Four suggestions from the findings of this dissertation that will likely better the lives of dogs living in animal shelters are: 1) Shelter dog breed heritage is complex and visually identifying multiple breeds in a mixed breed dog is difficult at best. Shelters should instead focus on communicating the morphology and behavior of the dogs in their care to best support adopters. 2) While encouraging walking did not influence owner behavior, adopters who reported higher obligation and self-efficacy in dog walking were more active with their dogs. Thus, post-adoption interventions that can effectively target owner perceptions of obligation and self-efficacy may be more successful in changing behavior. 3) Temporary fostering is an impactful intervention that reduces stress for dogs awaiting adoption; however addressing stressors present at shelters that are likely contributing to higher stress responding is also needed. 4) It is possible to predict the internal stress responding of shelter dogs by observing their overt, in-kennel behavior, and this study is a first step in assessing and improving the welfare of dogs living in animal shelters.
Does a consistent mentor help a youth transition into a secure and independent adult life? To answer this, I have used a grounded theory methodology to research elements of the foster care system. Through academic research, I audited the landscape of mentoring within foster care and then helped in the designing of a framework for a foster youth mentoring service could look like and have researched the areas in which a mentor can benefit a youth. I have listened to and recorded the stories of three college students with lived foster care experience so that I could learn from those who have firsthand experience. After using these methods, the findings showed that a consistent mentor figure is a key factor in the transition into a secure and independent adult life.
Animal shelters can be stress-inducing environments for dogs because of the noise, social isolation and unpredictable housing (Hennessy et al., 2020). Dog enthusiasts and researchers alike have found that social interaction can help alleviate stress in dogs. The aim of this study was to understand dogs’ interaction preferences to improve their welfare in animal shelters. We hypothesized that there would be statistically significant differences between both the time dogs spent in dog-dog and dog-human interactions. The dogs’ interaction preferences were operationalized as the percentage of their play time they spent in dog-dog, dog-human and dog-environment interactions. A total of twelve dogs from the Animal Humane Society (AHS) in Golden Valley, Minnesota shelter participated as subjects in the study. The study ran for two weeks, and there were 2 sessions of 15 minute playgroups recorded at 9:00 AM, 11:40 AM and 2:20 PM. Each playgroup consisted of two to four dogs. We found statistically significant differences between the percentage of each dog’s individual time they spent in dog-human interactions, which is supported by the literature. Differences between the percentage of each dog’s time in dog-dog interactions were nearly, but not quite statistically significant. Further research is needed to determine if age, size and breed contribute to the dog’s interaction preferences. More research is also needed to determine whether individual differences in preference for dog-dog interaction exist between dogs, and how this knowledge can be applied to improve dogs’ welfare in shelters. Our research suggests that shelters should continue to provide dogs with play time to interact with humans, as it is helpful in alleviating the impact of environmental stressors.
Previous research has indicated that certain breeds of dogs stay longer in shelters than others. However, exactly how breed perception and identification influences potential adopters' decisions remains unclear. Current dog breed identification practices in animal shelters are often based upon information supplied by the relinquishing owner, or staff determination based on the dog's phenotype. However, discrepancies have been found between breed identification as typically assessed by welfare agencies and the outcome of DNA analysis. In Study 1, the perceived behavioral and adoptability characteristics of a pit-bull-type dog were compared with those of a Labrador Retriever and Border Collie. How the addition of a human handler influenced those perceptions was also assessed. In Study 2, lengths of stay and perceived attractiveness of dogs that were labeled as pit bull breeds were compared to dogs that were phenotypically similar but were labeled as another breed at an animal shelter. The latter dogs were called "lookalikes." In Study 3, we compared perceived attractiveness in video recordings of pit-bull-type dogs and lookalikes with and without breed labels. Lastly, data from an animal shelter that ceased applying breed labeling on kennels were analyzed, and lengths of stay and outcomes for all dog breeds, including pit bulls, before and after the change in labeling practice were compared. In total, these findings suggest that breed labeling influences potential adopters' perceptions and decision-making. Given the inherent complexity of breed assignment based on morphology coupled with negative breed perceptions, removing breed labels is a relatively low-cost strategy that will likely improve outcomes for dogs in animal shelters.