Today's Topic: Do you regularly find yourself feeling guilty about the dog parent that you are, and the care and life you're able to provide your dog?  If so, you're not alone.  Just as many parents feel guilty about the time and care they're able to devote to their human child, many dog parents today feel similar guilt, which is often spurred on, and exasperated by, images on social media of the fabulous lives of dogs that are provided by the "ideal dog parent".  That's why we've invited two of the researchers behind their latest research paper, Disenfranchised Guilt—Pet Owners’ Burden, which is the first research paper of its kind that examines dog parent guilt, to the pod, to discuss what dog parent guilt is, what kinds of things most dog parents feel guilty about, whether women feel more guilt than men, what people do to alleviate that guilt, and so much more!

Guest Bios: Lori Kogan, Ph.D. is a Professor of Clinical Sciences at Colorado State University. She is the Chair of the Human-Animal Interaction section of the American Psychological Association and Editor of the Human-Animal Interaction Bulletin, an open-access, online publication supported by the American Psychological Association. She has published numerous journal articles and book chapters, and co-edited books including ‘Pet Loss, Grief, and Therapeutic Interventions: Practitioners Navigating the Human-Animal Bond’, ‘Clinician's Guide to Treating Companion Animal Issues: Addressing Human-Animal Interaction’ and ‘Career Paths in Human-Animal Interaction for Social and Behavioral Scientists’ and given presentations on topics related to human animal interactions in both psychology and veterinary medicine venues. She is currently engaged in several research projects pertaining to the intersection of the human animal bond and veterinary medicine.

Dr. Jen Currin-McCulloch is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at Colorado State University, and Lab Director of the Serious End-of-Life Narratives Research Lab.  Her practice and research focus on enhancing the psychosocial quality of life among individuals and families facing grief and loss. She worked for two decades as an oncology and palliative care social worker in hospital, hospice, and non-profit healthcare settings. She works with Lori Kogan and a team of human-animal bond researchers to ascertain how the health decline and death of companion and service animals impacts their guardian’s psychosocial well-being.

Connect With Lori Kogan, Ph.D.:

• Email

Connect With Dr. Jen Currin-McCulloch:

• Email