Investigating Some of the Factors That Influence “Consumer” Choice When Adopting a Shelter Dog in the United Kingdom

Siettou, Christina; Fraser, Iain; Fraser, Rob W.

doi:10.1080/10888705.2014.883924

Cited by 45 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Posage et al (1998) also showed that the small size of dogs was a significant indicator of successful adoption. Similarly, in a study conducted in the UK, Siettou et al (2014) found that potential adopters preferred smaller dogs to larger ones. Size may be an important factor for adopters of dogs, but there may be housing restrictions which limit the choices of potential adopters with respect to large-sized dogs (Moorhead 1998;Shore et al 2003).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sex, age and size as factors affecting the length of stay of dogs in Czech shelters

et al. 2015

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Certain factors associated with the characteristics of sheltered dogs can be important in the adoption process. This study focused on the sex, age, and size of abandoned dogs in Czech shelters. Abandoned male dogs remained significantly longer in shelters (median 27 days) compared to abandoned females (median 21 days). With respect to potential adopters, bitches were the preferred sex in Czech shelters. Young abandoned dogs up to the age of one year had the shortest length of stay (median 19 days), whereas older dogs had the longest length of stay, i.e. dogs in the age range of 7-9 years (median 53.5 days) as well as dogs older than 9 years (median 54 days). Abandoned dogs over 65 cm at the withers, i.e. giant dogs, and abandoned dogs up to 35 cm at the withers, i.e. small dogs, had the shortest length of stay in Czech shelters, with medians of 16 days and 21 days, respectively. Medium-sized dogs, i.e. dogs measuring between 35-50 cm at the withers, and large dogs, i.e. dogs measuring between 51-65 cm at the withers had the longest length of stay in shelters. A better understanding of factors that negatively affect the adoption process in abandoned sheltered dogs can significantly shorten the length of stay of such dogs in Czech shelters and help to improve the adoption process itself as well as the welfare of sheltered dogs.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Factors linked to dogs include sex, age, size, coat colour, breed, behaviour, temperament, etc. One recent study showed that certain factors such as age and size have a particular value for the adoption potential (Siettou et al 2014). The appearance of sheltered dogs is one of the most influential factors.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sex, age and size as factors affecting the length of stay of dogs in Czech shelters

et al. 2015

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“…housing space, maintanence costs, and physical strength). The effect of size on the dog's adoption potential is consistent across studies with small dogs being adopted more readily than larger dogs (Posage et al 1998;Marston et al 2005;Brown et al 2013;Siettou et al 2014;Zak et al 2015). However, the authors did not consider the adopter's gender.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 63%

The effect of adopter’s gender on shelter dog selection preferences

2019

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A retrospective analysis of dog adoption records was performed with the aim to determine the differences in preferences of male and female adopters in the Czech Republic. From January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2016, 955 dogs were adopted out of a selected shelter. Significantly (P = 0.03) more dogs were adopted by women than by men (52.6% vs 47.4%, respectively). No preference (P = 0.06) for adopting a dog of the same or opposite sex as the adopter’s was found. Women adopted more (P = 0.02) small dogs and men more (P = 0.004) large dogs, while the adoption rate of medium dogs did not differ (P = 0.16) between men and women. Significantly more (P = 0.05) older dogs were adopted by women than by men. With the exception of brown dogs (adopted more often by women) and black dogs with dark markings (adopted more often by men), dogs with different coat colors were adopted equally by men and women. No difference was found between the ratio of crossbred and purebred dogs adopted by men and women. This study fills gaps in scientific knowledge on adopters’ preferences. Women are more willing to adopt dogs including those that may require special care (older dogs). However, women are less likely to adopt large dogs. The lower number of male adopters may be the reason why large dogs are often reported to be difficult to rehome. To remedy this, shelter operators should explore ways how to address men if they have large dogs available for adoption.

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“…Various investigations have identified factors-such as animal source, demographics, appearance and behaviour -that impact people's adoption choices for both dogs (Wells and Hepper, 1992;Clevenger and Kass, 2003;Normando et al, 2006;Diesel, Pfeiffer and Brodbelt, 2008;Brown, Davidson and Zuefle, 2013;Siettou, Fraser and Fraser, 2014) and cats Fantuzzi, Miller and Weiss, 2010;Dybdall and Strasser, 2014). This knowledge has informed strategies to better present animals for adoption.…”

Section: Approaches To Increase the Live Release Rate For Cats In Shementioning

confidence: 99%

“…This knowledge has informed strategies to better present animals for adoption. Some examples include highlighting specific desirable animal characteristics to adopters Brown, Davidson and Zuefle, 2013;Siettou, Fraser and Fraser, 2014), adding toys into a cat's cage to improve adopter perception of the cat (Fantuzzi, Miller and Weiss, 2010), training animals to display adopter-friendly behaviours , encouraging interactions between cats and potential adopters Dybdall and Strasser, 2014), and minimising potential bias against certain groups of animals, such as "strays", by modifying the presentation of information about the animal (for example relabelling the cat as "lost" rather than "stray") (Dybdall and Strasser, 2014).…”

Section: Approaches To Increase the Live Release Rate For Cats In Shementioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding human factors involved in the unwanted cat problem

Zito¹

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The large number of unwanted cats in many modern communities results in a complex, worldwide problem causing many societal issues. These include ethical concerns about the euthanasia of many healthy animals, moral stress for the people involved, financial costs to organisations that manage unwanted cats, environmental costs, wildlife predation, potential for disease spread, community nuisance, and welfare concerns for cats.Humans contribute to the creation and maintenance of unwanted cat populations and also to solutions to alleviate the problem. The work in this thesis explored human factors contributing to the unwanted cat problem-including cat ownership perception, cat caretaking, cat semi-ownership and cat surrender-and human factors associated with cat adoption choices and outcomes.To investigate human factors contributing to the unwanted cat problem, data were collected from 141 people surrendering cats to four animal shelters. The aim was to better understand the people and human-cat relationships involved, and ultimately to inform strategies to reduce shelter intake.Participants were recruited for this study when they surrendered a cat to a shelter and information was obtained on their demographics, cat interaction history, cat caretaking, and surrender reasons.This information was used to describe and compare the people, cats, and human-cat relationships contributing to shelter intake, using logistic regression models and biplot visualisation techniques.A model of cat ownership perception in people that surrender cats to shelters was proposed. A revised questionnaire was then used to explore cat ownership perception in a broader population of 1013 Australians. Data were collected on demographic, attachment, and caretaking factors through an internet survey. A framework based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour was used to determine attitudes, beliefs, social norms, and perceived behavioural control factors associated with cat ownership perception.In the population of cat surrenderers, both cat owners and non-owners shared a common concern for cats and their welfare. The majority of non-owners interacted with, formed attachments to, and felt responsible for the cats they surrendered, but differed from owners in their level of caretaking. The extent of cat semi-ownership in the study population was considerable, emphasising the need for identification of semi-owners contributing to shelter intake. This could help direct strategies aimed at reducing unwanted cat numbers. Determinants of ownership perception in people surrendering cats included cat acquisition method, association time, closeness of the human-cat relationship, and III degree of responsibility for the cat's care. Detailed analysis of surrender reasons, which were usually multifactorial, highlighted the complexity of the unwanted cat problem. The results suggested that the collection of more detailed information by shelters at the time of surrender is warranted to guide strategies to prevent future surrenders.The internet survey from a ...

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Investigating Some of the Factors That Influence “Consumer” Choice When Adopting a Shelter Dog in the United Kingdom

Cited by 45 publications

References 20 publications

Sex, age and size as factors affecting the length of stay of dogs in Czech shelters

Sex, age and size as factors affecting the length of stay of dogs in Czech shelters

The effect of adopter’s gender on shelter dog selection preferences

Understanding human factors involved in the unwanted cat problem

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