Study: Owners of dogs adopted from shelters report satisfaction
- At least 2 million dogs are adopted from US shelters each year
- Little is known about dog behavior long-term after adoption
- Study: Most dogs adjusted well to their new homes
For the most part, “pandemic pets” were given good homes. But there’s another pet problem stemming from the pandemic. (Getty Images)
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(NewsNation) — A new study says people who adopt dogs from shelters are highly satisfied with their pets’ behavior.
Although at least 2 million dogs are adopted from U.S. shelters each year, the study published last week in PLOS ONE by researchers at Ohio State University said little is known about dog behavior long-term after adoption.
With a goal of changing that, researchers surveyed the owners of nearly 100 dogs adopted from five Ohio shelters for different amounts of time using the Canine Behavioral Assessment & Research Questionnaire. More than 60% of those surveyed had previously owned a dog.
In each part of the survey, dog owners were questioned about stranger-directed aggression, owner-directed aggression, dog-directed aggression, excitability, stranger-directed fear, dog-directed fear, nonsocial fear, separation-related behavior, attachment and attention-seeking, touch sensitivity, energy levels, chasing and training difficulties.
Despite the study reporting a prevalence of undesirable behaviors, the final time participants were surveyed, 100% of them reported that their dog adjusted either extremely or moderately well to their new home.
