Unfamiliar Animals Research Articles

The friendly fossa: The effect of anthropomorphic language on learning about unfamiliar animals through both storybooks and live animal experiences

Children’s storybooks about animals often use elements of fantasy; even educational storybooks intended to teach children about factual and biological properties include talking animals depicted as more like humans than animals. Previous research has found that anthropomorphic images, specifically in storybooks, hinder factual learning and thus should not be used in the context of educational experiences. However, little research has explored the impact of anthropomorphic language alone as well as its use in other contexts such as zoos where parents often naturally use anthropomorphic language. The current studies explored the impact of anthropomorphic language on learning about an unfamiliar animal (fossa) across two contexts: storybooks (Study 1; N = 48; age range = 4;0–6;3 [years; months]) and a zoo (Study 2a; N = 29; age range = 4;5–7;10). An adult comparison group (Study 2b, N = 82) was also included. Across both studies, there was no evidence that anthropomorphic language decreased factual learning. However, children given anthropomorphic information about a fossa were more likely to generalize anthropomorphic traits, such as emotions, intentions, and preferences, to other fossas, and this was consistent with the adult comparison group. We discuss considerations for parents and educators regarding the appropriateness of fantastical language about animals in experiences specifically designed to support biological learning.

Aggression and motivation to disperse in eusocial naked mole-rats, Heterocephalus glaber

Naked mole-rats are eusocial mammals that live in hierarchies consisting of one breeding female, one to three male consorts and their reproductively suppressed offspring. A ‘disperser morph’ subcaste has been suggested with a subset of nonbreeders exhibiting motivation to leave their natal colony and mate with unfamiliar conspecifics. To test the hypotheses that intrinsic colony variables (e.g. population density, sex ratio, queen temperament) influence the dispersal phenotype, and that males and females differ in responsiveness to these variables, we evaluated dispersal behaviour in 17 laboratory colonies. Queen aggression was associated with the number of female, but not male, dispersers, although dispersers were not themselves targets of queen aggression. Female dispersers were more aggressive than their nondispersing sisters, although still less aggressive than queens overall. Following outpairing with an unfamiliar opposite-sex animal, dispersers and nondispersers produced litters at similar rates, demonstrating that motivation to leave the colony, and not anticipatory reproductive maturation, is the key to successful dispersal. Collectively, these data suggest that aggressive naked mole-rat queens motivate dispersal in their daughters and that female dispersers show traits consistent with successful queens (e.g. aggression).

Individual Variability in Response to Social Stress in Dairy Heifers.

Simple SummaryMixing unfamiliar animals (or regrouping) is a common practice on dairy farms. This disruption in the social organization typically results in increased agonistic interactions and changes in time feeding and resting. Our objective was to study if different individuals subjected to a similar regrouping event would display different levels of engagement in social interactions and avoidance of social contact, and if these differences were associated with other behavioral changes. A total of 30 heifers were regrouped. Agonistic behaviors initiated and received, and feeding, resting and standing time and synchronization were recorded. Agonistic interactions were most frequent in the first 6 h after regrouping, with most taking place in the alleyways. Some individuals showed higher levels of engagement in these interactions, and others seemed to avoid aggressive interactions, suggesting different strategies were used to cope with the social stress of regrouping. Heifers that showed a more engaged strategy spent more time feeding. Those that showed higher avoidance spent less time feeding, less time resting and were less synchronized with others in their feeding behavior. We conclude that dairy heifers display different responses to social stress, and that in the case of regrouping, a more engaged strategy is more successful.Regrouping is associated with increased aggression, and disruption of time-budgets. Individuals vary in how well they cope with social stress. Our objective was to describe individual differences in agonistic behavior in dairy heifers after regrouping, and determine how time-budget and behavioral synchronization were affected by these coping strategies. A total of 30 heifers were individually regrouped at 5-months of age into stable groups of 12 unfamiliar animals. For 24 h, agonistic behaviors initiated and received by the regrouped heifer were continuously recorded, and standing, resting and feeding time and synchronization were sampled every 5 min. Scores of engagement in agonistic interactions and avoidance of interactions were calculated for each regrouped heifer. Linear mixed effects models were used to assess whether these two response types were related, and how variation in these responses related to activity and synchronization. Engaged heifers displayed lower avoidance and spent more time feeding. Avoidant heifers spent less time feeding and resting, and were less synchronized while feeding. We conclude that dairy heifers differ in social coping strategy when regrouped through different levels of engagement and avoidance, and that these differences affected their time-budget and behavioral synchronization.

Introducing three new males into a captive lion-tailed macaque (Macaca silenus) group

The introduction of an unfamiliar animal to a new individual or group can be highly stressful for any animal. Various studies have tried to determine the best method for introducing unfamiliar animals to each other, but many disagree on the most appropriate method of introduction. In this study, three new male lion-tailed macaques Macaca silenus, were introduced to the resident group in Fota Wildlife Park. The introduction method here was slow, with controlled contact between the new males and resident group over a period of 17 months. Behavioural data were collected using scan and focal sampling to observe the differences in the behaviour of the existing group before and after the introduction of these new males and during the different types of contact (‘outside pen’, ‘indoor house’, ‘split group’ and ‘mixed’). Data were analysed using randomisation and a likelihood-ratio G-test. Active behaviours increased in the first 3 months following the introduction of the new males, while self-directed behaviours decreased overall. Aggression was observed most frequently in the first three months after introduction of the new males, during the ‘outside pen’ period of contact. By September 2018, there was one successful birth within the group, one of the two surviving males was fully integrated into the group, and with the integration of the second male looking promising, overall this indicates a positive introduction and integration.

Control it and it is yours: Children's reasoning about the ownership of living things

One of the hallmarks of ownership is the right to control one's property. Living beings thus pose an interesting puzzle for ownership, since they have some capacity to decide what happens to themselves—they can direct their own motion, pursue their own goals, and make their own decisions. Recent work has shown that adults consider this autonomy to be the key factor in determining whether a human (or human-like) being can be owned. However, little is known about how children reason about the ownership of living beings. Across three experiments we show that children (ages 4–7) use principles of control and autonomy to reason about the ownership of familiar and novel animals. At all ages tested, children were more likely to say that a typically wild animal (e.g., a bear) was owned if a homeowner had controlled its movements by putting it in a cage, rather than simply standing near it in their yard (Experiment 1). Children also used this cue of control to predict whether novel animals were owned (Experiment 2)—and for these unfamiliar animals, the effect of control was even larger. Finally, Experiment 3 found that children's judgments were not specifically driven by the use of a cage to control the animal, but also extended to animals that inherently had the ability to escape (e.g., fly or jump). These autonomous animals were judged as non-owned, while those that could not escape were judged as owned. The use of these principles was evident at all ages, but became stronger with age, particularly when considering novel animals. These are the first studies, to our knowledge, to investigate the development of reasoning about the ownership of animals, and they suggest that, like adults, children consider autonomy an essential factor in the ownership of living things.

What functional proteomic and biochemical analysis tell us about animal stress in beef?

Animal management practices may influence the animal's susceptibility to stress, with detrimental effects on the ultimate meat quality. In this field, proteomics is a promising tool that reveals the biological pathways underpinning the effect of animal's pre-slaughter stress (PSS) on the ultimate meat quality. The objective of this work was to study the effect of a pre-slaughter procedure that may promote stress, such as mixing unfamiliar animals during the transport and lairage period, on the post-mortem muscle proteome of young bulls reared under two different farm management systems (Intensive or Extensive). Comparative proteomics and biochemical analysis reveal the effect of PSS on biochemical pathways involved in the meat colour development, muscle redox status, energy metabolism and autophagy. This work highlights the potential of some muscle proteins such as Beclin-1 (autophagy marker), CKM (biomarker of energy transduction) and proteins of the energy metabolism (ALDOA, PYGM, PGM1, PKM, GPI) as potential biomarkers to discriminate beef samples according to the incidence of PSS. SignificanceMeat scientists are interested in the study of individual animal-based measurements that allow the detection of stress situations which could have negative effects on meat quality. In this context, the mechanisms underlying the adverse effects of pre-slaughter stress on the post-mortem muscle metabolism need to be elucidated in order to understand how animal stress may influence the conversion of muscle into meat. In this work, the study of proteome changes in the post-mortem muscle has allowed the identification of significant biomarkers of these processes that could be used as tools for detecting inappropriate strategies that may induce increased animal stress and, in consequence, may compromise the ultimate beef quality.

Animal welfare in the U.S. slaughter industry-a focus on fed cattle.

Animal welfare within the U.S. slaughter industry continues to prevail as one of the top priorities for livestock producers, businesses, and consumers alike. There are federal regulations that enforce the humane transport, handling, and slaughter of cattle. The journey that cattle must make to the slaughter facility is comprised of many environmental and human factors that can positively or negatively affect animal welfare. Cattle may be exposed to multiple stressors, such as noise, unfamiliar animals and humans, temperature extremes, temporary food/water deprivation, variable transport distances and experiences, and new pen conditions. The animal caretakers involved in these processes attempt to minimize stress and discomfort for the animals, but research is needed to focus on the gaps in knowledge and to support the implementation of strategies known to enhance the human–animal interactions that occur from farm to slaughter. This literature review will provide a summary of fed cattle welfare topics, research, and industry tools that span across the beef animal’s journey from the farm/feedlot through the slaughter process. In addition, areas that have had little research focus are identified to highlight the need for future work and development of industry tools. Some of these topics include examining trailer design, the use of trailer slats during weather extremes, the welfare aspects of cattle destined for salvage slaughter, multiple preslaughter factors and interactions, abnormal mobility and nonambulatory cattle, lairage environmental conditions, new stunning methods, and the impact of a well-trained, motivated, and stable workforce on cattle and people welfare. The authors conducted a survey at the 2019 North American Meat Institute Animal Care and Handling Conference, which comprised of stakeholders within the meat packing industry, packing plant employees, and food company employees, educators, and auditors. The survey responses identified training/education and communication as areas of need in animal welfare, whereas the majority of survey responses focused on the aspects of the human–animal interaction as the top challenges for the industry. By continuously identifying, measuring, monitoring, and managing animal welfare challenges within the beef cattle slaughter industry, prioritization and execution of programs and training that improve the welfare of cattle can be achieved as animals move through this final stage of the meat production system.

Children’s selective information sharing based on the recipient’s role

Two experiments investigate whether children ages 5 through 10 (n = 121) take into account an individual’s role when choosing what information to share or with whom to share it. In Experiment 1, children heard statements about an unfamiliar animal’s behavior and appearance. They then chose one statement to share with each of two characters with different job descriptions. Seven-year-olds consistently shared the information that aligned with each character’s role, but 5-year-olds and a subset of 9-year-olds did not. Experiment 2 showed that children’s decisions about what to share were not driven by their personal preferences for the information they were sharing. In addition, when children were provided with a single fact and had to choose with whom to share it, 7- and 9-year-olds shared information with the recipient for whom it was most relevant. Together, the findings suggest that by age 7, children can use information about an individual’s occupational role in order to infer what information to share.

ECOLOGICAL CHANGE AND HEALTH SECURITY IN NORTH CENTRAL REGION OF NIGERIA

The change in our ecosystem today has creates a lot social challenges. Climate change which is one of the major causes of ecological change is attributed to both the nature and human causes. The issue has resulted in many soft security issues such as health related security issue, food security issue and socio-economic issue. This study examines how ecological change has affected health security of the people in the study area. The study use a sample of three states in the North central zone of Nigeria. The study uses an observation of 385 and the data collected were analyses using Kendell tau test of concordance. The study has found that ecological changes have significant effect on health security in the study area. The study notes that ecological change increase vulnerability to diseases such as malaria, typhoid and zoonosis. These happening thus creates health related issues in the affected areas. On the basis of the finding, it is recommended people in the affect areas should need to be health cautious by treating their drinking water and using anti-mosquitos nets and to equally avoid contact with unfamiliar animals. Keywords: Ecological change, health security and test of concordance

The Xingxing Blood Metaphor and its Color in Chinese Classical Poetry

‘Xingxing blood’ was acknowledged in ancient China as a kind of metaphor which represented red color. But it looks too violent to convey beautiful red color. How could think of a monkey shedding blood when seeing flowers or fruits? This paper contends that there existed a reason for using the metaphor. According to some writings, the xingxing is regarded as an mysterious and unfamiliar animal for ancient people, which resulted in the birth of this attractive metaphor. To develop this question, I will use a complete enumeration method of analyzing all the poems which contain “猩” meaning red. Therefore, I divide the objects comparing to the color of xingxing blood into the four types with arranged in chronological order. The result is predicted that xingxing blood represented exotic scarlet-red, which was differentiated from traditional Chinese red colors. Being vivid and bright, it would be paired with the fancy objects. More importantly, this result could suggest a significant finding that ancient Chinese people cared much about outstanding and intuitive expressions in order to write poems more clearly.

Local wisdom-based e-encyclopedia as a science learning medium in elementary school

The number of online encyclopedias is still limited and generally, they are not too interesting to be read by students since they tend to load information about unfamiliar animals for students. This paper seeks to describe the use of local wisdom based electronic encyclopedia as a learning media in the Science subject in Elementary school. This research was conducted on elementary school students in the city of Malang with 82 people using data collection instruments. Such as questionnaires and observation sheets. The research was carried out through several stages, namely the analysis stage, production stages, product design and evaluation stage. The finding show that local wisdom-based animal based e- encyclopedia are good in terms of content, presentation, language and the use of online encyclopedia triggers students to be more motivated and enthusiastic to learn during the learning process. The familiar contents and concepts given made a more meaningful learning process for students.

Does category-training facilitate 11-month-olds’ acquisition of unfamiliar category-property associations?

The ability to form category-property links allows infants to extend a property from one category member to another. In two experiments, we examined whether orienting infants to the demands of the task, through categorization training, would facilitate 11-month-old infants’ category-property extensions when familiarized with a single exemplar of an unfamiliar animal category. In Experiment 1, 11-month-olds (N = 35) were trained with two familiar animal-sound pairings (i.e., dog-bark, cat-meow), familiarized with two unfamiliar animal-sound pairings and then tested on their learning and generalization of the unfamiliar animal-sound associations. Across two conditions, Experiment 2 familiarized 11-month-olds (N = 69) to one familiar (i.e., dog-bark) and one novel animal-sound pairing. Conditions differed in their presentation of familiarization trials (i.e., random or blocked). Infants were then tested on their learning and extension of the animal-sound associations. In both experiments, infants did not demonstrate learning of the original animal sound pairing, nor generalization of the sound property to new members of the animal categories. These results indicate that the two category training paradigms implemented in the current studies did not facilitate 11-month-olds’ ability to learn or generalize an unfamiliar animal-sound association, when familiarized with a single exemplar.

Children's selective trust: When a group majority is confronted with past accuracy.

In two experiments, 3- to 5-year-old children were tested for their preferences when seeking and accepting information about novel animals. In Experiment 1, children watched as two adults named unfamiliar animals - one adult was predominantly accurate, whereas the other was predominantly inaccurate, as judged by a teacher. In a subsequent test phase, participants viewed additional unfamiliar animals and were invited to endorse one of two conflicting names. Either the predominantly accurate or the predominantly inaccurate adult proposed one name, whereas a majority of three unfamiliar adults proposed the other name. Children were more likely to endorse the predominantly accurate adult as compared to the majority but showed no significant preference for the predominantly inaccurate adult as compared to the majority. In Experiment 2, participants watched two adults correctly name three familiar animals, but only one named three additional unfamiliar animals whereas the other expressed uncertainty. On subsequent test trials, children preferred the apparently well-informed adult to the less-informed adult but, contrary to the results of Experiment 1, children preferred the information provided by a majority instead of the apparently well-informed adult. The implications of these results are discussed in the light of previous research on children's selective trust in an accurate informant as compared to a consensus. Statement of contribution What is already known on the subject? Young children monitor past accuracy and use this epistemic cue to decide whom to trust; Children are receptive to information coming from a consensus; Non-epistemic cues, such as familiarity and accent, also influence children's deference What does this study adds? Children favour a dissenter over a majority if the dissenter's past accuracy has been publicly highlighted. They favour a majority if a dissenter's past accuracy has not been publicly highlighted. A confident informant is preferred to a hesitant informant.

Does Viewing a Picture of a Pet During a Mental Arithmetic Task Lower Stress Levels?

ABSTRACTPets can reduce stress in their owner; however, they are not always permitted in public and institutional places. This study examined the impact of people viewing a picture of their pet versus other images on stress levels. One hundred and twenty participants were randomly assigned to one of six conditions. These involved completing a mental arithmetic task while viewing a picture of either their personal pet; an unfamiliar animal; a familiar, supportive person; a stranger; a pleasant image of nature; or no image. Stress was measured through subjective and physiological methods. For participants, viewing a picture of their pet did not reduce their stress response to the task, while viewing a picture of a familiar, supportive person increased the stress response, relative to the controls. Post-stressor, participants in the personal-pet condition rated the picture as making them feel more relaxed, compared with the other conditions. Active interaction with a pet may be required to reduce stress.

Questions asked by Turkish preschoolers from middle-SES and low-SES families

Research with preschoolers growing up in the US and UK highlights the importance of young children’s questions as a tool for learning from knowledgeable others; however, studies on this topic in different sociocultural contexts are scarce. The present study addressed this gap by examining questions of preschoolers growing up in middle-SES and low-SES Turkish families. We presented a total of 105 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds (55 middle-SES and 50 low-SES) with pictures of unfamiliar animals and objects in an experimental context to examine what type of questions children asked, and whether the quantity and type of their questions differed depending on the type of answers they received in an informative vs. a non-informative answer condition. We found that Turkish preschoolers asked many questions to gather information about these unfamiliar items, asking more fact-seeking than explanation-seeking questions. They were also more likely to ask information-seeking questions when they received informative answers than non-informative answers to their questions. We found significant SES differences in that children from middle-SES families asked more information-seeking questions than children from low-SES families; and this difference was particularly pronounced for fact-seeking questions. While Turkish children asked some explanation-seeking questions (22% middle-SES, and 10% low-SES), they were less frequent when compared to previous studies with Western samples (26–30% middle-SES). These results suggest that children’s questions show differences by socioeconomic and possibly by cultural background, at least in this early period of development.

Inactivation of the cerebellar fastigial nuclei alters social behavior in the rat.

Research has implicated the deep cerebellar nuclei in autism. This study questioned whether fastigial nuclei abnormalities account for some of the irregular social behaviors seen in autism. Bilateral cannulation surgery was performed on 13 rats. An ABABAB reversal design was implemented. All animals received a microinfusion of saline during the baseline (A) phases. The experimental animal was placed in an open field with an unfamiliar confederate animal, and social interactions between the two animals were measured for 10 min. Seven animals received microinfusions of bupivacaine during the treatment phases (B), which temporarily inactivated the fastigial nuclei. Six control animals received saline again, and social interaction was retested. This sequence was executed 3 times over 6 days to achieve an ABABAB reversal design. Because the cerebellum is involved in motor behavior, the animals' locomotion was analyzed to ensure results were not because of locomotor deficits. A gait analysis and distance traveled in the open field were used to measure locomotion. No differences were found in locomotor behavior. Results of the social interaction analyses indicate animals with inactivated fastigial nuclei engage in less intense social interactions and engage in more behaviors to prevent social interaction. Knowledge that the fastigial nuclei mediate social interaction can further the understanding of pathology in the autistic brain and lead to breakthrough treatments. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Investigating Childhood Fears During Preschool Period in Terms of Child, Mother and Teacher Opinions

<p style="text-align:justify">In this study, it is aimed to discover childhood fears of 60-72-month-old children through the opinions of preschool children, preschool teachers and mothers. Study group of the investigation consists of 52 participants; 18 children aged 60-72 months, 16 teachers and 18 mothers with preschool children, in Istanbul. An “Interview Form” which consists of 9 questions, was developed by the researchers. According to the findings, there are not significant differences in fear types among preschool children in different socioeconomic levels. In general, the most common fear types among all children are animals, robbery, natural events and nightmares. According to the mothers in lower and middle socioeconomic levels, children are mostly afraid of the dark and loneliness and to the mothers from upper socioeconomic level, they are afraid of strangers and unfamiliar settings, animals and loneliness. According to the teachers working in lower socioeconomic level schools, children are mostly afraid of animals; to the teachers from middle socioeconomic level schools, children are mostly afraid of the dark, strangers and unfamiliar settings; and according to the teachers working in high socioeconomic level schools, children are mostly afraid of separation, strangers and unfamiliar settings and loneliness.</p>

Effects of Short Transport and Prolonged Fasting in Beef Calves.

Simple SummaryMarketing is inherently stressful for animals because they are removed from their home environment, handled, and transported. When sold at a livestock market, the events associated with transport are duplicated, in that animals are delivered to and then transported from the market, animals are kept confined in an unknown environment and are often mixed with unfamiliar animals, and fasting times increase. For calves, the stress of weaning is added, because the weaning process often takes place moments before being loaded for transport. In Chile, approximately one million cattle go through livestock markets annually and over 30% of them, being the largest category, are calves. Some studies have shown that calves sold through markets suffer from extended fasting periods, even when exposed to only short transportation times. The aim of this study was to determine the consequences of a short transportation time followed by an extended period without food and water. This was undertaken by measuring variables related to stress in beef calves. The results obtained showed a significant physiological effect on body temperature, blood indicators and live weight (LW). Calves lost a mean of 10 kg each after 24 h of fasting. LW loss is probably the most significant economic effect, since animals are traded based on weight. Further studies to measure the impact during true, commercial marketing are needed.Marketing is a stressful process for beef calves, because they are removed from their environment, often weaned just before loading, loaded, transported, and unloaded. It also involves extended periods without food and water and mixing with unfamiliar animals in an unknown environment. Some studies have shown that calves sold through markets are exposed to extended fasting periods even when they undergo only short transportation times. The aim of this controlled study was to determine the consequences for beef calves of a short transportation time followed by a prolonged time without food and water on their tympanic temperature (TT), maximum eye temperature (MET), blood variables related to stress, and live weight. Ten calves were transported for 3 h and then kept in an outdoor pen for 21 h, completing a 24 h fasting period. Sampling took place before loading, after transport and unloading, and then after completing 24 h without food and water. TT, MET, blood glucose, and creatine kinase (CK) increased significantly after transportation. Live weight decreased across sample times (mean of 10 kg per calf after 24 h of fasting), which was consistent with the higher concentration of β-HB found after fasting. Further studies to measure the actual consequences of true, commercial marketing on calf welfare and productivity are needed.

Genome-wide association analyses of lesion counts in group-housed pigs.

Aggression in group-housed pigs is a welfare concern and can negatively affect production. Skin lesions are reliable indicators of aggression and are moderately heritable, suggesting that selective breeding may reduce aggression. To further understand the genetic control of behavioral traits, such as the aggressive response to regrouping, associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) can be identified within the genome, and the region in which these SNPs are located can be related to known genes. To investigate SNPs associated with aggression, 1093 purebred Yorkshire pigs were strategically remixed into new groups of familiar and unfamiliar animals at three life stages and lesion counts were recorded. Genomic best linear unbiased prediction (GBLUP) models were fitted for each trait. The genetic additive effect was obtained from a genetic relationship matrix constructed from the 50924 SNPs. SNP effects and their variances were estimated from the GBLUP objects. SNPs that were associated with a significant portion of the trait variance were identified for lesions to the anterior (three SNPs, FDR <5%) and central (one SNP, FDR <5%) portions of the body in grow-finish pigs. These SNPs were located on chromosome 11, suggesting that chromosome 11 contains a region explaining variation in lesion counts that should be further explored to identify genes underlying biological control of aggression.

A survey of undesirable behaviors expressed by ex-racing greyhounds adopted in Italy

Abstract Previous research showed that behavior problems are a major reason for relinquishing adopted dogs to animal shelters, and it is possible that undesirable behaviors also affect the success of adoptions of retired racing greyhounds. The present study aimed to measure behaviors of ex-racing greyhounds adopted through the Greyhound Adoption Center Italy, as reported by 176 owners. Desirable behaviors were reported by a large percentage of participants as occurring always or almost always, such as being easy to manage (90.9%), being clean in the home (89.2%), and being good with children (89.2%). The only desirable behavior that was reported as occurring always or almost always by less than half of participants was being good with other animals (48.9%). A few undesirable behaviors were expressed by more than 40% of dogs at least sometimes. These were predatory behavior toward cats (79.6%), aggression toward unfamiliar animals (61.9%), fear of thunderstorms (46.6%), and following the owner around the house (69.3%). Several participants indicated that the problematic behavior had improved over time, and very few reported that it appeared or worsened long after adoption. A principal components analysis revealed 6 factors for undesirable behaviors. Few, and generally weak, significant correlations were found between factors and owner features or dog management practices, and only social fear ( r = −0.180, P = 0.017) and nonsocial fear ( r = −0.208, P = 0.006) correlated with overall satisfaction with the dog. In comparison with similar data previously collected in Australia and New Zealand (ANZ), 8 undesirable behaviors were reported to occur more frequently by ANZ owners, and 2 by Italian owners. Predatory behavior toward cats was the only behavior reported as occurring by more than half of the sample at least sometimes among both ANZ and Italian owners. These findings are relevant for associations involved in the rehoming of ex-racing greyhounds and for perspective owners. In addition, the findings should be used to increase awareness about problematic behaviors among people who breed and/or train racing greyhounds.