post-adoption outcomes of shelter dogs

We are looking for animal shelters interested in better understanding the post-adoption outcomes of dogs with a bite history to join our study

Who we are: My name is Dr. Lisa Gunter, and I’m an Assistant Professor of Animal Behavior & Welfare at Virginia Tech. My co-investigators are Drs. Linda Jacobson and Jacklyn Ellis at Toronto Humane Society, Dr. Sara Bennett at North Carolina State University, and her veterinary student, Lynn Eckert. We are companion animal researchers interested in improving the lives of dogs living in animal shelters.

This study is a collaborative effort to understand more about the outcomes of adopted dogs that have had a bite occur while in the shelter’s care or in their previous home, prior to their entrance to the shelter. We would like to learn more about the experiences of these dogs after they leave the shelter with regards to their behavior as well as the lives of their new owners. Dogs with bite histories can pose dilemmas for shelters that are trying to balance the interests of the individual dog, lengths of stay, societal expectations, and public safety. The motivation for the study is to provide data about post-adoption outcomes about these dogs and adopters and help open up a conversation about this issue.

We are recruiting shelters that have adopted out dogs in the past that have bitten a person while in care or prior to the dog’s entry into the shelter. If your shelter is interested in participating, we will set up an initial call with our study team to determine feasibility and answer any questions you may have.

Once on board, you and your shelter would provide information about your adopted dogs via your shelter management software along with permission to contact adopters. All adopter information will be confidential and collected in accordance with Institutional Review Board approval from North Carolina State University. We will reach out to adopters of dogs with and without bite histories to participate in the study. The post-adoption survey will be a mix of questions about the adopter’s quality of life, the dog’s behavior, and adopter satisfaction. Our interest is in comparing the responding of owners of dogs with and without bite histories in order to learn about differences in their experiences.