Effect of Adopters' Lifestyles and Animal-Care Knowledge on Their Expectations Prior to Companion-Animal Guardianship

O’Connor, Rachel; Coe, Jason B.; Niel, Lee; Jones‐Bitton, Andria

doi:10.1080/10888705.2015.1125295

Cited by 32 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…It is, however, noteworthy that the characteristics of respondents to our survey correspond with the characteristics of adopters responding to adoption surveys carried out in different countries (e.g. Neidhart and Boyd 2002;Mondelli et al 2004;McMillan et al 2015;O'Connor et al 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 73%

“…Ideally, a strong relationship develops between dogs and their owners, but the maintenance of this bond is not an obvious consequence; many events can jeopardise its success and length (Mondelli et al 2004). Current research underlines the importance of good behaviour to dog adopters specifically (O'Connor et al 2016). However, the majority (68%) of respondents who had purchased a dog from a rescue shelter in Northern Ireland (Wells and Hepper 2000), as well as those who adopted a dog from the Michigan Humane Society in the USA (Lord et al 2008), reported that their dog exhibited a behavioural problem.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Behaviour of dogs adopted from an animal shelter

Vitulová¹,

Voslářová²,

Večerek³

et al. 2018

Acta Vet. Brno

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Dog adoption success is influenced by many factors. Current research specifically underlines the importance of good behaviour. In order to collect information on the behaviour of adopted dogs, a questionnaire was handed out to people adopting a dog from one of the Czech shelters. According to the respondents to our survey, 72% of dogs exhibited behavioural problems in the first week after adoption. The most frequent behavioural problems in adopted dogs were aggression (24%), fearfulness (21%), destructiveness (17%), excessive vocalisation (15%), and separation anxiety (13%). No effect (P > 0.05) of sex, age, size or health status was found. However, shelter dogs with a documented history of abuse exhibited problem behaviours after adoption more frequently (P < 0.05) than non-abused dogs. The follow-up survey revealed significant (P < 0.001) positive changes in the behaviour of dogs six months after leaving the shelter despite a prevailing lack of previous experience among adopters and a lack of professional help. The results suggest that mere patience and time spent in a family instead of the shelter environment can be a solution to at least some of the behavioural problems encountered. We can assume that if professional post-adoption behavioural counselling was provided it could increase the rate of problems solved and decrease the amount of time required for the solution. Professional help may be particularly necessary in the case of aggressive dogs in which no progress has been seen six months after leaving the shelter.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 73%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Behaviour of dogs adopted from an animal shelter

Vitulová¹,

Voslářová²,

Večerek³

et al. 2018

Acta Vet. Brno

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show abstract

“…For example, owners more often describe their cat as independent as opposed to their dog [ 20 ]. Recently, O’Connor et al [ 40 ] showed that dog adopters had higher expectations for their companion animal’s behaviour and human-pet relationships than cat adopters did.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

My Dog Is Not My Cat: Owner Perception of the Personalities of Dogs and Cats Living in the Same Household

Menchetti

Calipari

Guelfi

et al. 2018

Animals

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Simple SummaryA growing number of dogs and cats live together, sharing both a common home and common owner. Nevertheless, how do owners of both cats and dogs living in the same household perceive their pets’ personalities? We tried to answer this question by using a questionnaire targeted at people who owned both dogs and cats. Sociability, protectiveness, reactivity, neuroticism, and fearfulness were the traits that emerged and that diversified themselves according to species. Moreover, intrinsic animal factors, such as age and gender, demographic characteristics of the owner, and environmental context seem to modulate the perceived personality traits in a species-specific way. As personality might influence pets’ welfare and adaptability to the home environment, owners of multiple pets should know and take into consideration both common and differential aspects of their pet’s personality to optimise cohabitation among dogs and cats.AbstractThis study aims to define the personality traits perceived by the owners of multiple pets and to evaluate how they are modulated by experiential-environmental factors. A questionnaire was administered to 1270 owners of multiple pets (dogs and cats) to collect data on the demographics, management, and personality of their pets. Data were analysed by principal component analysis, bivariate, and multivariable models. Five personality traits emerged in dogs and cats: sociability, reactivity, protectiveness, neuroticism, and fearfulness. The owners perceived differences in the personality of their pet: dogs scored higher in sociability, protectiveness, and reactivity, while lower in the neuroticism dimension compared with cats (p < 0.001). Age similarly affected sociability (p < 0.01), and reactivity (p < 0.001) in both dogs and cats, while species-specific gender differences were found as to fearfulness (p < 0.05) and neuroticism (p < 0.001). The age of acquisition modulated several traits in dog personality, while living with conspecifics especially influenced cats. Physiological, behavioural, and evolutionary characteristics could explain species differences. Moreover, intrinsic and extrinsic factors modulated the five dimensions of dogs and cats in a diversified fashion, suggesting complex interactions between species and the environment. However, owners could have had different attitudes with their animals which could have influenced personality perception.

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“…Results from a cross-sectional study showed that the more people agreed with attitudes of lack of obligation toward pet relinquishment, the more they tended to see their pet as a burden and to generally distrust pets. Arguably, these two perceptions of the pet might hinder the human-animal relationship, are likely associated with a lack of knowledge about animals (i.e., a disability in overcoming the hurdles of pet ownership), and can lead to a divestment of responsibility toward the pet [20,23,25,26]. Results also showed that age was positively associated with lack of obligation attitudes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Research shows that lacking knowledge about pets-often related with the lack of previous experience in pet caretaking-is among the most reliable predictors of pet relinquishment [2,23,24]. Indeed, people with knowledge deficits about pets tend to develop unrealistic expectations about pet ownership and typical animal behaviors, and tend to be less able to solve problems that arise from their pet's behavior [20,23,25,26]. Unrealistic expectations can also lead to relinquishment when people expect the relationship with the pet to stabilize after adoption much quicker than it does [27], to expect the amount of work it takes to care for a pet to be less than it really is [28,29], and to expect the pet to play an unreasonable role in the family-e.g., expecting the pet to keep children busy or to teach them sensitivity and nurturance [23].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychological Correlates of Attitudes toward Pet Relinquishment and of Actual Pet Relinquishment: The Role of Pragmatism and Obligation

Jacobetty

Lopes

Fatjó

et al. 2019

Animals

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Simple Summary: Understanding the psychological correlates of attitudes toward pet relinquishment and actual pet relinquishment is essential to inform interventions, and assess their impact. In this study, we developed new scales to measure attitudes toward pet relinquishment, motives for pet relinquishment, and general trust in pets. With these scales, we showed that attitudes of lack of obligation toward pet relinquishment were more likely in older people, those who perceived their pet as a burden, and those with lower general trust in pets. In addition, we found that attitudes of pragmatism toward pet relinquishment were more likely in men, those who were the main pet caretaker, those who perceived their pet as a burden, those with higher motives for pet relinquishment, and those with lower general trust in pets. Moreover, we found that past pet relinquishment behavior was more likely among people with attitudes of pragmatism toward pet relinquishment. Broadly, these findings advance our knowledge of pet relinquishment, and are likely to inform intervention campaigns to prevent it.Abstract: Understanding pet relinquishment is essential to inform interventions and assess their impact. In a cross-sectional study, we explored how attitudes of lack of obligation and pragmatism toward pet relinquishment correlated with, and differed according to, sociodemographic characteristics (age, gender, education, political orientation, religion, income, and household), previous animal experience, and owner perceptions of animals (perceiving pet as a burden, motives for pet relinquishment, regret having a pet, and general trust in pets). We adapted and developed three scales to measure attitudes toward pet relinquishment (ATPR), motives for pet relinquishment (MPR), and general trust in pets (GTP), revealing good psychometric qualities. Hierarchical linear regressions showed that attitudes of lack of obligation toward pet relinquishment were stronger in older people, those perceiving their pet as a burden, and those with lower general trust in pets. Attitudes of pragmatism toward pet relinquishment were stronger in men, those who were main pet caretakers, those perceiving their pet as a burden, those with higher motives for pet relinquishment, and those with lower general trust in pets. Furthermore, results showed that past pet relinquishment behavior was predicted by attitudes of pragmatism, but not attitudes of lack of obligation.

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Effect of Adopters' Lifestyles and Animal-Care Knowledge on Their Expectations Prior to Companion-Animal Guardianship

Cited by 32 publications

References 26 publications

Behaviour of dogs adopted from an animal shelter

Behaviour of dogs adopted from an animal shelter

My Dog Is Not My Cat: Owner Perception of the Personalities of Dogs and Cats Living in the Same Household

Psychological Correlates of Attitudes toward Pet Relinquishment and of Actual Pet Relinquishment: The Role of Pragmatism and Obligation

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