Putting (Big) Black Dog Syndrome to the Test: Evidence from a Large Metropolitan Shelter

Sinski, Jennifer; Carini, Robert M.; Weber, Jonetta D

doi:10.1080/08927936.2016.1228769

Cited by 26 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Other studies have reported that various aspects of appearance is an important factor when a person is considering adoption [ 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 31 ], and there is evidence this was true in this study as well. Breed is an important contributor to appearance, perhaps in part because it is at least roughly determinant of size and color.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

“…Sinski et al [ 16 ] focused on determining whether having a black coat color (the “black dog bias syndrome”) was associated with the likelihood of adoption vs. euthanasia for dogs in a single public shelter in a large metropolitan area (Louisville, KY, USA), but also reported data for other risk factors. Briefly, their univariate analysis indicated that black-colored dogs were 23.8% less likely to be adopted than partially black or non-black dogs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Factors Associated with High Live Release for Dogs at a Large, Open-Admission, Municipal Shelter

Patronek

Crowe

2018

Animals

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Simple SummaryBetter understanding of factors contributing to live release (rehoming) may help shelters improve outcomes. In this study, data were analyzed for all dogs (n = 21,409) admitted over a two-year period for the primary purpose of rehoming at a high-volume, open-intake municipal shelter performing animal control (the Pima Animal Care Center in Tucson, Arizona). Results show that >88% of eligible dogs were rehomed through adoption to the public or transfer to a rescue group. Temporary placement into interim foster homes of dogs who were either not immediately eligible or not strong candidates for adoption due to reasons such as age or health, increased the odds of live release after subsequent return to the shelter, especially for adult dogs. Dogs returned to the shelter after unsuccessful adoption had a live-release advantage as well, which suggested that the temporary experience in a home was not detrimental and may have facilitated the likelihood of live release after return, akin to a foster situation. Over a fifth (21.1%) of dogs originally brought to the shelter for owner-requested euthanasia were determined to be potentially savable and ultimately rehomed. It remains to be determined whether other large, open intake shelters performing animal control can replicate these results.AbstractBetter understanding of factors contributing to live release (rehoming) may help shelters improve outcomes. In this cross-sectional, exploratory, non-interventional study, data for all intakes (n = 21,409) for dogs eligible for rehoming from 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2016 are analyzed to identify such factors. Live release was >88%. A total of 1510 (7.1%) dogs interacted with the foster care system, 98.9% of whom had live release. Foster care increased the odds of live release by about five-fold for all dogs (odds ratio (OR) 5.30 (95% confidence interval (CI): 3.13; 8.97), p < 0.001) and by >20-fold for adult dogs (OR 22.2 (95% CI: 5.48; 90.2), p < 0.001) compared to first-time owner-surrendered dogs. Dogs returned from foster care had a 70% reduction in health concerns, as judged by intake staff, compared with dogs sent to foster. In addition to saving 2882 lives, the rescue network utilized by this shelter was estimated as having reduced in-shelter care needs by 13,409 animal care-days over two years. Dogs returned from adoption also had increased odds of live release (OR 4.74 (95% CI: 3.02; 7.44), p < 0.0001). Nearly a third (29.6%) of dogs originally brought in by owners for euthanasia were determined to be potentially savable, and a fifth of the original group (21.1%) were ultimately placed. Less than 4% of dogs presented with behavioral concerns at intake. It remains to be determined whether other large, open intake shelters performing animal control can replicate these results.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors Associated with High Live Release for Dogs at a Large, Open-Admission, Municipal Shelter

Patronek

Crowe

2018

Animals

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“…Pursuant to Statute 258.119 [ 36 ], shelters were required to keep records on each cat for date impounded; location found; sex and spay/neuter status, if known; breed or description and color; and date reclaimed, adopted, or euthanized. While 20 counties responded, a majority of those provided incomplete data: many lacked animal outcomes, one did not include coat color, and several only delivered monthly summaries (for details, see [ 4 , 37 ]). Data were analyzed from the largest urban shelter that responded with data on cats, located in Kentucky, USA.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coat Color and Cat Outcomes in an Urban U.S. Shelter

Carini

Sinski

Weber

2020

Animals

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Some nonhuman animal shelters have developed rehoming programs for black cats to remedy what they believe are their higher rates of euthanasia and lower rates of adoption. This study reviews humans’ preferences/aversions to cats of various coat colors and uses contingency tables and multinomial logistic regression to test possible differences in outcomes (euthanasia, adoption, or transfer) for 7983 cats that entered an urban public shelter in Kentucky, USA from 2010 through 2011. While coat color overall was negligibly associated with cat outcomes in a contingency table, the pairwise difference between black and white cats was significant (p < 0.05) and nontrivial in strength. Specifically, black cats experienced the highest euthanasia and lowest adoption rates, while white cats had the lowest euthanasia and highest adoption rates. Brown, gray, and orange cats experienced similar outcomes, but middling between those of black and white cats. These patterns by color remained weak but significant after controlling for breed and stray status in regression analysis, with the exception of orange and white, which did not differ significantly. A subsample of 1219 entirely black cats was analyzed to assess whether they had different outcomes during the run-up to Halloween; their October percentages of adoption and transfer were comparable to or lower than all other months of the calendar year. Thus, this study did not find that outcomes improved for black cats during October. Overall, this study provides weak support for what has been termed “Black Cat Bias” by others, and hints that black cats in public shelters should receive extra consideration for rehoming, particularly if such efforts do not substantially redirect resources from other initiatives.

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“…However, among dogs there exists a broad diversity of phenotypic variation that affects how dogs are perceived in terms of temperament and behavior. Breed biases and stereotypes are pervasive [29] with breed status affecting adoption [30,31] and breed-specific legislation directed at particular breeds.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do dog breeds differ in pain sensitivity? Veterinarians and the public believe they do

2020

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Humans do not respond to the pain of all humans equally; physical appearance and associated group identity affect how people respond to the pain of others. Here we ask if a similar differential response occurs when humans evaluate different individuals of another species. Beliefs about pain in pet dogs (Canis familiaris) provide a powerful test, since dogs vary so much in size, shape, and color, and are often associated with behavioral stereotypes. Using an on-line survey, we asked both the general public and veterinarians to rate pain sensitivity in 28 different dog breeds, identified only by their pictures. We found that both the general public and veterinarians rated smaller dogs (i.e. based on height and weight) as being more sensitive to pain; the general public respondents rated breeds associated with breed specific legislation as having lower pain sensitivity. While there is currently no known physiological basis for such breed-level differences, over 90% of respondents from both groups indicated belief in differences in pain sensitivity among dog breeds. We discuss how these results inform theories of human social discrimination and suggest that the perception of breed-level differences in pain sensitivity may affect the recognition and management of painful conditions in dogs.

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Putting (Big) Black Dog Syndrome to the Test: Evidence from a Large Metropolitan Shelter

Cited by 26 publications

References 21 publications

Factors Associated with High Live Release for Dogs at a Large, Open-Admission, Municipal Shelter

Factors Associated with High Live Release for Dogs at a Large, Open-Admission, Municipal Shelter

Coat Color and Cat Outcomes in an Urban U.S. Shelter

Do dog breeds differ in pain sensitivity? Veterinarians and the public believe they do

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