Stephen L. Zawistowski, PhD, CAAB served as a senior executive at the ASPCA for 26 years and he is currently Science Advisor Emeritus. “Dr. Z” is a well-known speaker on a number of animal behavior, shelter and animal welfare topics. He is a certified applied animal behaviorist and chaired the Animal Behavior Society’s Board of Professional Certification from 1998-2007, is founding co-editor of the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, and an adjunct professor in the Animal Behavior and Conservation graduate program at Hunter College. He co-edited Animal Shelter Medicine for Veterinarians and Staff with Dr. Lila Miller (2004) and the second edition in 2013, co-authored a history of the ASPCA, Heritage of Care with Marion Lane (2008), and authored a textbook Companion Animals in Society (2008). Dr. Z served on the ACC&D Board of Directors for eight years (2005-2013), including multiple years as Board Chair. He received public service awards from the USDOJ and USDA for his work on the Michael Vick dog fighting case.

Recent Publications:

Zawistowski, S. and Reid, P. (2017). Dogs in today’s society: The role of applied animal behavior. In J. Serpell (ed), The Domestic Dog, 2nd edition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Weiss, E., Mohan-Gibbons, H. and Zawistowski, S. (eds) (2015). Animal Behavior for Shelter Veterinarians and Staff. Ames, IA: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.

Zawistowski, S. (2015). Introduction to Cat Behavior. In E. Weiss, H. Mohan-Gibbons and S. Zawistowski (eds), Animal Behavior for Shelter Veterinarians and Staff. Ames, IA: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.

Miller, L. and Zawistowski, S. (2015). Housing, Husbandry and Behavior of Dogs in Animal Shelters. In E. Weiss, H. Mohan-Gibbons and S. Zawistowski (eds), Animal Behavior for Shelter Veterinarians and Staff. Ames, IA: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.

Weiss, E., Slater, M., Garrison, L., Drain, N., Dolan, E., Scarlett, J. and Zawistowski, S. (2014). Large dog relinquishment to two municipal facilities in New York City and Washington, D.C.: Identifying Targets for Intervention. Animals, 4: 409-433.

McMillan, F. D., Duffy, D. L., Zawistowski, S. L. & Serpell, J.A. (2014). Behavioral and psychological characteristics of canine victims of abuse. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science (online publication September 29, 2014).

Zawistowski, S. (2013). The History of SPCAs in America. In A. Linzey (ed) The Global Guide