ABSTRACT

Animal shelters commonly experience difficulties finding homes for dogs with pre-existing medical or behavioral issues. The purpose of this study was to investigate the various factors that contribute to people’s willingness to consider adopting dogs with different behavioral and medical needs and backgrounds. A web-based survey was created using the Qualtrics platform. The sample size for this study was (n = 752). Results from generalized linear mixed models and latent regression models showed that, overall stimulus, dogs described as having behavioral issues were viewed as less adoptable, less appealing, and more demanding of resources than dogs described as having medical issues. However, while women perceived dogs with behavioral issues as less adoptable than dogs with medical issues, men viewed dogs with behavioral issues as more adoptable than dogs with medical issues. Dogs described as friendly were perceived as most adoptable followed by (in order) dogs with an abuse history, dogs with allergies, and dogs that jumped/pulled. Dogs with diabetes or separation anxiety were perceived as least adoptable. Dogs described as having a history of abuse were viewed as more adoptable, more affectively appealing, and less demanding of resources than dogs with either medical or behavioral issues. Participants who currently had a dog or who were raised with a dog as a child tended to view stimulus dogs as more adoptable than their counterparts who didn’t currently have a dog or who didn’t have a dog as a child. Married persons viewed dogs as more adoptable than unmarried persons, and younger persons viewed dogs as more adoptable than older persons. Understanding the attitudes/beliefs of potential dog adopters toward various medical and behavioral issues provides animal rescue and adoption groups with valuable information on how best to market dogs who have medical or behavioral problems. Shelters can offer potential adopters training classes for dogs with behavioral problems and “how-to” educational classes for those who adopt dogs with medical problems. The purpose of this study was to examine the various factors that contribute to people’s willingness to consider adopting dogs with different behavioral and medical attributes and backgrounds. There are few extant research studies related to the perceived adoptability of dogs with pre-existing medical and behavioral problems.

摘要

动物收容所通常难以为已有医疗或行为问题的狗找到家。本研究的目的是调查导致人们愿意考虑收养具有不同行为和医疗需求及背景的狗的各种因素。使用 Qualtrics 平台创建了一项基于网络的调查。本研究的样本量为 ( n = 752）。广义线性混合模型和潜在回归模型的结果表明，在总体刺激下，被描述为有行为问题的狗比被描述为有医疗问题的狗被认为不太容易采用、不太吸引人并且对资源的要求更高。然而，虽然女性认为有行为问题的狗比有医疗问题的狗更不容易被收养，但男性认为有行为问题的狗比有医疗问题的狗更容易被收养。被描述为友好的狗被认为是最容易被领养的，其次是（按顺序）有虐待史的狗、过敏的狗和跳跃/拉扯的狗。患有糖尿病或分离焦虑症的狗被认为是最不受欢迎的。被描述为有虐待史的狗被认为更容易被收养，更有吸引力，与有医疗或行为问题的狗相比，对资源的需求更少。目前养狗或小时候养狗的参与者倾向于认为刺激狗比目前没有狗或小时候没有狗的同行更容易被领养。已婚者认为狗比未婚者更容易被领养，年轻人认为狗比年长者更容易被领养。了解潜在的狗收养者对各种医疗和行为问题的态度/信念为动物救援和收养团体提供了有关如何最好地推销有医疗或行为问题的狗的宝贵信息。收容所可以为有行为问题的狗提供潜在的收养者培训课程，并为那些收养有健康问题的狗的人提供“操作方法”教育课程。本研究的目的是检查导致人们愿意考虑收养具有不同行为和医学属性及背景的狗的各种因素。很少有现存的研究与预先存在的医疗和行为问题的狗的感知可采用性相关。