Public attitudes towards free-roaming dogs and dog ownership practices in Bulgaria, Italy, and Ukraine
Preprint
- 17 May 2021
- preprint
- research article
- Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Abstract
Overabundant, free-roaming dog populations are associated with risks to public health, livestock losses, wildlife conservation, and dog health and welfare. Dog population management is conducted to mitigate these issues. Assessing dog population management strategies is important to determine their effectiveness, efficiency, and long-term impact. It is essential to also determine how the behaviour and outlook of local communities may influence the efficacy of dog population management. This study aimed to determine public attitudes towards free-roaming dogs and their management and describe dog ownership practices in three European countries using an online questionnaire survey. This study found that most surveyed respondents wanted to see a reduction in free-roaming dog numbers, and felt that this should be achieved through sheltering, catch-neuter-release, and by controlling the breeding of owned dogs. This questionnaire also identified significant associations between public attitudes and dog ownership practices with gender, religious beliefs, age, education level, reason for dog ownership, previous experience with free-roaming dogs, and country of residence. Respondents who identified as: (i) being male, (ii) holding religious beliefs, (iii) owning dogs for practical reasons, (iv) being young, and (v) having no schooling or primary education had a lower probability of neutering and a higher probability of allowing dogs to roam. Respondents who identified as: (i) being female, (ii) feeling threatened by free-roaming dogs, (iii) being older, and (iv) having more education had a higher probability of answering that an increase in free-roaming dog numbers should be prevented. These findings can help to inform future dog population management interventions in these countries and highlight the importance of considering local public attitudes and dog ownership practices in the development of effective dog population management approaches. Including these social factors will ensure that both the community and organisations involved in dog population management work cohesively towards a shared goal.Keywords
Other Versions
- Published version: Version PLOS ONE, 17, preprints
This publication has 44 references indexed in Scilit:
- Predation of wildlife by free-ranging domestic dogs in Polish hunting grounds and potential competition with the grey wolfBiological Conservation, 2016
- The demography of free‐roaming dog populations and applications to disease and population controlJournal of Applied Ecology, 2014
- The dog–human–wildlife interfacePublished by Oxford University Press (OUP) ,2013
- A review of the interactions between free-roaming domestic dogs and wildlifeBiological Conservation, 2013
- Genetic profile of dingoes (Canis lupus dingo) and free-roaming domestic dogs (C. l. familiaris) in the Tanami Desert, AustraliaWildlife Research, 2013
- Free-roaming dog control among OIE-member countriesPreventive Veterinary Medicine, 2010
- Progress in control of cystic echinococcosis in La Rioja, Spain: decline in infection prevalences in human and animal hosts and economic costs and benefitsActa Tropica, 2002
- Integrating Epidemiology into Population Viability Analysis: Managing the Risk Posed by Rabies and Canine Distemper to the Ethiopian WolfConservation Biology, 2002
- Stray Dogs in an Island Community: A Case Study From New Providence, The BahamasJournal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, 2000
- Dog Predation of Domestic Sheep in OhioJournal of Range Management, 1983