Dr. Tim Lewis

Tim Lewis, PhD, approaches canine research through the lens of an evolutionary ecologist. He has lived his adult life in the woods surrounded by wildlife, and surrounded by dogs. Twenty-five years and seven dogs later, he continues his formal dog education under the tutelage of two Border Collies. Tim prefers herding and scent work with his dogs over most other activities besides walks. He hovers on the fringes of the dog agility and canine freestyle world without actually participating.

Tim’s formal, non-canine education began at Augustana College in Illinois, where he received his bachelor’s degree in biology, followed by a master’s and doctorate in wildlife ecology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Tim taught for two decades at Wittenberg University in Ohio where he was an award-winning professor of biology; then another decade as a professor of biology at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. His classes included ecology, evolution, mammalian ecology, forest biology, tropical ecology, and general biology survey. He frequently uses dogs to illustrate biological ideas, including a class built around dog biology for university students and friends of dogs. His research ranges across many species, including wolves, deer, squirrels, turtles and, of course, dogs. He has presented findings of his research in journals, at conferences, and as an invited speaker for more than 30 years. He is also the author of The Biology of Dogs: from Gonads through Guts to Ganglia.