Dr Dennis Turner was born in the USA, receiving a Doctor of Science degree from the Johns
Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health (Dept. of Mental Hygiene) in human and
animal behavior in 1974. From 1975 to 2011, Dennis held the post of Senior Research
Associate and Lecturer, Head of the Companion Animal Ethology Group at the Zoology
Institute of the University of Zurich. During this time (in 1992) Dennis became a Swiss
citizen. Since 1991 he has been the owner and director of the research and continuing
education Institute for applied Ethology and Animal Psychology (I.E.A.P.) near Zurich.
Since 2000, he has also held the Dr. Habil. PD-title at the University of Zurich (Vetsuisse
Faculty), Venia legendi: Behaviour of Small Animals. Dennis was the Head of the Small
Animal Behavior Clinic at the Animal Hospital of the University of Zurich for 10 years to
2009.
Dennis also served as the President of IAHAIO from 1995 to 2010 and was founding
secretary of ISAAT (the International Society for Animal Assisted Therapy) from 2006 to
2015.
Dennis is currently the co-editor of PAIJ, People and Animals: the International Journal for
Research and Practice, and has also previously been co-editor for companion animals, for
Anthrozoös and Animal Welfare. He is author of numerous peer-reviewed research articles
and book chapters about domestic cat behavior and the human-cat relationship, including
the 3 editions of The Domestic Cat: the biology of its behaviour, as senior editor with the late
Patrick Bateson, FRS.
Dennis received the inaugural IAHAIO Lifetime Distinguished Fellow Award in 2021.