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

Most support for Black Dog Syndrome or Big Black Dog Syndrome is anecdotal or theoretical. Yet some animal shelters/organizations have implemented strategies to address what they believe are lower rates of adoption and/or higher rates of euthanasia for “Big Black Dogs.” This study examines the persistent anecdotes and theories on humans’ preferences and aversions to dogs of various shades, using hierarchical multinomial logistic regression to predict outcomes for an analytic sample of 7,440 dogs from 2010–2011 in an urban, public animal shelter serving Louisville, Kentucky, USA. The relationship between coat shade and dog outcomes was not straightforward; while no relationship existed at the bivariate level, after controls were added, entirely black dogs showed somewhat lower odds of adoption—and higher euthanasia risk—than those characterized as secondarily black or sans black. Breed category, breed size, and purebred status were stronger predictors of dog outcomes than coat shade. Big Black Dog Syndrome was not supported by these data; smaller dogs were more likely to be euthanized if they were partly or wholly black. These findings may offer nuances to adoption strategies employed by shelters/organizations, help make better use of resources, and, perhaps, improve the likelihood of homing or rehoming shelter animals.     

What Do Current and Potential Australian Dog Owners Believe about Shelter Practices and Shelter Dogs?

ABSTRACT

Many displaced dogs are unable to find new homes in developed countries, including Australia, each year, even though demand for dogs in general remains high. Understanding community attitudes towards shelter dogs and beliefs about common shelter practices, particularly behavioral assessments conducted by shelters, may help shed light on this issue. To investigate what current and potential dog owners think about shelter dogs, we used an internet-based survey to probe the beliefs and attitudes of 1647 self-selected adult participants, using the online Public Attitudes towards Animal Welfare Shelter-Dogs (PAAWS-D) Survey. Over 80% of the sample indicated they would be likely or very likely to obtain a future pet dog from an animal shelter or rescue organization. Nonetheless, one-third of the participants believed that adult shelter dogs often have behavioral problems. Most participants were aware of routine shelter procedures, such as health and behavioral checks, and the consequences of a dog failing these. Moreover, most participants considered the assessment of shelter dog behavior, using scientific methods, for adoption suitability important. These findings may be used to inform strategies to increase the number of shelter dogs adopted, by clarifying the content of tests used to assess adoption suitability. This could be complemented by daily training and rehabilitation programs to improve shelter dog behavior, increase adoptability, and enhance public perceptions of shelter dogs.     

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

This study examined which characteristics of dogs available at a large rehoming organization in the United Kingdom influenced prospective adopters' choices. The revealed preference data used to model “consumer” choice were from the Dogs Trust rehoming web pages. The analysis of the probability of adoption involved a logistic regression model with multiple imputation. The factors that had a significant impact on the adopters' choices were age, size, pedigree status, coat length, behavior (e.g., fearfulness, adjustment issues), friendliness (toward children, dogs, and other pets), and training. This study offers a quantitative analysis of adopters' preferences that could prove to be useful for shelter personnel and researchers interested in the analysis of companion animal markets.     

Communication Patterns Within a Group of Shelter Dogs and Implications for Their Welfare

Keeping shelter dogs in groups provides them with a more socially and physically enriched environment, but eventually it may cause them stress. Understanding dogs' communication could help shelter staff recognize and prevent undesirable communicative patterns and encourage desirable ones. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine communication patterns in a group of dogs in a shelter. The observed dogs were engaged in different classes of dyadic and group interactions. Certain dogs were frequently initiators of dyadic interactions, and different dogs were the recipients. The predominant form of dyadic interactions was a neutral one, and aggressive behavior was rarely observed. The tendency of certain dogs to interact continuously may represent a nuisance for less social individuals. All of the dogs participated in 3 defined classes of group interactions. At the group level, the dogs frequently interact vocally or olfactorily. A major welfare problem may be very vocal dogs because their vocalizations are noisy and broadcast far-reaching signals. The frequency of some group interactions was reduced by the amount of time the dogs had in the shelter.     

Effect of Visitor Perspective on Adoption Decisions at One Animal Shelter

This study investigated the visitor experience at one urban animal shelter. While several previous studies have examined the reasons particular nonhuman animals are chosen by adopters, few have investigated the possible reasons one would visit a shelter and leave without adopting. Over a two-month period, 158 visitors were surveyed after they were finished touring the shelter. One quarter of those exiting the shelter had adopted a pet (companion animal) compared to 11% who had been planning to adopt that day but did not. Almost 20% of survey respondents were just visiting with no plans for pet adoption either that day or in the near future. Being affectionate and friendly were important characteristics sought by potential adopters, although non-adopters reported more frequently than adopters that the animal’s reaction to them was important. Shelters should work toward increasing chances for pets to connect and interact with visitors and focus on educating and retaining the interest of those who are not quite ready for a new pet.     

Factors Influencing Time to Adoption for Dogs in a Provincial Shelter System in Canada

Millions of companion animals are relinquished to shelters each year. For each dog entering, their characteristics and the characteristics of the shelter holding him/her influence their time to adoption. Using a Cox proportional hazards frailty model, these issues were explored using data from 31 shelters within the British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals shelter system. Results indicated that surrender reason, age, original source, coat color, breed, human population density of the shelter location, and year the nonhuman animal entered the shelter significantly influenced time to adoption. This study identified characteristics of dogs that make them less likely to be adopted quickly. Given limited resources, these results may help inform shelters on how to best allocate resources, particularly in interventions to improve adoption rates in shelters.     

Breed Characteristics of Abandoned and Lost Dogs in the Czech Republic

Records on sheltered dogs were collected from 3 municipal dog shelters situated in different regions of the Czech Republic from 2010 to 2013. A total of 3,875 dogs were analyzed in this study. Among these, 1,614 dogs were subsequently reclaimed (lost dogs) and 2,261 dogs were abandoned and offered for adoption. The ratio of purebred dogs and crossbred dogs differed significantly when comparing lost (66.4% vs. 33.6%) and abandoned dogs (35.0% vs. 65.0%). The median time until lost dogs were reclaimed was 1 day, and it was not affected by purebred status. The median time until abandoned dogs were adopted was 23 days. In abandoned dogs, purebred status had a significant effect on the time the dog spent at the shelter before adoption. The median time until adoption for crossbred dogs was 27 days, whereas the median time until adoption for purebred dogs was 19 days. The breed group influenced the length of stay (LOS) in abandoned dogs. Small companion dogs had the shortest LOS (median = 15 days) and guard dogs had the longest LOS (median = 25 days).     

Selected Gelling Agents in Canned Dog Food Affect Nutrient Digestibilities and Fecal Characteristics of Ileal Cannulated Dogs

Little is known about the effects of gelling agents in canned dog food on nutrient digestibilities and fecal characteristics. Dogs were fed canned diets with either no gelling agent (control) or one of three gelling agents, wheat starch, a guar gum/carrageenan mixture (50:50), and a locust bean meal (LBM)/ carrageenan mixture (50:50) incorporated at two levels (0.2 and 0.5% of the diet on a wet weight basis). Six dogs were fed each diet in a 6 ‐ 7 Youden square design. Dogs fed diets containing gelling agents had higher ileal digestibilities of OM (P = 0.05), fat (P < 0.01), GE (P = 0.02), and total amino acids (P = 0.04) and lower (P < 0.01) total tract DM digestibilities when compared to dogs fed the control diet. Fecal output by dogs fed the control diet, expressed on both an as-is (73.4g/d) and DM (45.6g/d) basis, was lower (P < 0.01) than for dogs fed gelling agent-containing diets (mean 102.3g/d as-is and 57.6g/d DM). Dogs fed the control diet also had lower ( P < 0.01) fecal DM percentages and higher (P = 0.02) fecal scores than dogs fed gelling agent-containing diets.     

Interaction with Shelter Dogs Reduces Negative Affect of Adolescents in Substance Use Disorder Treatment

We investigated the effectiveness of a human–animal interaction program, involving dogs from an animal shelter, in improving affect of adolescent males in inpatient treatment for substance use disorder (SUD). We hypothesized that adolescents would experience improvements in affect and attitudes toward activities when participating in human–dog interaction activities (dog-interaction condition) compared with “treatment-as-is” recreational activities (control condition). Participants were assigned to weekly 1-h-long condition activities for 8 weeks (4 weeks per condition). Due to attrition, only the participants’ first and second exposures to each condition were evaluated. Using a withinand between-subjects, repeated measures crossover design, we assessed effects of the two conditions on affective states as indexed by Positive and Negative Affect Scale-Expanded Form (PANAS-X) subscales (mixed linear model, n = 12). Attitudes toward doginteraction and control activities were assessed using a researcher-generated survey (ordered logistic regression, n = 14, mean age = 16.2 years). Condition impacted Hostility (F_(1,31) = 6.55, p < 0.05) and Sadness (F_(1,41) = 4.62, p < 0.05) subscale scores; scores were higher following the control condition and lower following the dog-interaction condition. There was a carryover effect of condition in the previous activity session on Sadness scores during the current activity session (F_(1,41) = 4.32, p < 0.05), suggesting that the prior session experience affected current expectations. In the attitudes survey, the dog-interaction condition elicited more positive responses than the control condition (X² ≥ 4.10, df = 1, p < 0.05). From this exploratory study, we conclude that the dog-interaction activities induced an improvement in affect, specifically within dimensions of negative affect, and participants had a more favorable attitude toward the dog activities than the treatment-as-is activities. Offering activities involving interaction with shelter dogs thus shows promise as a useful method for restoring responsiveness to naturally reinforcing (non-substance-related) affective stimuli in adolescents with SUD.     

Judging a Dog by Its Cover: Morphology but Not Training Influences Visitor Behavior toward Kenneled Dogs at Animal Shelters

Currently, visitor behavior in companion animal shelters is not adequately explored. A sequence of experiments investigated how visitors interacted with kenneled dogs at an animal shelter and whether training dogs to not engage in undesirable behavior in their kennels would evoke more interest from shelter visitors. In a set of two experiments, two sides of an animal shelter were differentially entered into training phases in a multiple baseline design. During the training phase, dogs were trained to not engage in undesirable in-kennel behavior (i.e., to not be in the back of the kennel, to not face backwards, to not lean on kennel walls, and to not bark) through pairing of the visual presentation of the experimenters (experiment 1) and shelter visitors (experiment 2) with treats. Across both experiments, visitors attended to approximately 35% of kenneled dogs and only spent an average of 15 s looking at individual dogs. We found that whereas training was effective in decreasing undesirable behavior in dogs (experiment 1: U = 4.83, p < 0.0001; experiment 2: U = 4.01, p = 0.0001), only morphology influenced visitor behavior. In experiment 1, morphologically preferred dogs (i.e., puppies, long-coated dogs, small dogs, and certain breeds) had a 1.3 times higher frequency of visits to their kennel (F_{(1, 248)} = 5.93, p < 0.05), and in experiment 2, these dogs had a 9 times higher frequency of being taken out of their kennel for further inspection (F_{(1, 69)} = 4.66, p < 0.05), compared to other dogs. One reason for a lack of effect of training may be the relatively small number of visitors observed (n = 115 across both experiments). An alternative reason may be that shelter visitors pay more attention to the morphology rather than the lack of undesirable behavior of kenneled dogs.     

"三伏贴"对慢性阻塞性肺病系统炎症的影响

目的:观察"三伏贴"对稳定期慢性阻塞性肺疾病(COPD)患者系统炎症的影响,并评价其有效性。方法:收集稳定期慢性阻塞性肺疾病患者60例,按随机数字表随机分为"三伏贴"治疗组与安慰剂治疗组,每组30例;在常规西医治疗的基础上,分别给予"三伏贴"和安慰剂贴敷治疗,分别在入伏、初伏、中伏及末伏进行4次穴位贴敷,完成1疗程治疗者共56例。观察治疗前、1个疗程结束时、治疗后3个月、治疗后6个月血清炎症因子的变化。应用酶联免疫吸附试验(ELISA)检测血清白细胞介素-8(IL-8),免疫比浊法测定血清CRP,比较治疗前后两组间的炎症因子变化趋势,同时比较治疗前后两组间CAT评分(COPD assessment test,CAT)、呼吸困难评分(MRC)及生存质量评分。结果:"三伏贴"组、安慰剂组血清IL-8、CRP随时间变化趋势不同;其中试验组血清炎症因子随时间呈逐渐下降趋势,但治疗后6个月时炎症因子略有升高,而安慰剂组炎症因子水平呈逐渐升高趋势,治疗前试验组与安慰剂组炎症因子水平差异无统计学意义,治疗3个月后,两组患者IL-8、CRP水平差异即有统计学意义(P0.05)。试验组患者治疗后CAT评分、MRC评分较治疗前下降,生存质量评分升高,差异有统计学意义(P0.05),而安慰剂组患者在治疗后CAT评分、MRC评分较治疗前升高,差异有统计学意义(P0.05),生存质量评分下降,差异有统计学意义(P0.05)。同一时间点,试验组较安慰剂组CAT评分、MRC评分下降,生存质量评分明显升高,差异有统计学意义(P0.05)。结论:冬病夏治穴位敷帖可以改善COPD患者生存质量,缓解症状,其作用机理可能与降低系统炎症相关因子有关。     

“三伏贴”对慢性阻塞性肺病系统炎症的影响

目的：观察“三伏贴”对稳定期慢性阻塞性肺疾病（COPD）患者系统炎症的影响,并评价其有效性。方法：收集稳定期慢性阻塞性肺疾病患者60 例,按随机数字表随机分为“三伏贴”治疗组与安慰剂治疗组,每组30 例;在常规西医治疗的基础上,分别给予“三伏贴”和安慰剂贴敷治疗,分别在入伏、初伏、中伏及末伏进行4 次穴位贴敷,完成1 疗程治疗者共56 例。观察治疗前、1 个疗程结束时、治疗后3 个月、治疗后6 个月血清炎症因子的变化。应用酶联免疫吸附试验（ELISA）检测血清白细胞介素-8（IL-8）,免疫比浊法测定血清CRP,比较治疗前后两组间的炎症因子变化趋势,同时比较治疗前后两组间CAT 评分（COPD assessment test,CAT）、呼吸困难评分（MRC）及生存质量评分。结果：“三伏贴”组、安慰剂组血清IL-8、CRP随时间变化趋势不同;其中试验组血清炎症因子随时间呈逐渐下降趋势,但治疗后6 个月时炎症因子略有升高,而安慰剂组炎症因子水平呈逐渐升高趋势,治疗前试验组与安慰剂组炎症因子水平差异无统计学意义,治疗3个月后,两组患者IL-8、CRP水平差异即有统计学意义（P〈0.05）。试验组患者治疗后CAT 评分、MRC 评分较治疗前下降,生存质量评分升高,差异有统计学意义（P〈0.05）,而安慰剂组患者在治疗后CAT 评分、MRC评分较治疗前升高,差异有统计学意义（P〈0.05）,生存质量评分下降,差异有统计学意义（P〈0.05）。同一时间点,试验组较安慰剂组CAT 评分、MRC评分下降,生存质量评分明显升高,差异有统计学意义（P〈0.05）。结论：冬病夏治穴位敷帖可以改善COPD 患者生存质量,缓解症状,其作用机理可能与降低系统炎症相关因子有关。     

Opinions of UK Rescue Shelter and Rehoming Center Workers on the Problems Facing Their Industry

Animal shelters exist worldwide to care for and rehome unwanted or straying pets. Previous studies have examined why owners breed unwanted animals, or relinquish their pets to shelters. However, the views of shelter workers, who receive and care for these animals, have previously been largely unexplored. The aim of this study was to investigate the perceptions of animal shelter workers on the problems facing their industry. A sampling frame was constructed, consisting of every identified shelter in the UK, and a postal questionnaire sent to each. This included two open questions, soliciting respondents’ views on their biggest problems, and inviting further comments. A total of 661 respondents replied to at least one question. Thematic analysis on the free text content was carried out, and basic and global themes identified. Respondents’ main concerns centered on a mismatch between the continuous demand for their services and their limited resources, which has worsened during the recent financial crisis. Respondents perceived a need for increased public awareness of the commitment involved in keeping a pet, and of controlling breeding by neutering. Points of intervention, such as education programs, were suggested. Coordinating efforts with others, including local authorities, landlords, and housing associations, and a potential role for veterinary professionals working in shelter medicine were all explored by respondents. Rehoming organizations play an important role in the management of pet overpopulation, and the views and beliefs of their workers form an important contribution to the dialogue surrounding this issue. Consideration of these perspectives may suggest alternative routes to address underlying causes and management of pet overpopulation.     

Use of Accelerometers to Measure Stress Levels in Shelter Dogs

Stress can compromise welfare in any confined group of nonhuman animals, including those in shelters. However, an objective and practical method for assessing the stress levels of individual dogs housed in a shelter does not exist. Such a method would be useful for monitoring animal welfare and would allow shelters to measure the effectiveness of specific interventions for stress reduction. In this pilot study, activity levels were studied in 13 dogs using accelerometers attached to their collars. Behavioral stress scores as well as urinary and salivary cortisol levels were measured to determine if the dogs' activity levels while confined in the kennel correlated with behavioral and physiological indicators of stress in this population. The results indicated that the accelerometer could be a useful tool to study stress-related activity levels in dogs. Specific findings included a correlation between the salivary cortisol and maximum activity level (r = .62, p = .025) and a correlation between the urine cortisol-to-creatinine ratio and average activity level (r = .61, p = .028) among the study dogs. Further research is needed to better understand the complex relationship between stress and activity level among dogs in a kennel environment.     

Owner Attachment and Problem Behaviors Related to Relinquishment and Training Techniques of Dogs

Problematic behaviors are a significant reason for relinquishment, and relinquished dogs are more likely to have problem behaviors. This study utilized standardized surveys of owners (companion animal guardians) relinquishing their dogs to shelters and dog owners visiting vaccination clinics. “Relinquishing” and “continuing” owners were asked questions in the following categories: demographic information, training methods and tools, frequencies in which their dogs engaged in problematic behaviors, and attachment to their dogs. “Relinquishers” were also asked to provide their reasons for relinquishment. The results of 129 surveys (80 relinquishing and 49 continuing) showed that relinquishers scored lower on companion animal attachment than continuing owners. Pit bull-type dogs were represented more in the relinquishing group. Relinquished dogs were no less likely to have attended training classes than continuing dogs. In both groups, owners who used punishment-based collars reported less satisfaction with their dogs' overall and leash-walking behaviors. Pit bull-type dogs were reported to be no less well behaved compared with all other breeds combined. Sixty-five percent of relinquishers reported some behavioral reason for relinquishment. Forty-eight percent of relinquishers indicated that at least 1 problem behavior was a strong influence on their decision to relinquish.     

Effects of Phenotypic Characteristics on the Length of Stay of Dogs at Two No Kill Animal Shelters

Adoption records from 2 no kill shelters in New York State were examined to determine how age, sex, size, breed group, and coat color influenced the length of stay (LOS) of dogs at these shelters. Young puppies had the shortest length of stay; LOS among dogs increased linearly as age increased. Neither coat color nor sex influenced LOS. Considering only size classifications, medium-size dogs had the greatest LOS, and extra small dogs and puppies remained in shelters for the least amount of time. Considering only breed groupings, dogs in the guard group had the greatest LOS and those in the giant group had the shortest LOS. The lack of effect of coat color was not expected, nor was the shorter LOS among “fighting” breeds compared with other breed groups. Coat color and breed may have only local effects on LOS that do not generalize to all shelters, including traditional shelters. Understanding the traits of dogs in a specific shelter and the characteristics of these nonhuman animals desired by adopters are critical to improving the welfare of animals served by that shelter.     

Heritabilities of a population of German Shepherd Dogs with a complex interrelationship structure

Summary Heritabilities of conformation characteristics of a German Shepherd Dog population were estimated. The interrelationship structure was complex, with more than one generation, some related parents, and some diallel crossings. These problems were overcome by a simple, practical method of estimation of heritability. Relatively high heritability estimates were obtained.     

外科教学中犬的复合麻醉效果观察

目的比较氯胺酮、地西泮和丙泊酚复合麻醉在外科教学中对犬的麻醉效果。方法成年健康杂种犬42条,诱导麻醉相同,均肌注氯胺酮（10 mg/kg）和氟哌利多（0.5 mg/kg）混合液。静脉维持采用不用的方法,分为三组,分别是静脉滴注氯胺酮地西泮混合液（n=12）、静脉推注氯胺酮地西泮混合液（n=12）和静脉滴注丙泊酚利多卡因混合液（n=18）。结果三组麻醉效果显示,静脉滴注丙泊酚利多卡因混合液效果最好,优83.3%,良16.7%,死亡率0%。结论在外科教学中,对犬采用丙泊酚复合麻醉是一种较为理想的麻醉方法。     

丙泊酚复合麻醉在实验犬外科手术中的效果观察

目的丙泊酚复合麻醉应用于实验犬外科手术,进行效果评价。方法成年健康杂种犬13只,雌雄不限。术前30 min肌内注射阿托品0.5 mg,吗啡10 mg,进行气管插管,静脉注射氯胺酮50 mg,静脉注射丙泊酚首次剂量5 mg/kg体重,维持剂量1 mg/kg。结果丙泊酚复合麻醉,平均麻醉起效时间40 s,首次剂量平均维持17.3min,重复给药平均维持13.6 min,无死亡。丙泊酚有较强的麻醉效果,诱导时间短,起效快,恢复快速平稳,而且无副作用。结论丙泊酚复合麻醉适合于犬的外科手术实验,是一种较为理想的麻醉方法。     

Exploring Human Interaction and Diet Effects on the Behavior of Dogs in a Public Animal Shelter

This study examined the effects of 2 manipulations-a brief, regular period of human contact and diet-on the behavior of dogs confined in a public animal shelter. A behavioral battery designed to assess reactions to novel situations, and a test of responsiveness to an unfamiliar human were administered both prior to (pretest) and immediately following (posttest) the 8-week intervention period. Overall, the regular periods of increased human contact together with a diet that contained augmented levels of digestible protein, fat, calories, and animal-derived ingredients reduced signs of behavioral reactivity from pretest to posttest. In some cases, the comparison diet appeared more effective, but only for dogs receiving minimal human interaction. The results indicate that a combination of human interaction and high quality diet may positively affect the behavior of dogs in animal shelters.