Deborah L. Wells

Prevalence of behaviour problems reported by owners of dogs purchased from an animal rescue shelter.

This study examined the prevalence of behaviour problems exhibited by dogs within 4 weeks of acquisition from a rescue shelter in Northern Ireland. One thousand five hundred and forty-seven people who had purchased a dog from a rescue shelter in Northern Ireland were sent a postal questionnaire designed to collect information on the behaviours exhibited by their dog within the first month of acquisition. Five hundred and fifty-six people responded to the survey, representing a response rate of 37%. The majority of respondents (68.3%) reported that their dog exhibited a behaviour problem, the most common being fearfulness. Most of those respondents (89.7%) who returned their dog to the shelter did so because the animal exhibited behaviour that they considered undesirable. Male dogs showed more unacceptable behaviours than females, specifically inter-male aggression, sexual problems and straying tendencies. More stray dogs displayed undesirable behaviour than unwanteds, specifically straying tendencies. Puppies were less likely to exhibit unacceptable behaviours than juveniles or adults, particularly fearfulness, sexual problems and straying tendencies. More juvenile dogs showed excessive activity and excessive barking than puppies or adults. More adult dogs displayed aggression towards other dogs than juveniles or puppies. Findings indicate that dogs purchased from rescue shelters do exhibit behaviour problems that may lead to their return. The number of dogs admitted or returned to rescue shelters with behaviour problems may be reduced by raising public awareness regarding the value of behaviour therapy and introducing behaviour therapy schemes to rescue shelters.

The influence of olfactory stimulation on the behaviour of cats housed in a rescue shelter

A wide variety of feline species have been shown to gain welfare benefits from the introduction of olfactory stimuli to the captive environment. The effect of this stimulation on the domestic cat, however, has been largely overlooked. This study thus explored the influence of olfactory stimulation on cats housed in a rescue shelter to determine whether it holds any value as a method of enrichment for this species. One hundred and fifty cats were randomly assigned to one of five conditions of olfactory stimulation (control [an odourless cloth]; biologically relevant odour [a cloth impregnated with the scent of rabbit]; biologically non-relevant odours, [a cloth impregnated with lavender, a renowned relaxant, or the scent of catnip, a well known stimulant]). Cats were exposed to the relevant olfactory stimuli for 3 h a day for five consecutive days. Each cat’s behaviour was recorded every 5 min on days one, three and five of olfactory exposure, using instantaneous scan sampling. Overall, cats showed relatively little interest in the cloths, spending just over 6% of the total observation time interacting with these stimuli. However, animals exposed to the catnip-impregnated cloths exhibited significantly more interest in the stimulus than animals exposed to the other cloths, spending an average of 11.14% of the observation time interacting with the objects. Across all experimental conditions, interest in the cloths was significantly lower in the second and third hours of stimulus presentation compared to the first, suggesting habituation. Certain components of the cats’ behavioural repertoire were influenced by olfactory stimulation. Catnip and prey scent encouraged a significantly higher frequency of behaviours indicative of reduced activity (e.g. more time sleeping, less time standing and actively exploring the environment) in comparison to the control condition. Catnip also encouraged play-like behaviour characterised as the ‘catnip response’. Overall, the results suggest that certain odours, notably catnip, may hold potential as environmental enrichment for captive

Domestic dogs and human health: an overview

PURPOSE The domestic dog is one of the most commonly owned, and widely utilized, animals in todays society. This paper provides an overview of research that has explored the relationship between the domestic dog and human well-being. METHODS The article initially concentrates on the value of dogs for physical health in humans, exploring the evidence that this species can prevent us from becoming ill, facilitate our recovery from ill-health, and even serve as an early warning system for certain types of underlying ailment including cancer, oncoming seizures and hypoglycaemia. The paper then examines the relationship between dogs and psychological health in humans, exploring the ability of this species to aid the disabled and serve as a therapist to those in institutional settings such as hospitals, residential homes and prisons. Weaknesses in the existing research in this area are highlighted throughout the article. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, the studies reviewed suggest that dogs can have prophylactic and therapeutic value for people.

The facilitation of social interactions by domestic dogs

Abstract Research suggests that dogs can facilitate social interactions, which, in turn, may promote psychological health. This study explored the ability of dogs to facilitate social responses relative to other accompaniments and investigated whether the social catalysis effect is generic or influenced by the appearance of the dog. The behavior of 1800 pedestrians approaching a female experimenter was recorded as a function of the presence of three dogs (Labrador Retriever pup, Labrador adult, Rottweiler adult) and two neutral stimuli (teddy bear, potted plant). The behavior of pedestrians approaching the woman whenever she was alone (control) was also explored. Information was collected on the passers-by’ gender, number of people in the party, type of acknowledgement elicited and length of conversations. More people ignored the experimenter whenever she was alone or with the teddy or plant, than whenever she was walking a dog. The Rottweiler resulted in more nonresponses than the puppy or adult Labrador, who in turn elicited more smiles and verbal responses. Females, and those alone, elicited more smiles and conversations than males, or those in pairs. It is concluded that dogs can facilitate social interactions between adults better than other accompaniments; however, the social catalysis effect is not generic, but dog specific.

Pet Ownership and Cardiovascular Risk: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the United States.1 Despite efforts promoting primary and secondary CVD prevention,2–8 obesity and physical inactivity remain at epidemic proportions, with >60% of Americans adults overweight or obese and >50% not performing recommended levels of physical activity.9 Similarly, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and other CVD risk factors remain poorly controlled in many Americans. Despite numerous pharmacological and device-based advances in the management of patients with established CVD, morbidity and mortality associated with this condition remain substantial. Hence, a critical need exists for novel strategies and interventions that can potentially reduce the risk of CVD and its attendant morbidity and mortality. Numerous studies have explored the relationship between pet (primarily dog or cat) ownership and CVD, with many reporting beneficial effects, including increased physical activity, favorable lipid profiles, lower systemic blood pressure, improved autonomic tone, diminished sympathetic responses to stress, and improved survival after an acute coronary syndrome. Accordingly, the potential cardiovascular benefits of pet ownership have received considerable lay press and medical media coverage and attention from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention10 and have been the focus of a meeting sponsored by the National Institutes of Health.11 The purpose of this American Heart Association Scientific Statement is to critically assess the data regarding the influence of pet ownership on the presence and reduction of CVD risk factors and CVD risk. Some, but not all, studies of pet ownership and systemic blood pressure have found an association between pet ownership and lower blood pressure. An Australian study of 5741 participants attending a free screening clinic found that pet owners had significantly ( P =0.03) lower systolic blood pressures than pet nonowners despite similar body mass index (BMI) and socioeconomic profiles.12 In a study of 240 married couples …

Male and female dogs respond differently to men and women

Abstract The effect of canine and/or human gender on the response of the domestic dog towards humans has been little studied. This study investigated the reactions of male and female dogs housed in an animal rescue shelter towards the presence of men and women to determine how a dogs response towards a person was influenced by canine and human gender. The response of 30 dogs housed in the Ulster Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (USPCA) to each of six people (three men and three women), who stood individually for a period of 2 min at the front of the dogs cage, was observed. The amount of time that the dog spent at the front of the cage, barking, looking towards the human, wagging its tail, and engaged in activities of sitting, standing, moving, resting, was recorded. Canine gender exerted an influence on the amount of time that dogs spent looking towards the humans. Female dogs showed a greater decrease in the amount of time they spent looking towards the humans over the course of the testing than male dogs. Human gender had an effect on both dog barking, and eye orientation. Dogs showed a stronger decrease in their barking and their tendency to look towards the human whenever the subject was a woman than a man, suggesting that dogs may be more defensively-aggressive towards men than women. There was no interaction between canine and human gender on the dogs response towards the persons. This study indicated that both canine and human gender influence certain elements of a dogs response towards the presence of a human. The findings may have practical implications for the re-housing of dogs from rescue shelters.

Pet ownership and adults’ views on the use of animals

Four hundred and twenty-two adults completed a postal questionnaire in which they provided information regarding pet ownership and their attitudes toward 13 issues involving the use of animals. Over 63% of the sample owned a household pet, with the dog being the most common. Household pets were more commonly owned by respondents who were married, younger than 65 years of age, living in detached houses, or with a child/children present in the home. Most concern was expressed toward those types of animal uses which lead to death or injury, especially dog fighting. Females expressed more disagreement than males with most of the uses o f animals examined. Dog owners expressed more approval offox-hunting and hare-coursing than non-dog owners, and horse owners expressed more approval offox-hunting than non-horse owners. This study reveals that some of the ways in which people use animals are considered more acceptable than others, and suggests that it is incorrect to group different kinds of animal use into one broad category. The authors argue that future years may see a shift in the way society uses animals, from manipulation toward care for their well-being.

Associations between pet ownership and self-reported health status in people suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome

OBJECTIVE This study explored the association between pet ownership and self-reported health in people suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). METHODS One hundred and ninety-three (193) people with medically diagnosed CFS completed a postal survey designed to collect information on illness severity, physical and psychologic health, and pet ownership practices. RESULTS Most of the participants were female (72.0%), over 45 years of age (57.1%) and married (41.1%) with no children (63.1%). Pets were owned by 58.3% of the sample, with dogs and cats being the most commonly kept types of companion animal. The general health of the participants was discovered to be poor, as assessed by scores on the Chalder Fatigue Questionnaire (CFQ), General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12), and Short-Form-36 (SF-36) health survey. Pet ownership was not significantly associated with scores on the CFQ, GHQ-12, or SF-36 scales, although pet owners considered their animals to offer them a range of health benefits, notably those associated with mental well-being. CONCLUSIONS Overall, findings suggest no statistically significant association between pet ownership and self-reported health in people with CFS. Nonetheless, people suffering from this condition believe that their pets have the potential to enhance quality of life. Although animals should not be regarded as a panacea for people with long-term conditions such as CFS, they may, nonetheless, serve a valuable, and currently underutilized, role in promoting well-being, whether in their own right, or in conjunction with more traditional forms of therapy.

Long-term flavor recognition in humans with prenatal garlic experience

The human fetus learns about its chemosensory environment and this influences its behavior at birth and during the nursing period. This study examined whether prenatal experience could influence behavior much later in life. The dietary preference of two groups of children (8- to 9-years old) was examined. Mothers of one group had consumed garlic during pregnancy, mothers of the control group had not. Children received two tests, 1 month apart, of a meal containing two portions of potato gratin, one flavored with garlic. The total amount of potato, and the percentage of garlic flavored potato, eaten was calculated and examined separately by ANOVA for factors of prenatal exposure, the childs sex, and trial. Children prenatally exposed to garlic ate significantly more garlic flavored potato and a significantly greater overall amount of potato on trial 2, compared to controls. The results demonstrate prenatal experience may affect behavior well into childhood.

The effectiveness of a citronella spray collar in reducing certain forms of barking in dogs.

This study examined the effectiveness of a citronella spay collar in reducing barking in 30 dogs which wore the collar continuously, i.e. every day for 30min, or intermittently, i.e. every other day for 30min, for a period of 3 weeks. Owners rated the frequency of their dogs barking on a scale ranging from 1 (very infrequent) to 5 (very frequent) before the study began (pre-treatment condition) and at the end of every week that the collar was worn (treatment condition). A further evaluation was made at the end of week 4, following 7 days of collar deprivation (post-treatment condition). Dogs exhibited a significantly lower frequency of barking during the treatment and post-treatment conditions compared to the pre-treatment condition. Barking was most effectively reduced when dogs wore the collar intermittently. However, barking increased over the period of time the collar was worn, particularly in those dogs which wore the device every day. Barking continued to increase when the dogs stopped wearing the collar, albeit at frequencies lower than pre-treatment, particularly in those animals which had worn the collar continuously. The collar was more effective at reducing travel related barking than television or traffic related barking. Findings indicate that dogs generally habituate to the citronella spray collar irrespective of how the animal is exposed to the device. A longer period of efficacy occurs, however, if the collar is worn intermittently. This may appeal to owners who are concerned about their pet having to wear the collar for long periods of time.