Companion Animals

According to a Ford Motor Company survey, nearly 90% of dog owners bring their dogs along on car rides; additionally, more than half of these people say that their pets sit in the front seat rather than the back.

This news articles examines Portland, Oregon area animal shelter statistics, finding that euthanization rates in the area are lower than the national average. The 2006 euthanasia rate for a coalition of Portland shelters was 8.9 per thousand residents, compared with a national average of 13.8 euthanized animals per thousand people.

An overview of studies sponsored by the National Institute of Health finds that people with companion animals enjoy a number of both physiological and psychological health benefits.

This article summarizes the most recent methods available as alternatives to surgical contraception for cats. These methods include the use of slow-release GnRH agonists, melatonin implants, and antiprogestin aglepristone.

The follow-up procedures used by animal shelters varies among different shelters and is the component of Van Winkle's Intake, Holding, Adoptions, and Follow-Up Model (IHAF, 2005) that is the most commonly neglected. This study surveyed the current follow-up practices in place among 56 shelters from across the United States and one shelter in Canada.

An AP-Petside.com survey of 1,112 people with companion animals found that 85% of respondents who are parents carry pictures of their children with them, while 45% of respondents with pets carry their pictures with them.

Money and the cost of health care are major considerations for pet owners. Survey results from the Associated Press and Petside.com find that while 62% of owners would likely get medical care for their animals if the cost was $500 or less, the number declines to 35% if the cost is $2,000 and even further (22%) if costs reach $5,000.

A study of Romanian pet owners found gender-biased attitudes toward the sterilization of their pets, emerging only when the gender of the animal was considered. Romanian men more frequently disagreed with the neutering of male pets compared with Romanian women, although no gender distinctions were found with respect to the spaying of female pets.

An experiment conducted on the memory performance and adherence to instructions of a group of preschoolers in the presence of a real dog, a stuffed dog, and a human confederate found that the presence of a well-trained dog reduces the need for instructional prompts with respect to object recognition.

Dog ownership can be a potential issue when the human owners go to work. This study identifies the problems and concerns of dog ownership that may affect dogs, owners, and employers, including an examination of workplace policies and the common solutions owners use to address the situation.