FIDO Research

Welcome to the FIDO Lab

The FIDO lab focuses on human-animal connection, with an emphasis on kin networks which include both dogs and humans. The lab has four primary goals:

To take dogs seriously as sentient, agentic beings who meaningfully contribute to family life
To challenge anthropocentrism by striving to take the experiences of dogs in human-dog interactions just as seriously as those of humans
To contribute to methodological advancement in multispecies research in ways which make non-human animals more present in social science research
To explore the potential of engagement with arts-based, posthumanist, and postqualitative methods for improving dog-human relationships

A man kneeling in front of a dog, who is also sitting, between trees.

What is multispecies research?

Multispecies research centers relationships within and between species, with the main focus to promote flourishing in and between species.

a human hand reaching out under the chin of a black puppy

What is posthuman research?

Posthuman research aims to decenter humans, and understand how we can flourish together in a world of non-human animals, technology, and organic matter.

News and Updates

We’re recruiting dog-guardians who live in Ontario for new research on peoples’ experiences of care in multispecies (dog-human) households! Click here for more information.

The MSc program in Critical Family and Kinship Studies is recruiting for Fall 2024. Potential applicants with an interest in dog-human relationships should contact Dr. Andrea Breen at abreen@uoguelph.ca for more information.

A picture of a dog made up of the word "FIDO" and multiple possible definitions

The History of FIDO

The FIDO lab was first established in 2019 by Dr. Lynda Ashbourne (now retired) and Dr. Andrea Breen who shared an interest in developing new research projects that focused on families interacting with dogs (FIDo).

Ph.D. Candidate Julia Linares-Roake (Ph.D. Candidate) joined in 2021 and, together with Andrea Breen, has assumed a leadership role in developing the lab’s values, aims and projects.

The name “FIDO” now encompasses various possible meanings, including Families Inclusive of Dogs, Families Implicated with Dogs, Families that are Interspecies with Dogs and Others, and more. Our lab researches varied forms of cross- and within-species encounters with a commitment to relational and posthuman approaches.

We embrace what Natalie Loveless (2019) calls a polydisciplinamory approach; that is, an approach which allows for cross-fertilization of many disciplinary approaches “while rejecting the imperative of monodisciplinarity as the only site of rigorous legitimacy” (p. 64).

Loveless, N. (2019). Art in the expanded field. Duke University Press.