Dr Jamie Arathoon is a geographer interested in human-animal relations, disability, ethnomethodology, and (video) methods.

I completed my PhD in 2022 at the University of Glasgow after an MRes in Human Geographies from the University of Glasgow and a BA (hons) in Geography from Keele University. My PhD research was funded by the ESRC (SGSSS) and explored the geographies of training and care between physically disabled and/or chronically ill people and their assistance dogs.

After my PhD I was awarded a prestigious ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowship (~£110,000) to continue my research and develop work around an ethnomethodological engagement with assistance dog training. This work brought out the training philosophy of Vicki Hearne and engaged this through a spatial analysis of assistance dog training.

Subsequently I joined York St John’s Geography team, teaching modules on nature, culture, and landscape and supervising dissertation students. After this post I returned to the University of Glasgow as Lecturer in Human Geography, redesigning course material for the 3rd-Year module Geographic Thought, and contributing to a range of courses across the Geography Degree.

Alongside this I have been researching pet theft with colleagues that explores the experiences of pet theft, how people search for lost and stolen pets, and the geography of pet theft as a crime. This research has contributed to the Pet Theft Reform Campaign which led to the approval of the Pet Abduction Bill (2024).