Key Findings
Researchers conducted an online questionnaire in Bulgaria, Italy, and Ukraine to identify differences in attitudes and ownership practices across the three countries.
In Italy, people were less likely to encounter free-roaming dogs daily, resulting in fewer bites, less feeling of threat, and generally more positive views.
Females, older respondents, and those with higher education were more likely to neuter their dogs and less likely to let them roam.
Summary
Domestic dogs are a highly abundant species, with estimates ranging from 700 million to 1 billion, and around 75% classified as “free-roaming,” which poses significant public health, livestock, and wildlife conservation issues, along with dog welfare concerns. Effective population management methods, such as culling, reproductive control, and sheltering, are influenced by human behavior, public attitudes, and community-specific factors like culture and religion. Understanding and addressing these factors, as well as promoting responsible dog ownership practices as outlined by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), is crucial for successful intervention.
This study, titled “Attitudes towards free-roaming dogs and dog ownership practices in Bulgaria, Italy, and Ukraine”, aims to (i) assess attitudes towards free-roaming dogs, (ii) examine local ownership practices and attitudes, including whether owned dogs roam freely or are neutered, levels of dog abandonment, and reasons for abandonment, and (iii) explore how demographic factors (age, gender, education, religion, and past dog experiences) affect ownership practices and attitudes. This information will guide interventions, allowing education campaigns to target at-risk groups and providing a baseline to evaluate the impact of these interventions on human behavior and attitudes.
Researchers administered an online questionnaire to social media users in three European countries: Bulgaria, Italy, and Ukraine. They then performed statistical analyses on the survey responses to determine if specific demographic attributes, along with participants’ thoughts, feelings, and opinions, could statistically predict certain ownership behaviors.
Descriptive Results
Ownership practices
In Bulgaria, Italy, and Ukraine, a majority of survey respondents reported owning a dog, with the primary reason being for pleasure and companionship. Dog ownership rates were 65% in Bulgaria, 75% in Italy, and 56% in Ukraine. Italian respondents were more likely to acquire dogs from shelters (38.1%) compared to Bulgaria (9.7%) and Ukraine (9.9%), where finding dogs on the street or receiving them from friends or family was more common. Italians also had higher rates of neutering their dogs (65.4%) compared to Bulgaria (40.4%) and Ukraine (35.4%). When asked why they didn’t prevent breeding, many respondents believed dogs should reproduce at least once. Most respondents in all three countries never allowed their dogs to roam unsupervised and had never given up a dog. Those who had given up a dog cited behavioral problems or other reasons such as family illness, changes in circumstances, or the dog not getting along with other pets.
Attitudes
In Bulgaria and Ukraine, a high percentage of respondents had seen a free-roaming dog on the day they filled out the questionnaire (73.3% and 77.3% respectively), compared to only 15.4% in Italy. Additionally, a higher percentage of respondents in Bulgaria (21.6%) and Ukraine (26.5%) reported having been attacked by dogs on the street at some point in their lives, compared to 4.2% in Italy. Opinions on the statement “I do not like free-roaming dogs being present in the streets around my home or work” varied widely in Bulgaria and Ukraine, with responses ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree, while 35.8% of Italians strongly disagreed with the statement. Most respondents in all three countries disagreed with feeling physically threatened by free-roaming dogs.
In Bulgaria, a significant number of respondents provided care to free-roaming dogs by giving food (90.6%), water (71.0%), and shelter (34.8%), compared to lower percentages in Italy and Ukraine. The majority believed that municipal governments and volunteer organizations should manage the free-roaming dog population, with a preference for reducing the population through sheltering, CNR, and controlling the breeding of owned dogs rather than culling.
Statistical Analysis
Through their analysis, the authors identified the following statistical correlations:
- Respondents were less likely to neuter their dogs and more likely to let them roam if they identified as male, religious, owning dogs for practical reasons, young, or having limited education.
- Conversely, respondents who were female, felt threatened by free-roaming dogs, older, or more educated were more likely to believe in preventing an increase in free-roaming dogs.
- Gender, age, education level, owning dogs for practical reasons, religious beliefs, and country significantly influenced dog neutering and roaming status, with females, older respondents, and those more educated being more likely to neuter and less likely to let their dogs roam.
- Respondents from Italy had the highest probability of neutering, while those from Ukraine had the lowest.
- When it came to attitudes toward free-roaming dogs, respondents who felt threatened by them or had been attacked or bitten were more likely to dislike their presence.
- Females, older respondents, and those feeling threatened were more likely to support preventing an increase in free-roaming dogs.
- Dog owners, males, those feeling threatened, older respondents, and those attacked or bitten were more likely to prefer seeing no free-roaming dogs, with Italians having the highest preference for this.
- There were no significant associations between dog ownership, education level, and having children in the household with attitudes towards free-roaming dogs around homes or work.
This study provided valuable insights into attitudes and ownership practices in three European countries, but there are some limitations. Using questionnaires can lead to self-selection bias, resulting in a non-representative sample. In the current study, most respondents were female and highly educated, thus, not reflecting the wider population. Recruitment was mainly through social media, excluding those without access. Despite varied adverts to attract a broad range of respondents, biases may still be present. Missing data on questions about religion, attitudes towards free-roaming dogs, and feelings of threat can also affect estimates. However, the diverse range of respondents still offers useful information on ownership practices and attitudes, with statistical models highlighting risk factors for certain behaviors and attitudes.
Miscellaneous
Data From Study:
Dog Population Management / Street Dogs: Bulgaria
Year of Publication:
2022
External Link:
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. PLoS ONE 17(3): e0252368.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2018.10.010