Data and facts about the owned dogs of Bhutan.
Jump to: Dog Ownership Practices
Highlights
Dog Ownership Practices
Jump to: Esue & Katsho
Bhutan Esue & Katsho Survey
External link:
Dorji, Tshering & Tenzin, Tenzin & Rinzin, Karma & Phimpraphai, Waraphon & De Garine-Wichatitsky, Michel. (2020). Community Perceptions of Free-Roaming Dogs and Management Practices in Villages at the Periphery of a Protected Area in Bhutan. Chiang Mai University Journal of Natural Sciences. 19. 10.12982/CMUJNS.2020.00020.
https://doi.org/10.12982/CMUJNS.2020.00020
| Question | Esue / rural | Katsho / semi-urban |
|---|---|---|
| Number of respondents with at least 1 dog in the household | 77% | 59% |
| Is your dog important for you? | 83% | 61% |
| Reasons for keeping dogs | ||
| To guard agriculture crops | 76% | 66% |
| To guard livestock | 44% | 27% |
| To guard houses and premises | 87% | 88% |
| Number of dogs owned by the owners | ||
| One | 41% | 46% |
| Two | 30% | 37% |
| More than two | 29% | 17% |
| Dog kennel / house availability | 43% | 66% |
| Types of housing available | ||
| Separate and proper dog house / kennel | 35% | 37% |
| Inside the rooms like family members | 4% | 17% |
| Stay within the premises of the owners house | 61% | 46% |
| What dog owners do when they have many puppies? | ||
| Keep and rear all puppies themselves | 25% | 34% |
| Give some puppies to others | 55% | 53% |
| Sell puppies to others | 5% | 0% |
| Release to roam and become stray | 15% | 13% |
| Have heard of CNVR | 93% | 90% |
| Willingness to support CNVR | 91% | 93% |
| Reasons not to support CNVR | ||
| Religious belief / sin to sterilize | 50% | 0% |
| It’s the government duty to sterilize | 33% | 0% |
| No time to support the sterilization program | 17% | 40% |
| Others | 0% | 40% |
| Action to take when the dog is sick | ||
| Take dog to veterinary hospital for treatment | 52% | 49% |
| Go to veterinary hospital and bring medicine only | 30% | 24% |
| Perform local rituals | 0% | 0% |
| Perform local treatments at home | 4% | 5% |
| Do nothing | 9% | 22% |
| Others | 5% | 0% |
| Vaccinated the dogs last one year | 70% | 76% |
| Dog breed among the dog owner | ||
| Local / non-descriptive | 69% | 60% |
| Exotic / improved breed | 31% | 39% |
| Source of dogs | ||
| Offspring from owned dogs (self) | 7% | 9% |
| Gift from others | 28% | 25% |
| Purchased within Bhutan | 26% | 20% |
| Purchased outside Bhutan | 2% | 5% |
| Adopted from stray / free-roaming | 37% | 41% |
| Allow pets to roam freely | 65% | 59% |
Death of Pet Dogs
- The reported death rate of domestic dogs was approximately 4% of the dog population.
- Major causes of death included attacks by other free-roaming dogs (58%) and wildlife predation, accidents, and diseases (14%).
Happiness with Dogs
- Over half of the respondents in both Esue and Katsho reported being “very happy” (Esue 57%, Katsho 51%) or “moderately happy” (Esue 40%, Katsho 46%) with their dogs, with only 3% stating they were “not happy at all.”
- Without dogs, happiness levels decreased significantly, with only 9% in Esue and 37% in Katsho feeling “very happy” and 37% in Esue and 36% in Katsho feeling “moderately happy.” The proportion of respondents who would be “not happy at all” without a dog was higher in Esue (54%) compared to Katsho (27%).
Local Knowledge on Dog Diseases
- Rabies was the most commonly cited disease by participants (70%), known to be transmissible from dogs to humans.
- Other mentioned diseases included Scabies and Transmissible Venereal Tumor/Semboto.
- Beyond rabies, there was little awareness of other potential disease transmissions from dogs to humans or animals.