Sara Tonge

• 1st-Place Graduate Winner of the 2023 Ricco Ethics Award
• A. (Hons) Politics with International Experience (Northern Arizona University), University of Sheffield (2021)
• A. Philosophy, University of North Texas (2023)

Lou Tonge is currently a PhD candidate in the Department of Philosophy and Religion at the University of North Texas and an animal welfare professional. Their research focuses on practices of caring for- and with- domesticated non-human animals, and they explore this through queer, feminist, phenomenological, and multi-species ethnographic methods. They are particularly passionate about the recent paradigm shift in companion animal welfare away from punitive measures and towards a more community-centered approach, wherein keeping pets with their families is prioritized. As such, Lou has special interests in both “access to care” and pet-inclusive housing measures, as well as how these programs/policies might offer opportunities for coalition-building with the farmed animal sanctuary movement.