Behavioral Reasons for Relinquishment of Dogs and Cats to 12 Shelters

Salman, Mo; Hutchison, Jennifer; Ruch-Gallie, Rebecca; Kogan, Lori R.; Im, Piljae; Kass, Phillip H.; Scarlett, Janet M.

doi:10.1207/s15327604jaws0302_2

Cited by 412 publications

(263 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Though most human -dog relationships are fulfilling, each year a large number of animals are abandoned by their owners or relinquished to animal shelters 4 . Aggression toward people and animals, running away, destructive behaviour, disobedience, house soiling and excessive barking are unwanted behaviours that make owners relinquish or abandon their dogs 5 . Although only 20 % of the dogs in the US shelters are assigned by their owners for euthanasia 6 , a further 40 % of dogs admitted are euthanised 7 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of nutrition on canine behaviour: current status and possible mechanisms

et al. 2007

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Each year, millions of dogs worldwide are abandoned by their owners, relinquished to animal shelters, and euthanised because of behaviour problems. Nutrition is rarely considered as one of the possible contributing factors of problem behaviour. This contribution presents an overview of current knowledge on the influence of nutrition on canine behaviour and explores the underlying mechanisms by which diet may affect behaviour in animals. Behaviour is regulated by neurotransmitters and hormones, and changes in the availability of their precursors may influence behaviour. Tryptophan, the precursor of serotonin, may affect the incidence of aggression, selfmutilation and stress resistance. The latter may also be influenced by dietary tyrosine, a precursor to catecholamines. As diet composition, nutrient availability and nutrient interactions affect the availability of these precursors in the brain, behaviour or stress resistance may be affected. PUFA, especially DHA, have an important role as structural constituents in brain development, and dietary supply of n-3 and n-6 PUFA could modify aspects of the dopaminergic and serotonergic system and, consequently, cognitive performance and behaviour. Finally, persistent feeding motivation between meals can increase stereotyped behaviour and aggression and decrease resting time. This feeding motivation may be altered by dietary fibre content and source. At present, few studies have been conducted to evaluate the role of nutrition in canine (problem) behaviour through the above mentioned mechanisms. Studies that explore this relationship may help to improve the welfare of dogs and their owners.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of nutrition on canine behaviour: current status and possible mechanisms

et al. 2007

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“…Compared with non-shelter dogs, those sourced from shelters had significantly more whorls on the chest (58.24% vs. 41.76%; P < 0.001) and elbow (56.86% vs. 43.14%; P < 0.001). Salman et al (2000) reported that behavioral problems, including aggression, was the predominant cause of owners relinquishing dogs to shelters. Given that the cadavers had been sourced from a shelter and that dogs in shelters have usually either strayed or have been surrendered for behavioral reasons, the relationship between source and hair whorls was of interest because it may elucidate whether the presence of a whorl is an indicator of an undesirable behavioral trait.…”

Section: Whorl Presencementioning

confidence: 99%

Hair Whorls in the Dog (Canis familiaris). I. Distribution

Tomkins

McGreevy

2010

The Anatomical Record

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Hair whorl characteristics were assessed in the domestic dog (Canis familiaris) in the regions of cephalic, cervical (dorsal, ventral, and lateral), thoracic and brachial axillary regions, the chest, shoulders, elbows, ventral abdominal region, and on the caudal thighs (ischiatic). They were classified as simple or tufted, and their position was recorded as the distance between their centers and bony landmarks within each region. The distribution of whorls was explored in a cohort of domestic dogs (N ¼ 120) comprising a variety of breeds and cross-breeds, sourced from shelters (N ¼ 60) and the general public (N ¼ 60). Whorls observed in the majority of dogs in this cohort typically occurred on the chest, brachial axillary region, elbows, and ischiatic region. Atypical whorls were present in fewer than 20% of the population, and included those on the head (cephalic), cervical regions (dorsal, ventral, and lateral), shoulders, thoracic axillary region, and on the ventral abdominal region. The majority of whorls on dogs were classified as simple. In contrast, those located on the elbows and the majority of chest whorls were tufted. The presence and position of whorls were often associated with several variables including coat length and thickness, and the sex and source of the dog. The palpation and hair-cluster method of whorl assessment described in this article is best suited to dogs with short-to-medium coat lengths. The current methodology developed to assess hair whorl characteristics provides a framework for future investigations into any associations between hair whorl characteristics and other canine traits such as temperament. Anat Rec,

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“…A survey of caregivers (owners) with two or more cats revealed that if aggression occurred upon introduction of a new cat into a household with a resident cat, fighting was more likely to occur during the subsequent 12-month period compared with cats of owners who did not observe aggression upon initial introduction (Levine, Perry, Scarlett, & Houpt, 2005). Problems between new and resident cats, aggression toward other nonhuman animals, and being fearful cumulatively accounted for approximately 35% of the reasons cats were relinquished to animal shelters (Salman et al, 2000). Intercat aggression was the underlying cause for 42% of feline behavior cases presented to the University of Georgia Veterinary Behavior Service during a three-year period (Amat et al, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…House soiling is the leading singlebehavior cause of cats being relinquished to animal shelters (Salman et al, 2000). Inappropriate elimination use in cats housed indoors may be caused by medical or behavioral issues; this complex issue is known as Pandora syndrome (Buffington, Westropp, & Chew, 2014;Hart, Eckstein, Powell, & Dodman, 1993).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Maternal-Neonatal Pheromone/Interomone Added to Cat Litter Improves Litter Box Use and Reduces Aggression in Pair-Housed Cats

McGlone

García

Thompson³

et al. 2018

Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science

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Introducing a new cat into a household with one or more resident cats can be a significant source of stress for the cats involved. These studies sought to determine if rabbit maternal-neonatal pheromone (2-methyl-2-butenal [2M2B]) in litter impacted cat social behaviors and litter box use. Study 1 determined that cats preferred to eliminate in litter containing 2M2B; other semiochemicals tested did not change litter box use. Cats prone to aggression were identified in an intermediate pilot study, and eight pairs of these cats were selected for Study 2. In Study 2, cat pairs were provided litter containing either vehicle or 2M2B for 24 hours. Cats experiencing control litter displayed more aggression during the first 6 hours (p < .01) and spent more time using the litter box 12 hours and 18 hours after pairing compared with cats experiencing litter with 2M2B (p = .02). These results suggest 2M2B-infused cat litter may act as an interomone in cats housed domestically to prevent initial occurrences of aggression and may improve cat welfare in multicat households.

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Behavioral Reasons for Relinquishment of Dogs and Cats to 12 Shelters

Cited by 412 publications

References 10 publications

Impact of nutrition on canine behaviour: current status and possible mechanisms

Impact of nutrition on canine behaviour: current status and possible mechanisms

Hair Whorls in the Dog (Canis familiaris). I. Distribution

Maternal-Neonatal Pheromone/Interomone Added to Cat Litter Improves Litter Box Use and Reduces Aggression in Pair-Housed Cats

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