Effects of Gender, Sterilization, and Environment on the Spatial Distribution of Free-Roaming Dogs: An Intervention Study in an Urban Setting

Melo, Saulo Nascimento de; Silva, Eduardo Sérgio da; Barbosa, David Soeiro; Teixeira-Neto, Rafael Gonçalves; Lacorte, Gustavo Augusto; Horta, Marco Aurélio Pereira; Cardoso, Diogo Tavares; Werneck, Guilherme Loureiro; Struchiner, Cláudio J.; Belo, Viní­cius Silva

doi:10.3389/fvets.2020.00289

Cited by 7 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 45 publications

(62 reference statements)

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“…To the best of our knowledge, no study investigated FRDD roaming behavior in Africa so far. Often, data were collected using Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking devices (1-4, 6-8, 11-16, 18-20), but other tools, such as capture-recapture (10,21) or interviews (9), were also used to collect data on FRDD roaming behavior. Home range (2,14,17,19), the area a dog commonly uses for normal activities, such as breeding or foraging, and distance from home (12,13,20) were applied to describe and investigate dog roaming behavior.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Home range (2,14,17,19), the area a dog commonly uses for normal activities, such as breeding or foraging, and distance from home (12,13,20) were applied to describe and investigate dog roaming behavior. These studies improved knowledge on FRDD behavior by investigating dog movements in relation to their habitat (15,16), interactions with wildlife (7,12), impact of dog characteristics (6,8,10,13,22), or sterilization (10,14) on dog roaming behavior.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous studies on predictors are generally restricted to a specific geographic area, and findings between the studies can be contradictory. For example, in some studies, sex was identified as a predictor for roaming (6,8,10,18,22) while other studies did not detect any difference based on sex (14,19,20). Among the studies that identified sex as a predictor, some concluded that male dogs were roaming further away than female dogs (6), other studies concluded the opposite (10,18); some suggested that it depended on the neutered status (2,8) while other studies concluded that the neutering status had no significant effect (14,20).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Yet, Pérez et al stated that, except two outsiders, dogs with ideal BCS (i.e., 3) had larger home ranges than dogs with lower BCS (8,13). On the other hand, findings were more consistent regarding food availability (10,12,27). A study on dog scavenging turtle nests highlighted that nest scavengers had lower metabolic intake of their daily food and significantly larger home ranges than non-nest scavengers (12).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A study on dog scavenging turtle nests highlighted that nest scavengers had lower metabolic intake of their daily food and significantly larger home ranges than non-nest scavengers (12). Similarly, studies in Brazil showed that higher stray dog density was associated with the proximity with potential sources of food, such as the university restaurants or commercial food outlets (10,27). Another study in India concluded that groups of FRDD were more likely to be seen close to garbage sites (21).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Comparative Study of Free-Roaming Domestic Dog Management and Roaming Behavior Across Four Countries: Chad, Guatemala, Indonesia, and Uganda

et al. 2021

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Dogs play a major role in public health because of potential transmission of zoonotic diseases, such as rabies. Dog roaming behavior has been studied worldwide, including countries in Asia, Latin America, and Oceania, while studies on dog roaming behavior are lacking in Africa. Many of those studies investigated potential drivers for roaming, which could be used to refine disease control measures. However, it appears that results are often contradictory between countries, which could be caused by differences in study design or the influence of context-specific factors. Comparative studies on dog roaming behavior are needed to better understand domestic dog roaming behavior and address these discrepancies. The aim of this study was to investigate dog demography, management, and roaming behavior across four countries: Chad, Guatemala, Indonesia, and Uganda. We equipped 773 dogs with georeferenced contact sensors (106 in Chad, 303 in Guatemala, 217 in Indonesia, and 149 in Uganda) and interviewed the owners to collect information about the dog [e.g., sex, age, body condition score (BCS)] and its management (e.g., role of the dog, origin of the dog, owner-mediated transportation, confinement, vaccination, and feeding practices). Dog home range was computed using the biased random bridge method, and the core and extended home range sizes were considered. Using an AIC-based approach to select variables, country-specific linear models were developed to identify potential predictors for roaming. We highlighted similarities and differences in term of demography, dog management, and roaming behavior between countries. The median of the core home range size was 0.30 ha (95% range: 0.17–0.92 ha) in Chad, 0.33 ha (0.17–1.1 ha) in Guatemala, 0.30 ha (0.20–0.61 ha) in Indonesia, and 0.25 ha (0.15–0.72 ha) in Uganda. The median of the extended home range size was 7.7 ha (95% range: 1.1–103 ha) in Chad, 5.7 ha (1.5–27.5 ha) in Guatemala, 5.6 ha (1.6–26.5 ha) in Indonesia, and 5.7 ha (1.3–19.1 ha) in Uganda. Factors having a significant impact on the home range size in some of the countries included being male dog (positively), being younger than one year (negatively), being older than 6 years (negatively), having a low or a high BCS (negatively), being a hunting dog (positively), being a shepherd dog (positively), and time when the dog was not supervised or restricted (positively). However, the same outcome could have an impact in a country and no impact in another. We suggest that dog roaming behavior is complex and is closely related to the owner's socioeconomic context and transportation habits and the local environment. Free-roaming domestic dogs are not completely under human control but, contrary to wildlife, they strongly depend upon humans. This particular dog–human bound has to be better understood to explain their behavior and deal with free-roaming domestic dogs related issues.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Comparative Study of Free-Roaming Domestic Dog Management and Roaming Behavior Across Four Countries: Chad, Guatemala, Indonesia, and Uganda

et al. 2021

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Ranging patterns and factors associated with movement in free‐roaming domestic dogs in urban Malawi

Puente‐Arévalo¹,

Motta

Dürr

et al. 2022

Ecology and Evolution

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Rabies is a neglected zoonotic disease that causes around 59,000 deaths per year globally. In Africa, rabies virus is mostly maintained in populations of free‐roaming domestic dogs (FRDD) that are predominantly owned. Characterizing the roaming behavior of FRDD can provide relevant information to understand disease spread and inform prevention and control interventions. To estimate the home range (HR) of FRDD and identify predictors of HR size, we studied 168 dogs in seven different areas of Blantyre city, Malawi, tracking them with GPS collars for 1–4 days. The median core HR (HR50) of FRDD in Blantyre city was 0.2 ha (range: 0.08–3.95), while the median extended HR (HR95) was 2.14 ha (range: 0.52–23.19). Multivariable linear regression models were built to identify predictors of HR size. Males presented larger HR95 than females. Dogs living in houses with a higher number of adults had smaller HR95, while those living in houses with higher number of children had larger HR95. Animals that received products of animal origin in their diets had larger HR95, and only in the case of females, animals living in low‐income areas had larger HR50 and HR95. In contrast, whether male dogs were castrated or not was not found to be associated with HR size. The results of this study may help inform rabies control and prevention interventions in Blantyre city, such as designing risk‐based surveillance activities or rabies vaccination campaigns targeting certain FRDD subpopulations. Our findings can also be used in rabies awareness campaigns, particularly to illustrate the close relationship between children and their dogs.

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The association between non-permanence of dogs in households and non-compliance with the principles of responsible animal guardianship: A survey in a medium-sized city in Brazil

Penaforte

Melo

Machado

et al. 2022

Preventive Veterinary Medicine

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Effects of Gender, Sterilization, and Environment on the Spatial Distribution of Free-Roaming Dogs: An Intervention Study in an Urban Setting

Cited by 7 publications

References 45 publications

Comparative Study of Free-Roaming Domestic Dog Management and Roaming Behavior Across Four Countries: Chad, Guatemala, Indonesia, and Uganda

Comparative Study of Free-Roaming Domestic Dog Management and Roaming Behavior Across Four Countries: Chad, Guatemala, Indonesia, and Uganda

Ranging patterns and factors associated with movement in free‐roaming domestic dogs in urban Malawi

The association between non-permanence of dogs in households and non-compliance with the principles of responsible animal guardianship: A survey in a medium-sized city in Brazil

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