Living Ethically with Animals in Captivity with Rose Bao and Valli Fraser-Celin, PhD

Rose Bao is a canine behaviourist, counsellor, and coach, guided by fear-free principles and a deep respect for the emotional lives and agency of dogs and their humans. Her practice is collaborative and evidence-based, grounded in years of hands-on work across shelter rehabilitation, group classes, and private consultation, and shaped by the influence of her first dog, Bruno.She holds a first-class honours degree in biomedical engineering, with specialty focus on chronic pain, and is completing a master’s in clinical animal behaviour at the University of Edinburgh. Her research interests lie in anthrozoology, with a particular focus on how agency, power, and identity intersect in dog training cultures. Drawing on her queer Australian-Chinese identity and performance practice in gender-bending burlesque, Rose contributes an intersectional social science voice to animal behaviour, situating the lived realities of dogs and their people within broader cultural and political contexts.Recent essays include Masculinity, Control, and Colonial Inheritance in 21st Century Dog Training Cultures and Anthropocentrism and the Digital Gaze in Human–Dog Interactions.With a blend of empathy, curiosity, and clinical insight, Rose seeks to reimagine dog training as a space where the agency of both dogs and humans is recognised, negotiated, and celebrated.Valli Fraser-Celin, PhD is an advocate for humane, fear/force-free dog training; she primarily shares her advocacy work through her Instagram account (@thelivesofwilddogs), where she documents life with her dogs, Husk and Sully, while promoting evidence-based approaches to canine welfare and training. Valli holds a PhD in Geography from the University of Guelph, where her doctoral research focused on human–African wild dog conflict and conservation in Botswana. She then completed postdoctoral research in Community Health Sciences at the University of Calgary, where she explored the roles of dogs in Indigenous communities across Canada. Since 2018, she has been working in the equitable access to veterinary care field, primarily in remote, Northern communities across Canada.Her scholarship has examined themes of animal agency and subjectivity, contributing to broader conversations on how human–animal relationships shape both animal welfare and community well-being. She continues to bring this perspective into her applied advocacy, emphasizing the importance of recognizing animals as sentient beings with their own experiences and needs. Through her combined academic background and hands-on experience with companion dogs, Valli bridges the gap between research and everyday practice, working to shift perspectives on how humans understand, care for, and coexist with dogs.Legal Disclaimer: This podcast is intended for educational purposes only and does not constitute advice or professional services by either the host nor any of the guests. Thank you for listening to the Enlightened Pet Behavior Podcast. I hope that you and your beloved pets have found valuable insights for a more harmonious life together. Please remember that this podcast provides educational information only and is not a substitute for professional veterinary or behavioral advice. If you need personalized support, please don't hesitate to contact me to explore how we can work together to achieve your pet behavior goals. You can reach me at www.enlightenedpetbehavior.com or via email at [email protected]. Special thanks to Mac Light for composing the podcast's music; you can find him at www.maclightsongwriter.comIf you find the show helpful and enjoyable, please consider showing your support! Subscribing, following, rating, reviewing, and sharing with friends takes just a moment but significantly boosts the show's visibility, helping more pet parents discover it. Thank you for your support!