Carroll Grace A, Torjussen Alice, Reeve Catherine
Animal Behaviour Centre, School of Psychology, Queens University Belfast.
University of Sussex.
Anim Welf. 2023 Aug 18;32:e56. doi: 10.1017/awf.2023.77. eCollection 2023.
Understanding the factors associated with companion animal relinquishment is key in safeguarding animal welfare and human well-being. The aims of this study were to assess the effect of demographic variables on risk of relinquishment of cats and dogs during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to report characteristics of those that relinquished a cat or dog, and the experience of said relinquishment process. A series of surveys were administered to pet owners (n = 3,945) across several countries including the UK, USA, Canada, Italy, Spain and France. In total, n = 1,324 reported having acquired their cat or dog via online means. There was no association between online source (search engines, breeder websites, rescue websites, online ad sites and social media) and relinquishment status (NCR1 [Never Considered Relinquishment] compared to CR_R [Considering Relinquishment or already Relinquished]. More participants from the USA considered or already had relinquished their cat or dog compared to the UK and Italy. Of those that have already given up their pet, 76.2% agreed that it was an emotionally difficult decision, while 100% agreed that it was, logically, the correct decision. Demographic characteristics in those that reported considering relinquishment or that had already relinquished (CR_R; n = 146) were compared to a comparison group that had never considered relinquishing their pet (NCR2; n = 193). Being a male-gendered pet-owner and a younger pet age increased the risk of relinquishment. Cats and dogs from households with children were 4.6 times more likely to consider or have already relinquished a cat or dog compared to those from households without children. Further research is needed to explore risk of relinquishment of cats and dogs when children are present in the home.
了解与伴侣动物被遗弃相关的因素是保障动物福利和人类福祉的关键。本研究的目的是评估人口统计学变量对新冠疫情期间猫和狗被遗弃风险的影响，并报告那些遗弃猫或狗的人的特征以及上述遗弃过程的经历。对包括英国、美国、加拿大、意大利、西班牙和法国在内的多个国家的宠物主人（n = 3945）进行了一系列调查。总共有n = 1324人报告是通过网络方式获得他们的猫或狗的。网络来源（搜索引擎、繁殖者网站、救援网站、在线广告网站和社交媒体）与遗弃状态之间没有关联（与CR_R [考虑遗弃或已经遗弃]相比，NCR1 [从未考虑过遗弃]）。与英国和意大利相比，更多来自美国的参与者考虑过或已经遗弃了他们的猫或狗。在那些已经放弃宠物的人中，76.2%同意这是一个情感上艰难的决定，而100%同意从逻辑上讲这是正确的决定。将报告考虑遗弃或已经遗弃的人（CR_R；n = 146）的人口统计学特征与从未考虑过遗弃宠物的对照组（NCR2；n = 193）进行了比较。男性宠物主人和较年轻的宠物年龄增加了被遗弃的风险。有孩子家庭的猫和狗与没有孩子家庭的猫和狗相比，考虑或已经遗弃的可能性高出4.6倍。需要进一步研究以探讨家中有孩子时猫和狗被遗弃的风险。
