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The injured fox kit
When Ella discovers an injured fox by the river, she wants to nurse it back to health but has to be careful how she handles the fox so that it can be returned to the wild.
Book
Owner-Related Reasons Matter more than Behavioural Problems—A Study of Why Owners Relinquished Dogs and Cats to a Danish Animal Shelter from 1996 to 2017
Every year, dogs and cats are relinquished to animal shelters by their owners in large numbers. Reasons for relinquishment of dogs and cats to a large Danish shelter from 1996 to 2017 were obtained and characterised. The reasons were available for 86% of the owner-relinquished animals, including 3204 dog relinquishments (90%) and 2755 cat relinquishments (82%). They were allocated to 59 categories, which were further merged into four owner-related and three animal-related reasons. The most commonly reported of these seven reasons for relinquishment of dogs were owner health (29%), animal behavioural problems (23%), housing issues (21%) and lack of time (14%). For cats, the figures were: owner health (32%), housing issues (26%), and animal behavioural problems (25%). No systematic changes in these patterns were found over time. The number of relinquished cats was roughly stable, whereas the number of relinquished dogs decreased on average by 3% per annum. Owner issues were the primary reason for relinquishment in both species, but nearly one-quarter of the animals were relinquished as a result of behavioural problems. As the latter are often connected with the owner in some way, the results emphasise the importance of a focus on owners when addressing pet relinquishment challenges.
Journal Article
The homeless foal
When a new foal is born at Animal Magic, Ella wants to make sure that she can find a new home for him that is close enough for her to visit.
Book
The implications of weeklong fostering and co-housing on shelter dog welfare
Meeting the needs of dogs in a typical animal shelter can be a challenging proposition. Negative environmental inputs, such as excessive noise, restrictive kenneling, and social isolation, contribute to the compromised welfare that dogs experience. Human-animal interaction, such as a temporary stay outside of the shelter in a caregiver’s home, has been shown to reduce dogs’ cortisol levels and increase their rest. What is less understood is if longer durations of foster care could extend those benefits. In addition, dogs living with a conspecific in the shelter, co-housing, has been even less explored, but available findings suggest that dogs’ behavior can be improved by living with another dog. In the present study, we investigated the impacts of weeklong fostering on dogs’ urinary cortisol and activity. Two animal shelters, one open and one managed admission, participated. Exclusively at the open admission facility, a smaller sub-study explored the effects of co-housing prior to foster care ( i.e. , with and without a dog) and following ( i.e. , without another dog or with a familiar or new dog) in the animal shelter. To answer these research questions, dogs’ urine was collected in the morning for cortisol: creatinine analysis and activity monitors were worn by the dogs for 17 days: five days in the animal shelter, seven days in a caregiver’s home, and five days in the shelter following foster care. In total, 84 dogs participated with 1,385 cortisol:creatinine values and 1,205 activity totals across five activity level types. At both shelters, we found dogs’ cortisol levels decreased, and they spent more time resting during weeklong fostering. Moreover, no significant differences in cortisol or activity were found pre- and post-fostering, with the exception of more time being spent in mid-intensity activity in the shelter following foster care as compared to before. These findings align with investigations of shorter durations of foster care, although the magnitude of the present intervention’s impact was greater. With regards to the type of housing dogs experienced (with or without another dog), no difference was found in dogs’ cortisol values in either the days before or after foster care with no effect on their activity detected pre-fostering; however, dogs’ activity was influenced by living with a familiar dog upon reentry to the animal shelter following foster care. Specifically, dogs rested more and engaged in less high activity, indicating a positive effect on their welfare. Lastly as has been previously observed, significant differences in cortisol and activity were found between our shelters, suggesting that environmental differences are contributing to canine welfare that require further scientific exploration. In total, a weeklong reprieve from the animal shelter, as well as co-housing with a familiar dog upon return to the shelter are two evidence-based interventions that can improve the welfare of shelter-living dogs.
Journal Article
Stolen! : a pony called Pebbles
Finding a horse in the park, Amy takes it to the Rainbow Street Shelter and secretly hopes the owner never turns up.
Book
Evaluating the effects of a temporary fostering program on shelter dog welfare
One of the greatest stressors for dogs living in animal shelters is social isolation. Many studies have demonstrated that human interaction reduces cortisol in shelter dogs, with the possibility that longer periods of interaction may yield greater effects. These types of interventions are contingent upon removing the dog from the kennel and any such reductions in cortisol are often lost when the dog returns to the kennel. More recently, animal shelters are utilizing short-term fostering programs to provide relief from the perceived stresses of kennel life; however the effects of these programs are not well understood. This study assessed the impacts of one- and two-night fostering programs on the urinary cortisol levels, resting pulse rates, longest bout of uninterrupted rest, and proportion of time spent resting of dogs awaiting adoption. Five animal shelters, open and limited-admission facilities, from across the United States participated in the study. During the study, dogs’ urine was collected in the morning before, during, and after fostering stays for cortisol: creatinine analysis. Non-invasive health monitors were worn by the dogs, which collected heart rates and activity levels, in the shelter and in foster homes. In total, 207 dogs participated in the study, and 1,076 cortisol values were used in our analysis. Across all shelters, we found that dogs’ cortisol: creatinine ratios dropped significantly during their fostering stay, but returned to baseline levels after return to the shelter. However, the observed reduction in cortisol varied in magnitude across shelters. We found that dogs of greater weight, age, and average resting pulse rate had higher cortisol levels; and dogs with longer bouts of uninterrupted rest had lower cortisol levels. Dogs had their longest bouts of rest during sleepovers, followed by in the shelter after their sleepovers. Lastly, significant differences were found when comparing in-shelter cortisol values at our five shelters, differences that were in some cases greater than the impact of the fostering intervention itself. Considering the diversity of facilities that participated in this study, it is possible that as yet unstudied, shelter-specific, environmental factors could be contributing to the overall welfare of shelter dogs. Thus while a reprieve from the shelter is impactful for dogs awaiting adoption, mitigating the stressors present in kenneling conditions should also be addressed to improve the lives of shelter dogs.
Journal Article
125 pet rescues : from pound to palace : homeless pets made happy!
\"A collection of hilarious and heartwarming stories of dogs, cats, and all types of pets given a second chance, and the human animal lovers who rescued them.\"--Provided by publisher.
Book
Animal Behavior for Shelter Veterinarians and Staff
A comprehensive resource to understand the behavioral considerations for intake, management, and rehoming of dogs and cats Animal Behavior for Shelter Veterinarians and Staff provides readers with comprehensive information addressing the behavior of both animals and humans associated with the intake, management, and rehoming of dogs and cats.
eBook
A new leash on life
\"In this fifth book, Brianna tries to figure out where she fits as the Dog Club's newest member. She loves the dogs, especially sweet shelter dog Lily, but sometimes she feels like the fourth wheel in Sasha, Kim, and Taylor's friendship trio. Then the shelter starts a new foster program. Bri knows she'll feel better if she can bring Lily home---but convincing her mom to take in an older shelter dog may be even tougher than feeling like a fourth wheel...\"--Provided by Amazon.
Book
Results of Behavioral Evaluations Predict Length of Stay for Shelter Dogs
Most animal shelters conduct behavioral evaluations before making dogs available for adoption. However, little information exists on whether behaviors displayed during these assessments predict a dog’s length of stay at the shelter. We reviewed nearly 5 years of records from 975 dogs released for adoption at a New York shelter to see whether behaviors shown during their evaluation predicted length of stay. For most tests and subtests, the prevalence of concerning and especially dangerous behaviors was low. Nevertheless, dogs’ scores on some tests or subtests—food guarding and meeting another dog—predicted length of stay at the shelter. Dogs evaluated as showing dangerous behavior had longer lengths of stay than dogs evaluated as showing either concerning behavior or no concerning behavior; the latter two groups did not differ from one another in length of stay. The most likely explanation for the relationships found between behavior during the evaluation and length of stay at the shelter is that dogs with challenging behaviors had smaller pools of potential adopters. Understanding the relationships between performance on behavioral evaluations and length of stay may inform shelter management of canine populations and also help identify dogs requiring special adoption efforts to avoid long shelter stays.
Journal Article