal Epidemiology at the RVC where he co-leads the VetCompass™ Programme. With over 160 papers covering the epidemiology of companion animals, these have included papers on the overall disorder burdens of rabbits, guinea pigs, and hamsters under UK primary veterinary care. He has also authored the books ‘Breed Predispositions to Disease in Dogs and Cats’ and ‘Health and Welfare of Brachycephalic (Flat-faced) Companion Animals’ and Hamsters in Sickness and Health. He chairs the UK Brachycephalic Working Group and is a founding member of the International Collaborative on Extreme Conformation in Dogs. and the Legal Advisory Group on Extreme Conformation in Dogs. Dan was awarded a Fellowship of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in 2018, the BSAVA Blaine Award for Advancement of Small Animal Science in 2019, the International Canine Health Award from the Kennel Club Charitable Trust in 2021 and UK All Party Parliamentary Group ‘Phillippa Robinson Dog Welfare Award’ in 2024.