![]() ![]() The management methods applied to control population sizes involve culling, reproductive control (e.g. Where free-roaming dogs exist in high densities, there are important implications for public health, livestock losses and wildlife conservation, in addition to issues for the welfare of the dogs themselves. Around 75% of this population are classified as “free-roaming”, indicating their ability to roam and reproduce freely. ![]() This does not alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.ĭomestic dogs ( Canis familiaris) are one of the most abundant species of canids in the world, with total population estimates between 700 million to 1 billion. are employed by VIER PFOTEN International, a global animal welfare organisation L.M.C has received a research grant from VIER PFOTEN International and L.M.S.’s research has been funded by VIER PFOTEN International. SH and AMM are employed by VIER PFOTEN International and contributed to the conceptualisation of the study and reviewing and editing of drafts.Ĭompeting interests: The authors declare that: A.M.M. ![]() įunding: LMC has received a research grant from VIER PFOTEN International ( ) and LMS’s research has been funded by VIER PFOTEN International. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.ĭata Availability: All data, code and supporting files are available from the Open Science Framework database. ![]() Received: Accepted: FebruPublished: March 2, 2022Ĭopyright: © 2022 Smith et al. Olsson, Universidade do Porto Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, PORTUGAL We emphasise the importance of considering local attitudes and dog ownership practices in the development of effective dog population management approaches.Ĭitation: Smith LM, Quinnell R, Munteanu A, Hartmann S, Dalla Villa P, Collins L (2022) Attitudes towards free-roaming dogs and dog ownership practices in Bulgaria, Italy, and Ukraine. These findings can help to inform future dog population management interventions in these countries. Respondents who identified as: (i) female, (ii) feeling threatened by free-roaming dogs, (iii) older, or (iv) having more education had a higher probability of answering that increases in free-roaming dog numbers should be prevented. Respondents who identified as: (i) male, (ii) holding religious beliefs, (iii) owning dogs for practical reasons, (iv) being young, or (v) having no schooling or primary education had a lower probability of neutering and a higher probability of allowing dogs to roam. We identified significant associations between both attitudes and ownership practices with gender, religious beliefs, age, education level, reason for dog ownership, previous experience with free-roaming dogs, and country of residence. This study found that most surveyed respondents wanted to see a reduction in free-roaming dog numbers, and felt that this should be achieved through sheltering, catch-neuter-release, and by controlling owned dog breeding. We used logistic regression and ordinal probit models to determine associations between demographic and other factors with ownership practices and attitudes towards free-roaming dogs. We distributed an online questionnaire comprising questions relating to dog ownership practices and attitudes towards free-roaming dogs using social media. This study aimed to determine attitudes towards free-roaming dogs and their management and describe dog ownership practices in three European countries. In addition, potential applications of analyzing child-dog interactions are highlighted to screen for early signs of the disorder.Free-roaming dog population management is conducted to mitigate risks to public health, livestock losses, wildlife conservation, and dog health and welfare. Furthermore, the possible mechanisms responsible for the beneficial effects observed are discussed.Īlthough the studies described here are encouraging, further research with better designs and using larger samples is needed to strengthen translation of such interventions to the clinic. This review summarizes the results of six published studies on the effects of brief interactions with dogs and the effects of introducing dogs in families with a child diagnosed with ASD, with an emphasis on social behaviors and language use. Intervention strategies based on the exploitation of the emotional aspects of human-dog relationships hold the potential to overcome the difficulty of subjects with ASD to relate and interact effectively with others, targeting core symptoms of this disorder. Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are characterized by deficits in social reciprocity and communication, and by unusually restricted, repetitive behaviors. ![]()
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