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Why Dog Data Science Matters More Than You Think | Ft. Alexandra the Average

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In this episode of Ethnocynology, I sit down with dog science communicator Alexandra the Average for a wide-ranging conversation about dogs, science, identity, and the ways our own cultural biases shape how we understand dogs themselves.

Alexandra discusses her approach to navigating misinformation in the dog and animal-welfare world, including why she relies on multiple studies rather than individual papers. But also the importance of reading beyond the abstract, and how scientific findings can become messy once they reach social media.

The conversation dives into some of the most persistent debates surrounding dogs, including pit bull stereotypes, breed and temperament, dog-bite statistics, veterinary bias, and how race and socioeconomic inequality can affect people's experiences with animal welfare and adoption.

We also explore the deeper history behind our relationships with dogs, like the use of dogs as status symbols to the effects of colonialism on Indigenous dog populations. We discuss how dogs can become wrapped up in human identity, prejudice, politics, and even colonial violence, illustrating why the history of dogs can never really be separated from the history of people.

Alexandra also discusses her upcoming podcast, Pod Reviewed Research, which explores the human-animal connection, animal welfare, legislation, history, and culture through detailed, research-heavy conversations.

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SOURCES:

The racialization of pit bulls: What dogs can teach us about racial politics
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11213322/

Ancestry-inclusive dog genomics challenges popular breed stereotypes.
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abk0639

Human–dog bond cross-cultural study
https://phys.org/news/2026-06-bond-humans-dogs-remarkably-societies.html

Once-daily feeding is associated with better health in companion dogs"
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11357-022-00575-7

"Implicit weight bias exists among veterinary professionals,"
https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/263/11/javma.25.02.0073.xml

Visual breed identification vs. DNA.
https://www.vetmed.ufl.edu/2016/02/17/dna-studies-reveal-that-shelter-workers-
often-mislabel-dogs-as-pit-bulls/

Dog-bite fatality risk factors
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24299544/

Woolly Dog
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adi6549

“Possessions and the Extended Self,"
https://academic.oup.com/jcr/article-abstract/15/2/139/1841428

BOOKS

Bronwen Dickey,
Pit Bull: The Battle over an American Icon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pit_Bull:_The_Battle_over_an_American_Icon

Michael Luo,
Strangers in the Land: Exclusion, Belonging, and the Epic Story of
the Chinese in America (2025).
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/704981/strangers-in-the-land-by-
michael-luo/

ORGANIZATIONS
CARE: Companions and Animals for Reform and Equity.
https://careawo.org/

Dog Aging Project
https://dogagingproject.org/

Darwin's Ark
https://darwinsark.org/

Creators & people mentioned
Abby, dog trainer

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Timecodes:
0:00 Intro/PSA
1:00 Meet Alexandra
1:27 California
4:10 Data-Driven Dog Mom
8:12 Education
14:12 How do you conduct research?
17:34 Most interesting thing you've learned?
20:05 Race and Asian Americans
24:10 Identity and Animal Welfare
26:04 Weight-based bias
29:43 Race-based bias
34:17 Filipino background
37:51 Pit Bulls
41:55 Behavior Issues
44:35 Community and Communication
49:24 Dogsbite.org
52:21 Colonization of the Americas
1:02:21 Identify and dogs
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