Selection Factors Influencing Eventual Owner Satisfaction about Pet Dog Adoption

Personal likes, experience, and deep-rooted interests to satisfy emotional needs such as companionship, affection, empathy, and security are some of the underlying human motivations for acquiring a pet companion. In this study, we asked how long the owner took to decide whether to adopt a dog, who t...

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Main Authors: Ian R. Dinwoodie, Vivian Zottola, Karla Kubitz, Nicholas H. Dodman
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-09-01
Series:Animals
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/12/17/2264
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author Ian R. Dinwoodie
Vivian Zottola
Karla Kubitz
Nicholas H. Dodman
author_facet Ian R. Dinwoodie
Vivian Zottola
Karla Kubitz
Nicholas H. Dodman
author_sort Ian R. Dinwoodie
collection DOAJ
description Personal likes, experience, and deep-rooted interests to satisfy emotional needs such as companionship, affection, empathy, and security are some of the underlying human motivations for acquiring a pet companion. In this study, we asked how long the owner took to decide whether to adopt a dog, who their dog was adopted from, their primary motivation for adoption, a ranking of characteristics considered during the adoption process, and how satisfied they were with the eventual outcome. Participants (<i>n</i> = 933) to this Center for Canine Behavior Studies survey completed an online questionnaire with responses representing 1537 dog/owner pairs. A majority of participants reported satisfaction with at least one of their adopted dogs. Odds of eventual satisfaction are higher for participants who spent less than a week considering an adoption or were seeking a pet to provide companionship and affection. Participants that prioritized personality as an adoption criteria were more likely to be satisfied with their adopted dogs. A mast majority (91%) of participants reported they would consider adopting another dog in the future. Selection criteria rankings that participants indicated they would employ for future adoptions tended to shift away from physical to behavior characteristics when compared to selection criteria priorities of prior adoptions.
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spelling doaj.art-338c18b2c5f243e884a4bda55517dcc82023-11-23T12:38:01ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152022-09-011217226410.3390/ani12172264Selection Factors Influencing Eventual Owner Satisfaction about Pet Dog AdoptionIan R. Dinwoodie0Vivian Zottola1Karla Kubitz2Nicholas H. Dodman3Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton, MA 01536, USACenter for Canine Behavior Studies, Salisbury, CT 06068, USACenter for Canine Behavior Studies, Salisbury, CT 06068, USACummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton, MA 01536, USAPersonal likes, experience, and deep-rooted interests to satisfy emotional needs such as companionship, affection, empathy, and security are some of the underlying human motivations for acquiring a pet companion. In this study, we asked how long the owner took to decide whether to adopt a dog, who their dog was adopted from, their primary motivation for adoption, a ranking of characteristics considered during the adoption process, and how satisfied they were with the eventual outcome. Participants (<i>n</i> = 933) to this Center for Canine Behavior Studies survey completed an online questionnaire with responses representing 1537 dog/owner pairs. A majority of participants reported satisfaction with at least one of their adopted dogs. Odds of eventual satisfaction are higher for participants who spent less than a week considering an adoption or were seeking a pet to provide companionship and affection. Participants that prioritized personality as an adoption criteria were more likely to be satisfied with their adopted dogs. A mast majority (91%) of participants reported they would consider adopting another dog in the future. Selection criteria rankings that participants indicated they would employ for future adoptions tended to shift away from physical to behavior characteristics when compared to selection criteria priorities of prior adoptions.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/12/17/2264dogsadoptionsurveybehaviorexpectations
spellingShingle Ian R. Dinwoodie
Vivian Zottola
Karla Kubitz
Nicholas H. Dodman
Selection Factors Influencing Eventual Owner Satisfaction about Pet Dog Adoption
Animals
dogs
adoption
survey
behavior
expectations
title Selection Factors Influencing Eventual Owner Satisfaction about Pet Dog Adoption
title_full Selection Factors Influencing Eventual Owner Satisfaction about Pet Dog Adoption
title_fullStr Selection Factors Influencing Eventual Owner Satisfaction about Pet Dog Adoption
title_full_unstemmed Selection Factors Influencing Eventual Owner Satisfaction about Pet Dog Adoption
title_short Selection Factors Influencing Eventual Owner Satisfaction about Pet Dog Adoption
title_sort selection factors influencing eventual owner satisfaction about pet dog adoption
topic dogs
adoption
survey
behavior
expectations
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/12/17/2264
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