Owner Attitudes Research Articles

Survey of Tick Infestations on Pet Dogs in Jalingo Local Government Area, Taraba State

The study investigated the prevalence of tick infestation among pet dogs in Jalingo Metropolis, Taraba State. The study area was fragmented into five study sites namely Kona, Magami Mayo-gwoi, Mile Six and Nukkai areas. Thirty samples were collected from each study sites using random sampling method. The prevalence of ticks infestation on dogs recorded was 80%. Prevalence was significantly different between the sites (χ2 = 13.333, p =0.0098). Amongst the tick genera observed, Ammblyomma had the highest prevalence, 44 (29.3%) followed closely by Ixodes spp., 41 (27.3%), and the least was Dermacentor, 33 (22.0%). Dogs of 108 (72.0%) of the respondent were vaccinated. Dogs of 82 (54.7%) of the respondents received treatment for diseases. Only 71 (47.3%) respondents used medicated soap, acaricide or chemicals to control dog ectoparasites. Attitudes of dog owners contributes directly or indirectly to tick infestation of dogs in Jalingo metropolis.

LB746 Exploring the knowledge, attitude, and practices of chemical shop owners in rural Ghana

Many rural areas in sub-Saharan Africa face a high prevalence and morbidity of skin disease and are challenged by a lack of accessible dermatologists. In Ghana, community pharmacies, called chemical shops, were established to respond to these inequities. Our study evaluates the dermatologic knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of Licensed Chemical Sellers (LCS) within several districts of Ghana’s Ashanti Region. To assess the dermatologic KAP of LCS, we created a questionnaire and recorded direct interviews over a three-week period with Ghanaian research assistants' help.

Kaizen implementation and its challenges in small and medium manufacturing firms: A case of Woliso Town, Ethiopia

In the modern world, industrial transformation receives great attention. As a result, many companies are becoming successful by implementing Kaizen as a change agent. Nevertheless, there were few pathways of continuous improvements, mainly because of abandonment of Kaizen philosophy, organizational resistance to change, lack of proper implementation and monitoring techniques, lack of employees’ motivation, and scarcity of resources. The study aimed to examine Kaizen implementation and its challenges in small and medium manufacturing firms of Woliso town. The study employed descriptive research adopting a quantitative research approach—the researcher used 55 small and medium manufacturing firms of Woliso town. In addition, the study employed primary data collected through open-ended and close-ended questionnaires. The study found that most sampled firms lack awareness about Kaizen because of a lack of training opportunities. Similarly, Kaizen philosophy is considered exhaustive and routine the attitude of owners, managers, and employees in Kaizen implementation is very weak. Finally, the study recommended that it is important to provide continuous training programs for employees and managers of small and medium manufacturing firms. Most importantly, to extend Kaizen's philosophy, it is essential to incorporate it into the school curriculum.

The Hendra virus vaccine: perceptions regarding the role of antibody titre testing

To elucidate veterinarians' and horse owners' perceptions towards the use of Hendra virus (HeV) antibody titre testing and how it influences veterinary advice. Six semi-structured phone interviews were conducted with veterinarians who have submitted samples for HeV antibody titre testing. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and thematically analysed to identify and report common themes within the data. Veterinarians are predominantly using the titre tests as an alternative to vaccination due to clients' fear of vaccine reactions. The high cost of titre testing, the difficulty interpreting titre results and a lack of titre test recognition by authorities were the major barriers reported to using this test. Some veterinarians detailed difficulties communicating titre test procedures and results to their clients. The majority of veterinarians accepted titres of 64 or greater as evidence of protective immunity and would rely on those results for 12 months. However, there was discrepancy of these values and the level of confidence veterinarians had in interpreting the results of HeV antibody titre tests varied. This study has provided an overview of the attitudes of horse owners and veterinarians towards HeV antibody titre testing. Although evidence for HeV vaccination titres as an indication of protective immunity is still inadequate, it will assist veterinarians in interpreting and communicating titre results.

Attitudes of the Equestrian Public towards Equine End-of-Life Decisions.

Simple SummaryDelayed death has been identified as a key welfare concern for the U.K. horse population, leading to prolonged suffering. Previous studies have identified common reasons for delaying euthanasia, including financial cost, emotional attachment, peer pressure, negative attitudes towards killing and poor recognition of behavioural indicators of equine pain and stress. The Five Freedoms is a welfare framework that can be used to assess quality of life. We used this framework to create a survey, compiling a list of hypothetical—yet common—scenarios that would have an impact on the overall quality of life of a horse. Participants were asked to indicate to what extent each scenario would have a bearing on an overall decision whether or not to euthanise a horse, or whether it would have had no bearing at all. Participants were also asked if they had had a horse euthanised and to give the reason for such a decision. We received responses from 160 participants and found that the predominant attitude was that most scenarios had no bearing on a decision to euthanise. Principal Component Analysis collected the scenarios into a series of factors that could be labeled according to their themes, the most prominent of which were “Ethology-informed Management”, “Traditional Management”, “Emotional issues” and “Physical Issues”. Participants were most likely to consider euthanasia for physical issues and this was supported by the experiences of participants who had had their horses euthanised. Only a small number of responses also included consideration of affective and/or ethological factors, suggesting that welfare issues concerning affective state and/or behaviour are at risk of being omitted from an end-of-life decision.A key welfare concern for the equine population in the U.K. has been identified as delayed death, leading to prolonged suffering of horses. Reasons why some horse owners fail to have their horses euthanised include financial cost, emotional attachment, peer pressure, negative attitudes towards killing and poor recognition of behavioural indicators of equine pain and stress. The Five Freedoms framework of welfare was used to build a Likert-style survey to investigate the factors underlying attitudes of horse owners towards welfare measures in an end-of-life decision. Participants were asked to respond to hypothetical welfare scenarios and to give details of any horses they had had euthanised. The survey was conducted predominantly via equestrian Facebook groups and obtained 160 participant responses. Reliability of the scale was acceptable, with Cronbach’s . Principal Component Analysis was used to load the hypothetical scenarios onto seven factors containing 62.2% of the variance. The first four factors could be categorized according to “Ethology-informed Management”, “Traditional Horse Management”, “Emotional Issues” and “Physical Issues”. Participants were more likely to consider euthanasia for physical issues, compared with issues relating to affective state and/or ethology, although it was not clear whether this was due to disregard for welfare issues relating to mental health or failure to recognise them as such. A large number of responses stated that the scenario had no bearing on whether a horse should be euthanised, again suggesting a lack of recognition of welfare issues and their implications. When asked to state their reasons for euthanising their horses, participants cited almost exclusively physical reasons, with the exception of those citing dangerous behaviour. Only a small number of responses also included consideration of affective and/or ethological factors, suggesting that welfare issues concerning affective state and/or behaviour are at risk of omission from end-of-life decisions.

Crisis management: The response of a small Dutch hospitality company during the COVID-19 pandemic

The purpose of this study was to explore how a small Dutch hospitality company responded to the COVID-19 pandemic and hence create an understanding of how hospitality businesses can potentially use this knowledge when facing similar crises in the future. This study is based on exploratory research and used interviews to collect primary data. Five themes were found: initial crisis response, operational expenses, health scare, marketing, and crisis impact. It is seen that crisis management was implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic, where reactive strategies were key for survival. Immediate actions were taken and implementing change was seen as easier due to the small size of the company. Further, operational expenses were adjusted to the changed demand and a favourable reputation helped to rebuild customers’ trust, where marketing initiatives were seen as important to reach customers. Finally, the impact of COVID-19 can strengthen organisational efficiency when handled well. Research about the impact of COVID-19 on the hospitality industry is limited, therefore further research is recommended on the long-term crisis response and the crisis consequences as well as the attitude of owners and employees of the hospitality industry during the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the limit of volunteerism? Swedish family forest owners and two policy strategies to increase forest biodiversity

Sweden is not on track to meet its own national 2020 environmental goals for sustainable forests. Due to the deliberate design of Swedish forest policy, private forest owners’ voluntary forest and biodiversity protection efforts are required to help close the policy gap. Using survey data from Swedish family forest owners, this paper outlines how forest owner attitudes reveal challenges and opportunities for two general strategies to increasing forest and biodiversity protection. The first strategy is attempting to institute changes within status quo Swedish forest policy by relying on family forest owners to make such changes voluntarily. The second strategy is encouraging management changes by using policy reforms. Our qualitative results suggest that Swedish forest policy is close to the limit of what can be accomplished with volunteerism alone and likely requires policy reforms to close its forest and biodiversity protection gap on family-owned forests.

Association between gun owner attitudes and their behavior in private firearm sales

Federal law places no regulations on unlicensed, private firearm sellers. However, a majority of the firearms used in crime come from these unregulated markets. This study aims to characterize the demographics of gun owners who engage in private sales, determine how often these individuals engage in selling behaviors, and ascertain whether sellers' attitudes are associated with their reported behaviors in the private market. A nationally representative web-based survey of 1444 gun owners, fielded in Spring 2016, were asked about their participation in the private market. The 238 respondents who participated in the private market were asked about their behavior on their last sale and the extent to which they felt it was the responsibility of sellers to ensure purchasers were legally able to own a firearm. Less than half of private gun sellers agreed that it is the seller's responsibility to ensure purchasers are eligible to buy guns (46%). Among private sellers, only 44% checked purchasers for eligibility and 32% denied a sale due to concerns about whether the firearm would be used safely. Sellers who agreed it was their responsibility to ensure purchasers were eligible to buy a gun had 4.52 (95% CI:1.78 to 11.5) times greater odds of reporting checking for a permit or conduct a background check on their last sale. it. These findings suggest a need for strategies to increase gun sellers' perceptions of responsibility for ensuring only eligible purchasers purchase guns, potentially including communication campaigns or educational programs.

The Human-Horse Relationship: Identifying the Antecedents of Horse Owner Attitudes towards Horse Husbandry and Management Behaviour.

Simple SummaryThe welfare of recreational horses is an important issue worldwide. Since horse owner characteristics may be an important determinant of horse welfare, the relationships between horse owner background factors and horse owner attitudes towards horse husbandry and management behaviour were examined in this study. Owner knowledge and experience rather than demographics were associated with an appreciation of parasite control, hoof care, and dental care. Therefore, an educational strategy intended to improve the horse owner’s appreciation of the welfare implications of their behaviour may be important in safeguarding recreational horse welfare, but further research is warranted.The welfare of recreational horses is an important issue. Horse owner attitudes towards horse ownership are likely to influence owner behaviour in terms of horse husbandry and management practices and human–horse interactions, which in turn are likely to affect the welfare of the horse. Based on Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behaviour, this paper examines the relationships between horse owner attributes, specifically background factors (demographics, knowledge, and experience) and attitudes (beliefs) towards horse husbandry and management behaviour. Data were collected via a random telephone survey and during on-site inspections with Victorian horse owners and their horses (n = 57), using an attitude questionnaire. Relationships were found between horse owner background factors and horse owner attitudes towards horse husbandry and management behaviour. Generally, belief variables correlated significantly with background factors that were primarily related to knowledge and experience. Further, beliefs concerning three key husbandry practices (parasite control, hoof care, and dental care) all appear to be predicted to some degree by background factors associated with knowledge and experience. Therefore, a practical recommendation may be the implementation of education and training programs aimed at improving horse owner knowledge and experience regarding effective horse husbandry and management to promote horse welfare. Clearly, further research is warranted.

Economic contribution and attitude towards alien freshwater ornamental fishes of pet store owners in Klang Valley, Malaysia

Malaysia is one of the top ten countries in the world that produce freshwater ornamental fishes. This industry can offer better livelihood opportunities to many poor households. However, most of the produced ornamental fishes are alien to Malaysia. In this study, we explore the contribution of alien freshwater fishes to the income of ornamental fish store owners and their attitude towards alien freshwater fishes within Klang Valley, Malaysia. Using a structured questionnaire, we surveyed 70 pet stores out of which 54 (81.42%) store owners responded. Most of the pet store owners were male (72%), Chinese (83%), and the highest educational level was at the secondary level (79%). Most of the pet store owners reported a monthly income of RM 2001–RM 5000 (78%) and were married (73%). Using Chi-square (χ2) test, significant relationships (p < 0.05) existed between the attitude of store owners towards alien ornamental fish species versus educational level (χ2 = 16.424, p = 0.007) and contribution of alien ornamental fishes to the pet store owners’ income (χ2 = 27.266, p = 0.003). Fish sales as the main income source also related significantly with the impact of fish selling business on income level (χ2 = 10.448, p = 0.007). This study showed that the ornamental fish sales contributed over half of the income (51–100%) from the businesses of store owners. Almost half of the respondents (42%) reported that alien ornamental fish was the highest contributor to their income from the ornamental fish sale. While the mismanagement of alien ornamental fishes could give various negative ecological impacts, the socio-economic benefits of these fishes cannot be denied.

Из опыта изучения практик создания и сохранения электронных документов личного происхождения в контексте архивной работы по формированию личных фондов

Active creation and accumulation of document complexes by citizens, which exist only in digital environment, has led to a change in types, forms, and content of personal documentary materials, to their multiplication, thus inevitably entailing a change in documents composition of future personal provenance fonds. It is in the personal archives of citizens that the greatest diversity of documents is observed and changes in the methods, types, and formats of data documenting are reflected most quickly. However, the composition of electronic documents received in recent years for storage in archival institutions is presented, in the overwhelming majority, by audiovisual forms. These are mainly photo and video documents. One of the reasons for limited range of electronic documents transferred for archival storage is lack of clear understanding of what personal electronic archives are today, which materials are of greatest value for the society. The article presents the results of a study conducted in the collaboration of researchers from the Tomsk State University and archivists of the State Archives of Tomsk Region. The method of semi-structured interviews has been used to describe practices of creating, preserving, and using personal electronic archives by representatives of the Tomsk academic community. The description of such an archive makes it possible to highlight main features of such complexes of documents, to identify changes in their composition, structure, features, and to trace personal strategies for their preservation and transfer to the State Archives of the Tomsk Region wherein they form personal provenance fonds. In the work of archivists, the results of this study can be used for developing criteria for evaluation and technological capabilities for reception of electronic documents of personal provenance. The results of this research can be used by the state archives as guidelines for building their relations with citizens on the issues of streamlining and preserving personal electronic documents by their creators. Changes in practices of usage, value perception, and attitude of owners towards their electronic materials demonstrate a need for developing recommendations for documents preservation, selection, and preparation for transfer to the state archives. To support the best practices presented in such recommendations, archival professionals will have to organize additional opportunities for dialogue with citizens via workshops, questions and answers sessions, etc.

Poslovna kultura - faktor uspešnosti poslovanja nacionalnih organizacija

The subject of this paper is to investigate the attitudes of owners and top managers of national organizations from different business sectors on how to increase the chances of the organization becoming competitive by raising the level at which the idea of corporate culture is realized. The paper starts from the assumption that the corporate culture depends on the context in which the organization operates and as such significantly affects performance. Each organization forms its own image in its organizational environment based on the strategy of quality of products and services it provides, the principles of behavior, and the moral principles of employees. Since it affects business performance and attitudes towards work, the corporate culture must be designed to be adapted to each work group. The results of the research show that depending on the decision makers in the organization and the management style, there are significant differences in the organizations in terms of the level at which the idea of corporate culture in the organization is realized. Hypothetical-deductive methods, analytical-deductive and comparative methods, explanatory methods, historical, and statistical-descriptive methods were used in the research.

Knowledge attitude and practice of meat inspection among stakeholders in Owerri, South-eastern Nigeria

Meat safety and disease surveillance are highly dependent on effective ante- and postmortem examination of meat at local abattoirs/slaughter slabs. In view of cases of emerging and re-emerging disease outbreaks of public health significance, it is important to use participatory epidemiology as a tool to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of animal presentation for ante-mortem and post-mortem evaluation using a local abattoir in Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria as a case study. 90 Questionnaires were distributed and informal interviews held with stakeholders (animal owners, butchers, livestock department personnel and veterinary officers attached to the abattoir). Information gathered include; factors affecting the presentation of animals for inspection at the abattoir, attitude of animal owners and butchers to meat inspection, willingness and compliance of butchers during meat inspection, level of the butchers' knowledge of the importance of meat inspection and degree of access of the Veterinary officer-in-charge to all slaughtered animals. Result show that market demand, economic pressure and lack of understanding influence animal owners' and butchers' cooperation in meat inspection. Over 90 % of stakeholders understood the importance of meat inspection but more than 60% of animal owners and up to 40% of butchers feel they are uninformed about meat inspection. Incidentally almost 80 % of stakeholders do not blame the government for failures in the programme. Veterinary and other livestock department personnel are not as motivated and empowered to effectively execute their duties. There is need for increased education among stakeholders on the importance of meat inspection as well as prompt payment of compensations and more legal backing from government to promote the programme in the state and indeed in the country.

Saving the Greater Adjutant Stork by Changing Perceptions and Linking to Assamese Traditions in India

The Greater Adjutant Stork (Leptoptilos dubius), locally known as Hargila (the bone swallower) is an endangered bird with an estimated global population of less than 1200. Habitat loss, poisoning, and poaching have caused large declines in populations of this stork in South Asia, with the Brahmaputra valley in Assam in northeastern India now the last stronghold for the species. The stork nests colonially in privately owned trees within thickly populated villages. Tree owners would cut down trees to prevent rotten food and excreta of this carnivorous bird from falling into their backyards. A change in attitudes of the nest-tree owners towards keeping their trees and towards Greater Adjutants has been the key to stork conservation. A conservation project involving community development, education and outreach, interlinking storks with local traditions and cultures, and capacity building of local communities was initiated in 2007. A rural women's conservation group named the Hargila Army was instituted and strong feelings of pride and ownership for the storks by the villagers have been generated. Cash incentives for nest protection were deliberately avoided, with schemes that indirectly contribute to the livelihoods of nest-tree owners and other villagers introduced instead. The success of the conservation program is shown by the increase in the number of nesting colonies in the village area of Dadara, Pachariya, and Singimari in Kamrup District in Assam from 28 nests in 2007–08 to 208 nests in the 2019–20 breeding season, making this the largest breeding colony of Greater Adjutant Storks in the world.

One Size Does Not Fit All: Relationships between Size of Family Forest Holdings and Owner Attitudes and Behaviors

Abstract An estimated 10 million families, individuals, trusts, and estates own 39 percent of the forestland in the United States, excluding interior Alaska. Using segmented regression, the relationships between size of forest holdings and the attitudes and behaviors of these family forest ownerships were tested using data from the 2018 iteration of the USDA Forest Service’s National Woodland Owner Survey. All 16 variables tested have significant relationships with size of forest holdings, and 13 have one or more breakpoints, ranging from 40 to 5,854 ac, where the relationships between the variables change. Timber as a reason for owning, timber harvesting activities, management plan, advice received, land certified, tax program participation, cost share, recreation, land tenure, recreation, taxes and heirs as concerns, land transfer, and income from forestland have positive relationships with size of forest holdings; resident ownership has a negative relationship; and wildlife as a reason for owning and owner age have mixed relationships.

Reducing livestock-carnivore conflict on rural farms using local livestock guarding dogs

Livestock depredation can be devastating to both farmers and the species considered responsible if they are subsequently persecuted. Many proposed conflict solutions are limited in their uptake because they may be short-term, localised, expensive or species-specific. Livestock guarding dogs have been a successful solution in many parts of the world, however recommended imported breeds are generally expensive or inaccessible to many rural farmers. In this study, we report on a program placing local Tswana dogs with farmers in Botswana as a tool to reduce livestock loss. Seventy-five farmers who experienced high conflict from carnivores in both rangelands and wildlife areas were selected to receive a Tswana puppy. Puppies were monitored regularly to determine their performance, survival and owner attitudes toward wildlife. From initial baseline reports of goat losses before farmers received a puppy, loss declined by at least 85% over the following three years. Farmers were very satisfied with the performance of their livestock guarding dog and attitudes toward protection and tolerance of wildlife improved after one year of receiving a puppy. Our study suggests locally bred Tswana dogs are an effective solution for livestock at risk to depredation, particularly for rural farmers and development of community-led programs can be further used to reduce conflict.

Owner experience, knowledge and attitudes towards different aspects of equine wound management: A survey of 1037 horse owners

Owner experience, knowledge and attitudes towards different aspects of equine wound management: A survey of 1037 horse owners

Canine vaccination in Germany: A survey of owner attitudes and compliance.

BackgroundVaccination is the most important preventive measure for protection against infectious diseases in humans and companion animals. Nevertheless, scepticism about the safety and importance of vaccines is increasing in human and in veterinary medicine. Although owner attitudes towards vaccination have been investigated in cats, there are no similar studies in dogs. The goals of this study were therefore to investigate the vaccination status of dogs in Germany, to determine owner compliance with vaccination and to identify factors that play a role in owners’ decisions to have their dogs vaccinated.MethodsData were collected from August 2018 to February 2019 using an online survey targeting dog owners in Germany. A total of 3,881 questionnaires were evaluated, and factors associated with the vaccination status of dogs were determined by a linear logistic regression model using Akaike information criterion. Cohen's kappa statistic was used to evaluate agreement between questionnaire and 340 vaccination passports submitted voluntarily by owners.ResultsA total of 46.8% (n = 1,818/3,881) of dogs were vaccinated with core vaccines according to current guidelines with the lowest vaccination rate for leptospirosis (50.1%; n = 1,941/3,874). Dog’s age (16 weeks to 15 months) (odds ratio (OR): 3.08; 95% CI: 2.05–4.68), type (working dog) (OR: 2.06; 95% CI: 1.22–3.53) and travelling abroad within previous 36 months (OR: 1.82; 95% CI: 1.12–2.96) had the strongest ‘positive’ association with the vaccination status. Recommendation from a veterinarian not to vaccinate against leptospirosis had the strongest ‘negative’ association (OR: 0.08; 95% CI: 0.04–0.18).ConclusionThe study revealed a need for improvement in vaccination compliance because of inadequate vaccination coverage, especially for leptospirosis, in dogs. Factors influencing owner compliance were numerous. Vaccination recommendations made by the veterinarian had a strong association with the vaccination status and should be used to increase canine vaccination rates.

Optimalisasi Pengawasan Perizinan dan Perpanjangan Trayek Angkutan Kota (Studi di Kabupaten Banjarnegara)

Municipal transportation means of transportation are required to have a route permit and are obliged to extend route permits that have expired. The issuance of route permits and extension of route permits is carried out by the Transportation Agency. This research is normative juridical research. The data used is secondary data sourced from books, research reports, scientific journals, and legislation. Interviews were conducted to add secondary data. The results showed that many city transportations have not extended their route permits. The Banjarnegara Regency Transportation Office as a service provider carries out supervision, provides guidance/socialization as well as evaluations and reports. The obstacles faced in the supervision are the lack of operational implementation and the attitude of city transport owners who have not routinely extended route permits. Optimization from the Banjarnegara Regency Transportation Office in the form of increased guidance for vehicle owners, coordination with police agencies in law enforcement against violations of route permits. Evaluation is needed in the form of ease of granting route permits and the apparatus' assertiveness against violators of route permits.Keywords: Supervision, Route Permit, City Transportation

Attitudes of dog owners in Edinburgh towards canine blood donation.

The establishment of animal blood banks following legislative changes in the UK in 2005 has led to increasing accessibility and use of animal blood products. However, the supply of animal blood is currently not meeting demand. This study aims to identify potential methods of increasing donor recruitment to meet this demand. A questionnaire was constructed, consisting of three sections designed to evaluate owner perceptions, identify incentives for donation and to obtain demographic data. Seventy-nine responses were included, 76 of which were previous non-donors. The top three reasons for not donating in this group were uncertainty over where to donate, veterinarians not expressing the need for donors and lack of awareness. Considering these results, one method of potentially increasing donor recruitment is encouraging more veterinarians to actively advertise local donor programmes. Emphasising the mandatory inclusion of a free annual health check in the donor process may also be helpful as many respondents rated this highly. It is the authors' hope that this preliminary data may lead to increased willingness of owners to nominate their dogs for donation by guiding the provision of appropriate incentives and education to quell owner concerns as highlighted by this study.