An Audit of Behavioral Indicators of Poor Welfare in Kenneled Dogs in the United Kingdom
This survey-based study describes the prevalence and onset of behavioral indicators of poor welfare in dogs kenneled at United Kingdom rescue shelters. It describes key factors contributing to individual variation in behaviors. At 8 rescue shelters, staff trained in the care of nonhuman animals recorded daily whether dogs in their care displayed each of 15 […]
Noise in the Animal Shelter Environment: Building Design and the Effects of Daily Noise Exposure
Sound levels in animal shelters regularly exceed 100 dB. Noise is a physical stressor on animals that can lead to behavioral, physiological, and anatomical responses. There are currently no policies regulating noise levels in dog kennels. The objective of this study was to evaluate the noise levels dogs are exposed to in an animal shelter […]
A longitudinal evaluation of urinary cortisol in kennelled dogs, Canis familiaris
Urinary cortisol levels (based on cortisol : creatinine ratios) were evaluated in a randomly selected sample of shelter dogs kennelled over a 31-day period. Urine was collected on days 2, 5, 10, 17, 24 and 31 (with day 1 referring to the day of admittance to the shelter). Cortisol levels peaked on day 17 and […]
The effect of the kennel environment on canine welfare- a critical review of experimental studies
Dogs can be held temporarily or permanently in kennels for a number of reasons, not necessarily for their own benefit. Although restrictive environments have been associated with poor welfare, priorities for research and change cannot be understood unless the various aspects of the kennel environment are appreciated separately. This review critically evaluates the experimental research […]
Development and validation of a quality of life assessment tool for use in kennelled dogs (Canis familiaris)
There is currently no objective and validated quality of life assessment tool available to assess the quality of life of domestic dogs in kennels. This study aimed to develop a validated scoring system to assess the quality of life of dogs kennelled in rehoming centres. Objective animal-based measures of welfare and quality of life, identified […]
Identifying environmental and management factors that may be associated with the quality of life of kennelled dogs (Canis familiaris)
This paper describes the use of a validated quality of life assessment tool (described elsewhere) to identify environmental and management factors that may affect quality of life in dogs kennelled in rehoming centres. Dogs were allocated to one of the four treatment groups, all of which had a positive (0.0–1.0) average quality of life score: […]