Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-gtxcr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-23T06:36:18.443Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Perceptions of dog breeding practices, breeding dog welfare and companion dog acquisition in a self-selected sample of Australian adults

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2023

JK Woodhead ,
LC Feng ,
TJ Howell ,
MB Ruby  and
PC Bennett
JK Woodhead*
Affiliation:
PO Box 199, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Bendigo, VIC 3552, Australia
LC Feng
Affiliation:
PO Box 199, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Bendigo, VIC 3552, Australia
TJ Howell
Affiliation:
PO Box 199, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Bendigo, VIC 3552, Australia
MB Ruby
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology and Counselling, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Wodonga, VIC, Australia
PC Bennett
Affiliation:
PO Box 199, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Bendigo, VIC 3552, Australia
*
∗ Contact for correspondence and requests for reprints: j.woodhead@latrobe.edu.au
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Welfare considerations surrounding dog (Canis familiaris) breeding practices are contentious in some sectors of the community. However, public perceptions surrounding dog breeding practices are poorly understood. The aims of this study were to describe perceptions of dog breeding and associated welfare concerns held by members of the general public and identify whether factors exist that potentially predict these perceptions. Australian residents (n = 986) completed an online questionnaire investigating their perceptions of, and attitudes towards, companion dog breeding and other acquisition methods. Participants predominantly indicated that breeding dog welfare was important, that dog breeding should be regulated, and that tougher laws are necessary to improve breeding dog welfare. Furthermore, three groups of respondents were identified: those who supported breeder-sourced companion dogs but felt that current regulations were inadequate to ensure satisfactory welfare, those who disapproved of dog breeding and felt adoption was the only appropriate acquisition method, and those who felt breeding was acceptable and that current industry practices provide adequate welfare. Several participant factors predicted cluster membership, including age, characteristics considered important when acquiring a companion dog, the source of their most recent dog, and their dog breeding knowledge and/or experience. This study provides a direct preliminary examination of public perceptions of dog breeding, breeding practices, and associated welfare concerns, and the factors associated with these perceptions. This information can be used to guide those who provide companion dogs to the public and inform evidence-based policy development concerning companion dog breeding and acquisition.

Keywords

animal breedinganimal welfareanthrozoologybreeding perceptionsCanis familiarisdog adoption
Type
Articles
Information
Animal Welfare , Volume 27 , Issue 4 , November 2018 , pp. 357 - 368
Copyright
© 2018 Universities Federation for Animal Welfare

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Animal Health Alliance 2013 Pet Ownership in Australia. Cox Inall Communications: Ultimo, NSW, Australia. https://ani-malmedicinesaustralia.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Pet-Ownership-in-Australia-2013-Summary-ONLINE-VER.pdfGoogle Scholar
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2017 Household Income and Wealth, Australia, 2015-16. Canberra, ACT, Australia. http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/DetailsPage/6523.02015-16?OpenDocumentGoogle Scholar
Barrowclough, A 2015 Puppy factories: How Oscar the dog inspired a campaign to close them. The Australian. News Corp Australia: Surry Hills, NSW, Australia. https://www.theaustralian.com.au/life/weekend-australian-maga-zine/puppy-factories-how-oscar-the-dog-inspired-a-campaign-to-close-them/news-story/c9d43c44aef962572ff919807ace72d2Google Scholar
Beasley, T and Schumacker, R 1995 Multiple regression approach to analyzing contingency tables: Post hoc and planned comparison procedures. The Journal of Experimental Education 64:79–93. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220973.1995.9943797Google Scholar
Bennett, P and Rohlf, V 2007 Owner-companion dog interactions: Relationships between demographic variables, potentially problematic behaviours, training engagement and shared activi-ties. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 102: 65–84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2006.03.009Google Scholar
Bir, C, Widmar, N and Croney, C 2017 Stated preferences for dog characteristics and sources of acquisition. Animals 7: 59–78. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani7080059CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brown, L 2017 Prime Minister declares war on cruel puppy farm-ers: New law will target online selling and squalid conditions. The Daily Mail. DMG Media: London, UK. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5204213/Prime-Minister-targets-cruel-puppy-farmers-new-law.htmlGoogle Scholar
Burstein, P 2003 The impact of public opinion on public policy: A review and an agenda. Political Research Quarterly 56: 29–40. https://doi.org/10.1177/106591290305600103CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cobb, M, Lill, A and Bennett, P 2014 Perceived welfare status of domestic dogs. Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research 9: e11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jveb.2014.09.037Google Scholar
Copping, J 2013 Ban ‘unhealthy’ dog breeds, say vets. The Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group: London, UK. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/pets-health/10508781/Ban-unhealthy-dog-breeds-say-vets.htmlGoogle Scholar
Costello, A and Osborne, J 2005 Best practices in exploratory factor analysis: Four recommendations for getting the most from your analysis. Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation 10: 1–9. http://pareonline.net/getvn.asp?v=10&n=7Google Scholar
Crawford, E, Worsham, N and Swinehart, E 2006 Benefits derived from companion animals, and the use of the term “attachment”. Anthrozoös 19: 98–112. https://doi.org/10.2752/089279306785593757Google Scholar
Franklin, A 2006 “Be[a]ware of the Dog”: A Post-Humanist Approach to Housing. Housing, Theory and Society 23: 137–156. https://doi.org/10.1080/14036090600813760CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Government of New South Wales 1998 Companion Animals Act. Government of New South Wales: Sydney, NSW, Australia. http://www8.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdb/au/legis/nsw/consol_act/caa1998174/Google Scholar
Government of Victoria 2016 Domestic Animals Amendment (Puppy Farms and Pet Shops) Bill. Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources: Melbourne, VIC, Australia. http://agriculture.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/373249/Factsheet-General_version-2.pdfGoogle Scholar
Government of Victoria 2018 Puppy Farm Legislation. Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources: Melbourne, VIC. http://agriculture.vic.gov.au/pets/puppy-farm-legislationGoogle Scholar
Government of Western Australia 2017 Dog Act 1976. Government of Western Australia: Perth, WA, Australia. https://www.slp.wa.gov.au/legislation/statutes.nsf/RedirectURL? OpenAgent&query=mrdoc_29767.pdfGoogle Scholar
Headey, B 2006 National people and pets survey: Socially responsible pet ownership in Australia–A decade of progress. Melbourne Institute of Applied Economics and Social Research. University of Melbourne: Melbourne, VIC, AustraliaGoogle Scholar
Kavin, K 2016 The Dog Merchants: Inside the Big Business of Breeders, Pet Stores, and Rescuers. Pegasus Books: New York, USAGoogle Scholar
Kavin, K 2017 ‘It's a war’: Dog breeders rally behind an 81-year-old convicted of animal cruelty. The Washington Post. WP Company: Washington, USA. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/ani-malia/wp/2017/12/18/its-a-war-dog-breeders-rally-behind-an-81-year-old-convicted-of-animal-cruelty/?utm_ter.faaa8140ae45Google Scholar
Kendall, H, Lobao, L and Sharp, J 2006 Public concern with ani-mal well-being: place, social structural location, and individual experience. Rural Sociology 71: 399–428. https://doi.org/10.1526/003601106778070617Google Scholar
Le Grand, C 2016 Victoria's proposed laws breed resentment in the dog community. The Australian. News Corp Australia: Sydney, NSW, Australia. https://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/columnists/chip-le-grand/victorias-proposed-laws-breed-resentment-in-the-dog-com-munity/news-story/18beaec641cbe4eb5cd78625c90e0fd5Google Scholar
Levin, J, Arluke, A and Irvine, L 2017 Are people more dis-turbed by dog or human suffering? Society & Animals 25: 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1163/15685306-12341440Google Scholar
Litwin, M 2003 How to Assess and Interpret Survey Psychometrics. Sage: California, USA. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412984409CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mason, G and Mendl, M 1993 Why is there no simple way of measuring animal welfare? Animal Welfare 2: 301–319. https://atri-um.lib.uoguelph.ca/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10214/4673/Mason_&_Mendl_1993.pdf?sequence=1Google Scholar
Mellor, D 2016 Updating animal welfare thinking: Moving beyond the “five freedoms” towards ‘a life worth living’. Animals 6: 21–41. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani6030021CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mellor, D and Beausoleil, N 2015 Extending the ‘five domains’ model for animal welfare assessment to incorporate positive wel-fare states. Animal Welfare 24: 241–253. https://doi.org/10.7120/09627286.24.3.241Google Scholar
Miklósi Á 2014 Dog Behaviour, Evolution, and Cognition. Oxford University Press: Oxford, UK. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199646661.001.0001Google Scholar
Mooi, E and Sarstedt, M 2011 Cluster analysis. In: Mooi, E and Sarstedt, M (eds) A Concise Guide to Market Research. Springer: Heidelberg, Germany. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-12541-6CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mornement, K 2015 Shelter dogs in Australia: public perceptions and assessment of behaviour for adoption suitability (unpublished doctoral dissertation). Monash University, Melbourne, AustraliaGoogle Scholar
Murray, J, Browne, W, Roberts, M, Whitmarsh, A and Gruffydd-Jones, T 2010 Number and ownership profiles of cats and dogs in the UK. The Veterinary Record 166: 163–168. https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.b4712Google ScholarPubMed
Naughton, J 2016 Adopt don't shop and save a life this year. Huffington Post Australia: Sydney, NSW, Australia. https://www.huffin-gtonpost.com.au/2016/02/04/adopting-a-pet-australia_n_9155968.htmlGoogle Scholar
Phillips, C and McCulloch, S 2005 Student attitudes on animal sentience and use of animals in society. Journal of Biological Education 40(1): 17–24. https://doi.org/10.1080/00219266.2005.9656004CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ritvo, H 1994 Animals in nineteenth-century Britain: Complicated attitudes and competing categories. In: Manning, A and Serpell, J (eds) Animals and Human Society: Changing Perspectives pp 106–126. Routledge: New York, USAGoogle Scholar
Roberts, S 2016 It's a dogs’ life! The average British pet owner splash-es out over £1,200 on their pampered pooch every year. The Sun. News Group Newspapers: UK. https://www.thesun.co.uk/living/2191391/the-average-british-pet-owner-splashes-out-over-1200-on-their-pampered-pooch-every-year/Google Scholar
Rohlf, V, Bennett, P, Toukhsati, S and Coleman, G 2012 Beliefs underlying dog owners’ health care behaviors: results from a large, self-selected, internet sample. Anthrozoös 25(2): 171–185. https://doi.org/10.2752/175303712X13316289505341CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sullivan, K 2017 Puppy farm laws: ‘No consulting’, says Victoria's largest breeder. The Weekly Times. News Corp: Sydney, NSW, Australia. https://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/news/national/puppy-farm-laws-no-consulting-says-victorias-largest-breeder/news-story/49e1c60be69969b372a34514195099fdGoogle Scholar
Tabachnick, B and Fidell, L 2001 Using Multivariate Statistics. Allyn and Bacon: Needham Heights, USAGoogle Scholar
Tannen, D 2004 Talking the dog: Framing pets as interactional resources in family discourse. Research on Language and Social Interaction 37: 399–420. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327973rlsi3704_1CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thalmann, O, Shapiro, B, Cui, P, Schuenemann, V, Sawyer, S, Greenfield, D, Germonpré, M, Sablin, M, López-Giráldez, F, Domingo-Roura, X, Napierala, H, Uerpmann, H, Loponte, D, Acosta, A, Giemsch, L, Schmitz, R, Worthington, B, Buikstra, J, Druzhkova, A, Graphodatsky, A, Ovodov, N, Wahlberg, N, Freedman, A, Schweizer, R, Koepfli, K, Leonard, J, Meyer, M, Krause, J, Pääbo, S, Green, R and Wayne, R 2013 Complete mitochondrial genomes of ancient canids suggest a european origin of domestic dogs. Science 342: 871–874. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1243650Google ScholarPubMed
Thurstone, L 1947 Multiple Factor Analysis. Chicago Press: Chicago, USAGoogle Scholar
Topolski, R, Weaver, N, Martin, Z and McCoy, J 2013 Choosing between the emotional dog and the rational pal: a moral dilemma with a tail. Anthrozoös 26: 253–263. https://doi.org/10.2752/175303713X13636846944321Google Scholar