Duty of care in companion dog owners: Preliminary scale development and empirical exploration

Abstract

Owner behaviour change may be the most promising avenue to improve dog welfare. As such, understanding potential drivers of owner behaviour is critical to developing effective intervention programs. Here we examine in depth the concept of “duty of care” as a motivator of owner behaviour. Using a mixed methods approach, this study aimed to better understand the potential dimensions of duty of care, their interrelationships, and develop psychometrically valid tools to measure them in companion dog owners. This was achieved through a multi-stage process including a critical literature review, qualitative interviews (n = 13), and an online survey (n = 538). Using Schwartz’s Norm Activation Model as a framework, we have developed a 30 item scale with 5 subscales; duty beliefs, problem awareness, awareness of impact, efficacy, and ascription of responsibility. These unique subscales demonstrate good internal consistency and construct validity. In addition to developing a measurement tool, this process has provided important insights into the nature of duty of care in companion dog owners, creating several avenues for future inquiry. One such finding was that many dog welfare problems may not be the result of lacking duty beliefs, but rather weaknesses in other “activation” factors such as problem awareness or ascription of responsibility. Further work is now required to understand the predictive validity of the scale and the relative influence of its different dimensions on owner behaviour and dog welfare outcomes. This will facilitate the identification of appropriate targets for intervention programs aimed at improving owner behaviour and consequently, dog welfare.

Coming Home, Staying Home: Adopters’ Stories about Transitioning Their New Dog into Their Home and Family

“…Several researchers have published papers on intervention and prevention approaches focusing on dog behavioural interventions at shelters, working on dog assessment tools, and providing support for adopters before and after adoption [ 28 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 ]. Findings from this research are mixed with respect to their efficacy, with some results highlighting the need for education of prospective owners, the need to tailor and target programs to suit different audiences, as well as acknowledging the challenges involved in changing human behaviour to improve welfare outcomes for pets [ 40 , 41 ].…”