Abstract
Simple SummaryOwnerless dogs are common in parts of Southern and Eastern Europe. Some so-called street dog organisations sell them on to buyers in North European countries such as Denmark—typically via local shelters. However, with their background, the dogs may struggle to adapt to their new life as companion animals. Behavioural problems may ensue, affecting the dogs’ welfare and also presenting difficulties for the new owners. The study reported here investigated whether former street dogs imported into Denmark display more behavioural problems than dogs reared in Denmark. We examined responses to two surveys, one of Danish dog owners and one of Danish veterinarians. Our analysis appeared to confirm that street dogs display behavioural problems to a higher degree than dogs reared in Denmark. Behaviours associated with fear, stress and aggression were especially common. The extent of the behavioural problems reported by the veterinarians was greater than that reported by the dog owners, most of whom reported low levels of problems. This may be due, at least partly, to stress reactions in dogs handled by veterinarians.Street dogs are common in southern and eastern parts of Europe. They are often adopted by people living in North European countries, including Denmark. However, these dogs may experience difficulties adjusting to their new life as companion animals, and this may in turn lead to behavioural problems and complications for owners. The objective of this study was therefore to investigate whether former street (FS) dogs display a higher degree of behavioural problems than dogs reared in Denmark (RD). Two questionnaires were developed. One was distributed to Danish dog owners and resulted in 3020 useful answers. FS dogs were found to display 9 of the 45 listed behaviours more often than RD dogs. All of these behaviours were related to fear, aggression and stress. The second questionnaire was distributed to Danish veterinarians working in small animal practices and resulted in 173 useful answers. The most commonly reported behavioural problems were fear of humans, stress and problems when the dog was left at home alone. The extent of the behavioural problems reported by the veterinarians was much greater than that reported by the dog owners which, at least partly, may be due to fear-induced reactions of the dogs when handled at the veterinary clinic.
Highlights
In Europe, street dogs are mostly found in Southern and Eastern countries [1]
The main aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of behavioural problems in former street (FS) dogs as compared with that found in reared in Denmark (RD) dogs by: (a) comparing a range of behavioural problems reported by owners of FS dogs and by owners of RD dogs; (b) reporting which of these behavioural problems are most commonly seen in FS dogs by veterinarians; and (c) asking whether the degree of behavioural problems in FS dogs differs when reported by dog owners and veterinarians, respectively, and discussing any found differences
The British study and ours both find that a considerable number of FS dog owners report issues with fear, but they both conclude that FS dogs are able to adapt to life as companion animals in adoptive homes
Summary
In Europe, street dogs are mostly found in Southern and Eastern countries [1]. The dogs are sometimes viewed as a threat to both humans and other dogs, either of which they may attack, or bite, posing a risk of disease transmission [1]. In Denmark, a total of 29 active street dog organisations have been identified (as of 2019) working in Europe, with the purpose of importing street dogs for adoption into Danish households [1]. In Norway, imports of FS dogs were banned as of 1 July 2018, meaning that these dogs were no longer considered under the rules for commercial import. To import such a dog, ownership over a minimum of six months has to be documented. The regulations were implemented in response to the perception that there was a considerable risk that diseases otherwise would be transmitted, and because it was found to be impossible to acquire sufficient health guarantees for the imported dogs [5]
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