Why do people buy dogs with potential welfare problems related to extreme conformation and inherited disease? A representative study of Danish owners of four small dog breeds
| Autor: | Peter Sandøe, Pauleen C. Bennett, S. V. Kondrup, Björn Forkman, H. F. Proschowsky, Iben Meyer, James A. Serpell, Thomas Lund |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2017 |
| Předmět: |
Questionnaires
Veterinary medicine Social Sciences lcsh:Medicine Breeding Choice Behavior 0403 veterinary science Cairn terrier Surveys and Questionnaires Medicine and Health Sciences Psychology Public and Occupational Health Dog Diseases lcsh:Science media_common Mammals education.field_of_study Multidisciplinary Animal Behavior biology Pets and Companion Animals 05 social sciences 04 agricultural and veterinary sciences Breed Phenotype Geography Veterinary Diseases Research Design Vertebrates language Behavioral and Social Aspects of Health Research Article Personality 040301 veterinary sciences Animal Types media_common.quotation_subject biology.animal_breed Population French bulldog Research and Analysis Methods Danish Dogs Species Specificity Population Metrics Animals Humans 0501 psychology and cognitive sciences 050102 behavioral science & comparative psychology education Probability Population Density Cavalier King Charles spaniel Motivation Behavior Survey Research Population Biology lcsh:R Organisms Biology and Life Sciences language.human_language Amniotes Veterinary Science lcsh:Q Zoology Welfare Demography |
| Zdroj: | PLoS ONE, Vol 12, Iss 2, p e0172091 (2017) PLoS ONE Sandøe, P, Kondrup, S V, Bennett, P C, Forkman, B, Meyer, I H C, Proschowsky, H F, Serpell, J A & Lund, T B 2017, ' Why do people buy dogs with potential welfare problems related to extreme conformation and inherited disease? A representative study of Danish owners of four small dog breeds ', P L o S One, vol. 12, no. 2, e0172091 . https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0172091 |
| ISSN: | 1932-6203 |
| Popis: | number of dog breeds suffer from welfare problems due to extreme phenotypes and high levels of inherited diseases but the popularity of such breeds is not declining. Using a survey of owners of two popular breeds with extreme physical features (French Bulldog and Chihuahua), one with a high load of inherited diseases not directly related to conformation (Cavalier King Charles Spaniel), and one representing the same size range but without extreme conformation and with the same level of disease as the overall dog population (Cairn Terrier), we investigated this seeming paradox. We examined planning and motivational factors behind acquisition of the dogs, and whether levels of experienced health and behavior problems were associated with the quality of the owner-dog relationship and the intention to re-procure a dog of the same breed. Owners of each of the four breeds (750/breed) were randomly drawn from a nationwide Danish dog registry and invited to participate. Of these, 911 responded, giving a final sample of 846. There were clear differences between owners of the four breeds with respect to degree of planning prior to purchase, with owners of Chihuahuas exhibiting less. Motivations behind choice of dog were also different. Health and other breed attributes were more important to owners of Cairn Terriers, whereas the dog’s personality was reported to be more important for owners of French Bulldogs and Cavalier King Charles Spaniels but less important for Chihuahua owners. Higher levels of health and behavior problems were positively associated with a closer owner-dog relationship for owners of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and Chihuahuas but, for owners of French Bulldogs, high levels of problems were negatively associated with an intention to procure the same breed again. In light of these findings, it appears less paradoxical that people continue to buy dogs with welfare problems. A number of dog breeds suffer from welfare problems due to extreme phenotypes and high levels of inherited diseases but the popularity of such breeds is not declining. Using a survey of owners of two popular breeds with extreme physical features (French Bulldog and Chihuahua), one with a high load of inherited diseases not directly related to conformation (Cavalier King Charles Spaniel), and one representing the same size range but without extreme conformation and with the same level of disease as the overall dog population (Cairn Terrier), we investigated this seeming paradox. We examined planning and motivational factors behind acquisition of the dogs, and whether levels of experienced health and behavior problems were associated with the quality of the owner-dog relationship and the intention to re-procure a dog of the same breed. Owners of each of the four breeds (750/breed) were randomly drawn from a nationwide Danish dog registry and invited to participate. Of these, 911 responded, giving a final sample of 846. There were clear differences between owners of the four breeds with respect to degree of planning prior to purchase, with owners of Chihuahuas exhibiting less. Motivations behind choice of dog were also different. Health and other breed attributes were more important to owners of Cairn Terriers, whereas the dog’s personality was reported to be more important for owners of French Bulldogs and Cavalier King Charles Spaniels but less important for Chihuahua owners. Higher levels of health and behavior problems were positively associated with a closer owner-dog relationship for owners of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and Chihuahuas but, for owners of French Bulldogs, high levels of problems were negatively associated with an intention to procure the same breed again. In light of these findings, it appears less paradoxical that people continue to buy dogs with welfare problems. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
|