By Stephen Beech via SWNS
Shelter dogs awaiting adoption fare better with a canine companion than when they’re housed alone, according to new research.
They showed fewer signs of stress and were adopted more quickly than dogs that were housed by themselves, say scientists.
The findings offer a possible solution for animal shelters struggling with limited space and long waits for dogs needing adoption, according to the research team.
Study leader Professor Erica Feuerbacher said: “Despite being a social species, dogs are often housed alone in shelters to reduce disease transmission and possible injury from inter-dog conflict.
“But this social isolation can work against dogs’ behavioral health and adaptability.
“We wanted to examine whether pair housing could be a useful intervention for improving shelter dogs’ welfare.”
She says the study is the first to examine how American-based shelter dogs fare in cohousing compared to solitary housing.
Previous studies of the benefits of cohousing dogs focused on lab beagles and veterinary school dogs who were housed for more than six months in kennels for teaching and research purposes.
In contrast, shelter dogs spend an average of 35 days waiting to be adopted and are frequently accustomed to social interaction beforehand.
The research team, including Royal Veterinary College student Grace Hecker, followed 61 dogs over seven days at the Humane Society of Western Montana.
Half the dogs were placed in cohousing with partners who were matched through a brief introduction and compatibility test. The other half were kenneled alone.
The dogs were observed throughout the week and common stress behaviors – including lip-licking, whining, and pulling back their ears – were recorded.
The research team also took daily samples of the dogs’ urinary cortisol and creatinine to measure biological indicators of stress.
Feuerbacher, of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ School of Animal Sciences at Virginia Tech, said: “Dogs housed in shelters can face chronic levels of stress due to noise, confined kennel spaces, and limited access to social interaction.
“This can reduce their overall well-being, which might impact their adoptability.”
Dogs housed together not only showed fewer stress behaviors but they also were adopted, on average, four days sooner than single-housed dogs, according to the findings published in the journal PLOS One.
Feuerbacher hopes that the results will encourage animal shelters to match dogs with suitable “roommates” as a way to alleviate the animals’ stress and show them at their best to potential adopters.
She added: “Many potential adopters might already have a dog or would like to engage in social activities with their dog.
“Clearly exhibiting that a dog can successfully interact with other dogs might highlight those dogs as good matches – leading to more successful adoptions.”
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