US Residents’ Perceptions of Dog Welfare Needs and Canine Welfare Information Sources

ABSTRACT

The extent to which welfare needs of breeding dogs are met in commercial dog-breeding kennels is a potential point of controversy. This analysis sought to understand US residents’ perceptions and priorities related to dog welfare : by investigating (a) perceptions of breeding-dog welfare needs and (b) perceptions of various nonhuman animal welfare information sources. Using best/worst-choice experiments conducted in an online survey, respondents’ choices for most and least important breeding-dog welfare needs (n = 508) and most/least trusted canine welfare information sources (n = 508) were analyzed. The survey sample was targeted to be representative of the US population in terms of gender, age, region of residence, income, and education. The largest preference shares (relatively most important) for breeding-dog welfare needs were for “availability of food and water” (39.2%) and health/veterinary care (18.1%). The largest preference shares (relatively most trusted sources) for welfare information were American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, a veterinarian, and American Veterinary Medical Association, with 25.1%, 16.4%, and 14.1% shares, respectively.

KEYWORDS:

• Dogs
• welfare
• information sources
• preferences
• best/worst scaling

Notes

¹ https://www.qualtrics.com

² Regions were defined according to the US Census Bureau as follows: The Northeast includes Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania; Midwest includes Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota; South includes Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas; and West includes Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Montana, Utah, Nevada, Wyoming, Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the World Pet Association and the Pet Food Institute