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| A tricolour Kelpie. Photo: K.A. Willis / Shutterstock |
By Zazie Todd, PhD
Wherever you lot are, at that spot are many dogs as well as cats inwards shelters or rescues waiting for novel homes. One of the reasons some people plough over for non wanting to adopt a pet from a shelter is that they are concerned most behaviour problems. H5N1 novel study past times Sophie Scott et al (University of Adelaide) looks at the behaviour problems people study inwards their newly-adopted domestic dog or cat, as well as finds out how they experience most their novel pet.
The results are real positive as well as present most people are happy amongst their novel domestic dog or cat.
Sophie Scott told me inwards an email,
“It's incredibly of import nosotros sympathise the nature of adopter satisfaction later the adoption of a truthful cat or dog. Issues such every bit employment behaviours and/or conflict amongst other pets or children tin comport on adopter satisfaction as well as are oftentimes attributed to adoption failure, then the mightiness to pin-point the master copy issues as well as troubleshoot them early on is essential inwards maintaining the human-animal-bond inwards these cases.
We flora that a large number of adopters experiencing issues withal had high satisfaction levels despite this. This implies many adopters had realistic expectations of their rescue truthful cat or domestic dog as well as hence convey a for certain score of tolerance for these issues. More question needs to hold upward done of course of study to farther investigate adopter satisfaction, but this suggests that appropriate counselling at the fourth dimension of adoption as well as access to assistance such every bit beast behaviourists inwards the fourth dimension next adoption may hold upward essential inwards modulating adopter expectations, as well as therefore, their subsequent levels of satisfaction. “
107 people who had adopted a domestic dog or puppy, as well as 168 people who had adopted a truthful cat or kitten, completed the telephone survey.
Most truthful cat owners (85%) were real satisfied amongst their novel pet’s behaviour, as well as solely 0.6% said they were dissatisfied amongst their cat’s behaviour.
14% of cats were said to convey an undesirable behaviour. The most mutual complaints were inappropriate scratching or chewing of furniture, household soiling issues, or other issues. The shelter has advice available from a behaviourist for adopters who involve it, as well as simply over one-half of those who said their truthful cat had a behaviour employment were referred, land the residual did non wishing to hold upward referred.
Dog owners were less satisfied, but 65% of people were real satisfied amongst their novel dog’s behaviour, as well as simply nether 4% said they were dissatisfied. 53% of the dogs were said to convey an undesirable behaviour. The most mutual problems reported were pulling on leash, scratching or chewing furniture, as well as house-soiling issues. Just nether one-half of people who said their domestic dog had a employment were referred to the behaviourist.
For both cats as well as dogs, the argue for the animal's admission to the shelter did non comport on people's overall satisfaction amongst their novel pet.
Interestingly, dogs who had been at the shelter for a longer menstruation of fourth dimension were less probable to convey behaviour problems. This suggests the shelter had successfully worked amongst the dogs to resolve whatever issues.
About one-half of the animals were adopted to homes amongst children, or amongst children who oftentimes visited. Most people said the domestic dog or truthful cat was adjusting good to the children, fifty-fifty though simply over one-half of them had been assessed past times the shelter every bit non beingness suitable for a dwelling amongst children.
Cats were to a greater extent than probable to larn to a dwelling that already had other animals, but were likewise less probable to hold upward said to adapt good to it than dogs.
Of the dogs, simply over one-half were woman somebody as well as most had been strays, although 30% had been possessor surrenders. The most mutual breeds were mixed-breeds of which business office was Staffordshire Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers as well as Kelpies (an Australian sheep dog).
Of the cats, to a greater extent than than one-half were woman somebody as well as to a greater extent than than one-half had been strays, amongst 38% owner-surrenders. They were generally mixed-breeds, typically Domestic Short-Hairs or Domestic Medium-Hairs.
Both dogs as well as cats were typically aged betwixt 1 as well as seven years, although at that spot were likewise quite a few kittens. The average length of fourth dimension inwards the shelter was xix days for dogs as well as twenty days for cats.
These results present most people are real satisfied amongst the behaviour of their novel pet. This is consistent amongst the results of before question on dogs which flora that most people who adopt a shelter domestic dog would produce then again.
In price of the most mutual employment behaviours exhibited, a no-pull harness is a expert means to create out dogs pulling on leash. As for cats, it’s real of import to furnish good scratching posts that are appropriate (from the cat’s betoken of view) every bit scratching is a natural behaviour; rewarding cats for using the post is likewise a expert idea.
Although at that spot could hold upward variations betwixt shelters, this study provides real useful information every bit to the adoption counselling that would hold upward useful. The results are likewise real reassuring for people planning to adopt a shelter pet.
You tin follow Dr. Susan Hazel, ane of the authors of the study, on Twitter.
What’s your advice to someone thinking of adopting a domestic dog from a shelter?
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Zazie Todd, PhD, is the writer of Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy
. She is the founder of the pop weblog , where she writes most everything from grooming methods to the human-canine relationship. She likewise writes a column for Psychology Today as well as has received the prestigious Captain Haggerty Award for Best Training Article inwards 2017. Todd lives inwards Maple Ridge, BC, amongst her husband, ane dog, as well as ii cats.Useful links:
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Reference
Scott, S., Jong, E., McArthur, M., & Hazel, S. J. (2018). Follow-up surveys of people who convey adopted dogs as well as cats from an Australian shelter. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2017.12.021
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