CHAPTER 3 Heather Mohan-Gibbons1 and Emily Weiss2 1 Shelter Research and Development, Community Outreach, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA®), Ojai, USA 2 Shelter Research and Development, Community Outreach, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA®), Palm City, USA Intake of dogs and cats into animal welfare organizations result from animal control picking up strays; good Samaritans bringing in stray they find; cruelty cases such as hoarding, puppy mill, and fighting dog cases; seizure of animals for a code violation; and owned animals relinquished by their owners. Pet relinquishment is a large driver of shelter intake in shelters across the country (ASPCA Partnership Communities 2014) and in some communities can account for over 50% of shelter intake (Salman et al. 1998), but minimally accounts for over a quarter of intake in most communities (ASPCA 2014). It is difficult to know the exact number of dogs and cats entering shelters nationally as there is not yet a central national database, but it is estimated to be 7 million dogs and cats (ASPCA Pet Statistics 2014). One study revealed 30% of the shelter intake was by owner relinquishment (Zawistowski et al. 1998). It would be dangerous to make conclusions about the relinquishment risk based on these estimates, especially since that study had over half the respondents from animal control agencies. These estimates should serve to give a framework of when relinquishment occurs. The reasons for relinquishment are often quite complex with many potential drivers such as poverty, significant life changes, and other external drivers that may have nothing to do with the bond or the behavior of the pet (Weiss et al. 2014; American Humane Association 2013). This chapter will discuss general demographics of relinquished animals as well as risk factors related to medical causes, animal behavior, and the owners themselves. Lastly, the chapter will include behavioral resources to best support those who are considering relinquishment and interventions to prevent intake. The literature suggests some common themes in the characteristics of relinquished animals. Since these trends are pulled from various sources, they should not be used as absolutes. The studies vary widely in their subjects, sample sizes, and demographics. Shelters can use these as a framework to query their own population of animals to provide the best support for the dogs and cats in their community. Dog relinquishment has been studied more than cat relinquishment and is described first. While both male and female dogs are relinquished with similar frequency (Salman et al. 1998), the literature suggests common themes in the characteristics of relinquished dogs. Relinquished dogs tend to be older than 5 months but less than 2 years of age (New et al. 2000) and reproductively intact (Salman et al. 1998; New et al. 2000). Dogs tend to come from a variety of sources, such as a friend, shelter, or stray; are typically owned for less than 1 year; and obtained for low or no cost (New et al. 2000). Relinquished dogs are more likely to be housed outside (New et al. 1999) or spend the majority of their day in a crate, and it would be unusual for these dogs to be allowed to sleep in the owner’s bed (American Humane Association 2013). The dogs tend not to be trained (Scarlett et al. 2002), have a history of medical and/or behavioral issues (American Humane Association 2013), are often sick or have an injury (Zawistowski et al. 1998), or do not go to a veterinarian (Salman et al. 1998). The next section in this chapter discusses in depth the types of behaviors that are more common in relinquished dogs and cats. Dogs of any breed are relinquished, and at least one study notes that most are mixed breeds (Salman et al. 1998). In some places such as California, certain breeds like Shepherds, Chows, Labs, Staffordshire Terriers, Rottweilers, and Cocker Spaniels are more likely to be relinquished than other breeds (Lepper et al. 2002). One study found pit bull-type dogs were more common in one relinquished group when compared with those visiting a vaccination clinic, yet neither group was more likely to report behavior problems (Kwan & Bain 2013). In the aforementioned study, the breed representation might be a function of how the vaccination clinic was marketed or the availability and accessibility of the clinic. One should use caution when looking at breed data, as breed identification can be subjective and there are many breeds and breed mixes that can be labeled as a pit bull-type dog (Voith 2009). Based on the authors’ experience with community-level shelter data, pit bull-type dogs are often a quarter of the canine intake but can be as much as half of a daily shelter census due to a longer length of stay in the shelter. One reason pit bull-type dogs might be overrepresented in the shelter environment is that they have a lower adoption rate than many other dogs (Lepper et al. 2002) and often stay longer within the sheltering system when compared with other dogs. They may also be more popular in low-income communities that have higher levels of relinquishment. In regards to cats, Patronek et al. (1996) found a higher rate of relinquishment in those allowed access to the outdoors or exclusively outdoor cats. New et al. (2000) found that cats were at a higher risk for relinquishment when the source was a friend, a pet shop, a breeder, or an animal shelter versus a gift, a veterinarian, a stranger, or an offspring. Intact cats of both sexes and intact female dogs are at a higher risk of relinquishment (Patronek et al. 1996; New et al. 2000), but there does not seem to be the same relationship for intact male dogs. Most cats that were relinquished were not seen by a veterinarian the year before (New et al. 1999), were not allowed to sleep in the owner’s bed, and were more likely to have a history of medical or behavioral issues (American Humane Association 2013). It is interesting that most people obtain their cat for free (finding them as a stray or from a friend), yet it is not a risk factor for relinquishment (New et al. 2000; Weiss and Gramann 2009). For both dogs and cats, age appears to be a factor for relinquishment. New et al. (2000) found that both dogs and cats relinquished to shelters were less than 3 years of age and owned for a short period of time. When a dog bit a person, he/she was a higher risk factor for relinquishment, but this was not the case for cats (New et al. 2000). There was no difference in the retention rate of people who did research on the pet before acquiring versus those who made an impulse decision and if the owner was first-time pet owner versus one with diverse pet experiences (American Humane Association 2013). Dogs and cats relinquished to a shelter are more likely to display a behavior that people may find difficult to live with (Shore et al. 2008; Kwan & Bain 2013). These behaviors may not be abnormal or even in need of modification, rather not expected by the pet parent (Kidd et al. 1992; Houpt et al. 1996). Almost half of all owners in one study reported that a single behavior was enough to relinquish their pet (Kwan & Bain 2013), and those who relinquished reported that behavior occurring in the month prior to relinquishment (New et al. 1999). Inappropriate elimination, hyperactivity, unwanted chewing, aggressiveness, and separation anxiety can be challenging for many owners (Patronek et al. 1996). One Ohio shelter reported 14% of cats surrendered were from a behavior issue (Miller et al. 1996). At another shelter, almost all of the dogs adopted and then returned to the shelter had a behavior issue in the home (Mondelli et al. 2004). Salman et al. (2000) cited behavioral problems (including aggression toward people or nonhuman animals) were the most frequent reasons given for canine relinquishment and the second most frequent for feline relinquishment. House soiling appears consistently in the literature as a primary reason for relinquishment (New et al. 2000). This is an important factor to note, as in many cases, house soiling may be easily resolved if caught early. House soiling may be strictly a medical issue, a behavioral issue, or both. Many people in animal sheltering want to be the first resource for those needing help with their pet; however, independent small-animal vets are often the first source owners go to seek advice (APPA 2013). One study focused on a sample of dogs that were relinquished specifically for euthanasia (Kass et al. 2001). They found that most of the dogs were old or sick and were with their owners for years; however, a subset of these dogs were relinquished for euthanasia because of behavioral reasons. In most of these cases, the behavior was most often aggression of such a high intensity that humans or other animals were physically in danger. Aggression toward humans and nonhumans from dogs and cats is a frequent reason noted for relinquishment in the literature and by clinical behaviorists (Figure 3.1). Behaviors such as fearfulness (New et al. 1999) or biting a person (New et al. 2000) were reported in relinquished dogs and cats. Aggression issues impact the bond not only through the behavior itself but through outside pressures by friends or neighbors and the threat of litigation. Figure 3.1 One risk factor for relinquishment for an animal is their behavior. A common behavioral reason cited for relinquishment is aggression to people or other animals. Courtesy of Heather Mohan. Some behaviors seen in one household may not be seen in another. One study found that only 20% of dogs that were adopted and returned reported the same behavior problem in more than one home (Mondelli et al. 2004). If an animal is returned for behavior issues, it is advisable to offer the adopter more support and follow-up to prevent relinquishment again. We will be providing ways to provide behavioral support later in this chapter and in the Appendix 3.2. Relinquishment can occur for a number of reasons, including financial constraints, lack of time or awareness of the responsibilities of care, lifestyle, health changes in the people or the animal, and behavior problems. A study that interviewed people relinquishing dogs and cats at 12 shelters around the USA showed risk factors for people that lead to relinquishment (Scarlett et al. 1999). The top reason for relinquishing a cat was personal issues which included allergies, the adopter having personal problems, and a new baby. The top three reasons for dogs were lack of time, the adopter having personal problems, and allergies. The recession impacted both humans and nonhumans in many ways. In Chicago, IL, between 2008 and 2010, there was a decrease in adoptions for both cats and dogs (compared with that 7 years prior) and an increase in shelter relinquishments for senior dogs (Weng & Hart 2012). However, ASPCA Partnership Communities did not see the same increase in intake or decrease in adoptions, which may indicate that the impact is variable. Weng reported the expense of owning a pet was the primary reason given for dog relinquishment. As the economy improves, there could be opportunities to capture more adopters. For example, APPA (2013) reported an increase in people acquiring their pets from shelters and rescues, with 20% adopting from shelter/humane society and another 9% from a rescue. Moving is a common reason given for relinquishment. Although anyone may relinquish due to moving, one study showed they were more likely to be white females with education above high school with a median income of US$20,000–27,000 (New et al. 1999). If a man is relinquishing a cat, they are more likely to be under 35 years of age and less than 50 for dogs (New et al. 2000). While some people encounter a behavioral problem that prohibits moving the animal with them, others do not move voluntarily and have physical housing limitations (New et al. 1999). In that study, more than half the people who moved remained in the local area. People facing relinquishment need the shelter’s help with behavior and foster support or other resources, such as support to board their dogs at a boarding facility or a low-cost spay/neuter option to help them through a difficult time and keep their pet. Recently, one of the authors conducted survey work within the intake area of two municipal shelters (Weiss et al. 2014). In-depth, one-on-one interviews were conducted with those relinquishing large dogs to a facility in Washington, DC, and New York City. Moving, behavior concerns, lack of pet-friendly housing options, and financial concerns were all drivers for relinquishment (Figure 3.2). In some cases, retention may be as simple as providing the owner with the funds to cover the pet deposit, and in other cases, significant behavioral and financial needs would make retention quite difficult. Figure 3.2 One risk factor for relinquishment is moving and housing challenges. It is likely that some of these animals do not need to enter the shelter system when support is given to the owner to face the housing challenge. Courtesy of Heather Mohan. Previous research has shown that seeking professional behavior advice results in lower prevalence of behavior problems (Clark & Boyer 1993) and may provide protective benefits to future relinquishment; however, only a minority of people seek professional help (Patronek et al. 1996). The recent data showed that only 15% of dog owners seek professional behavioral advice, and one-third reported they have never trained their dog (APPA 2013). Another study found dogs relinquished to a shelter were just as likely to have attended a group training class as those staying in their home (Kwan & Bain 2013). Some owners may attend classes due to a behavior problem, while others may be engaged in training without a behavior problem simply because it is enjoyable to do (Bennett & Rohlf 2006). Despite creating behavioral profiles and support for every animal while they are in the shelter, one cannot predict how every animal will do once in a home environment. Sometimes, dogs and cats display different behavior in the home than what the adopter saw while meeting them in the shelter. Differing environments can elicit different behaviors. As Shore (2005) revealed, a reoccurring theme adopters reported is It is a chance you take that the animal will fit their lifestyle and that it works out in their home. Sometimes, behaviors are too difficult for the adopter and they do not feel they can keep the animal. It is the role of the shelter to support the adopter, especially when they return the animal to the shelter. The authors wish to dispel the myth that returns are a negative event. Returns allow the adopter to gain a better understanding of their needs, interests, and limitations for their family, and they may be more likely to pick a better match the second time (PetSmart Charities 2003). The shelter gains more knowledge about what the pet is like in a home setting for better marketing and placement. If an owner is returning the animal to the shelter, it shows a level of trust and positive association with that shelter. When an animal is not returned, it does not mean they stayed in the home. Of those who no longer had their pets 6 months post-adoption, only half of the adopters returned the animal to the shelter (American Humane Association 2013). Follow-up and support post-adoption on at least a subset of the shelter’s population is crucial. The adopter is not likely to return the animal to the shelter if they do not feel supported by the shelter. If each adopter feels welcomed and supported throughout the adoption process, they are more likely to contact the shelter when they encounter problems in the home and are considering rehoming. Relinquishment may have more to do with the person’s perspective of the behavior than the actual behavior itself. People who are committed to keeping the animal will convince themselves that the animal will grow out of the nuisance behavior, while those who relinquish do not perceive the behavior the same way (Kidd et al. 1992). As noted earlier, people are more likely to be concerned when a behavior is unsafe toward other people or behaviors could be destructive to property (Shore et al. 2008). Owners may be more likely to relinquish when they do not have access to veterinary care (Patronek et al. 1996). A shelter may reduce relinquishments by developing partnerships within their community and creating resources that address medical or behavioral issues. Expectations of the owner can be critical for long-term success of a dog or cat in their home. When the expectations about care are not met, the adopters are more likely to relinquish (Patronek et al. 1996). Setting realistic expectations for the adopter, especially during those first few weeks, could reduce relinquishments and increase the chance that the adopter will reach out to the shelter for help as needed (Shore 2005). In one study, those relinquishing pets for behavior reasons made misattributions or overgeneralized from their “failed adoption” (Shore 2005). When returning their pet for behavior issues, adopters reported they would look for a different trait in their next dog: younger, older, smaller, or different breed of dog. This is powerful, as it reveals the adopter’s unrealistic expectations (e.g., he is a small dog and therefore behaviorally sound). Those expectations are important for the shelter to discover during the adoption process as they can be risks to the human–animal bond that effects relinquishment. Although people can tolerate some unexpected behavior from their pet, once the bond diminishes, the probability of relinquishment increases (Scarlett et al. 1999). People who relinquish their animal to a shelter have a lower attachment score than those who kept their pet (Kwan & Bain 2013). However, it is not clear if, at least in some cases, the bond diminished as a protection mechanism by the owner as relinquishment became inevitable due to the external drivers noted earlier. Those that relinquish a pet for behavior reasons in one study (DiGiacomo et al. 1998) often reported that they did not have time or money to fix the behavior. This study used a detailed interview process and revealed some interesting anecdotes. For example, one respondent when asked about the exploration of training for a particular behavior problem stated as follows: We considered taking her to a kennel and getting her trained but we knew that we just can’t drop her off with someone else and expect to get her back and she’s gonna be a hundred percent. We figured it had a lot to do with us and that was another thing, we also didn’t have a lot of time to go every day with her. It may be tempting to judge the person relinquishing this dog. However, it is important to recognize the complexities and time commitments that behavior change requires. Many families are challenged by daily life and the addition of training for a pet may simply be overwhelming and unrealistic. Many people consider relinquishment as the last resort and would not relinquish if they could get behavior or medical support for their pet (PetSmart Charities 2003). Refer to the last section of this chapter and the Appendices 3.1 and 3.2 for resources to support your community. Working in shelter intake can be extremely emotionally taxing. It is common to hear shelter staff describe people relinquishing as bad, unsound, or even uncaring (authors’ personal experience; DiGiacomo et al. 1998). Several studies now show that this is unlikely. DiGiacomo et al. (1998), in a commonly cited study, conducted in-depth interviews with 38 families relinquishing a pet. Every one of the participants reported struggling with their decision for a prolonged time. In some cases, the individual bringing in the pet was chosen by the family to do so because either they could not do it themselves or he or she was the least attached of the family members. Most respondents in the study had already investigated other options and looked to the shelter as a last resort. Shore (2005) reported that over half of those relinquishing gave the experience the highest “difficulty rating” of a 10 out of 10 score. In short, those who relinquished not only loved and cared for their pet, but there was significant time and thought put into relinquishing. A recent study by one of the authors of this chapter (Weiss et al. 2014) also found that those relinquishing do not do so lightly. An in-depth interview was given to those relinquishing large dogs into two municipal facilities, one in Washington DC and the other in New York City. The findings showed the majority of people thought about their decision to relinquish for a month or more. The majority also explored other options for their pet prior to coming to the shelter. When asked if anything could have kept the pet in the home, over half said yes: with low-cost medical needs being first, followed by the need for pet-friendly housing. If agencies want to help the animals, they need to find ways to support the people who own them. One study showed that 44% of people relinquishing a pet were planning on adopting again in the future (Shore 2005). It is during this relinquishment process that the shelter should be compassionate and offer support so that when the person feels ready, they will contact the shelter for their next animal. Given how easy it is for people to acquire pets from other sources, it is important that the person relinquishing has a positive experience with the shelter. This chapter has described that dogs and cats are relinquished due to a wide variety of causes. For that reason, there is not a single intervention that can be recommended to reduce intake and increase retention. Reducing intake is a multifaceted approach based on the demographics and resources within each community. Step one to identifying behavioral interventions that best fit each organization is to take a deep dive into shelter data. In order to best develop a support program, the data collected at intake must be collected in a way that is easily sorted and analyzed. All owned intake should have subcategories in the shelter software to sort by reasons for relinquishment in large categories (e.g., behavior and personal challenges) that can then be sorted again by subcategories for the reasons for relinquishment. Behavior, as a broad category, does not reveal solutions, but litter box issues or marking outside of the litter box can lead to direct behavioral support. This same category system should be used on all outcomes as well, so that solutions can be identified to prevent future relinquishment and decrease euthanasia of animals relinquished for behavior concerns. Categorizing euthanasia by their intake reason will likely reveal how to build behavioral support for the shelter’s population most at risk. Since only half the adopters return their animal to the shelter when rehoming, contacting adopters soon after adoption (and in the months that follow) is likely an important factor for retention (American Humane Association 2013). See Chapter 16 for information on guidelines for post-adoption support. Those that seek professional advice are more likely to retain their pet (American Humane Association 2013). However, it is unclear if those that seek advice are more bonded to their pets or if the advice they find helps them to retain their pet. There are some easy steps to support people keeping their pets, such as connecting to available resources such as the ASPCA’s Virtual Pet Behaviorist or providing access to behavior experts within your community (ASPCA Virtual Behaviorist 2014). One goal for shelters is to create community-wide education. Some of the research on the general medical and behavioral knowledge of the public is quite grim. One study suggests that many people are not aware of the basic biology of when their dog or cat comes into heat and they hold beliefs that their pet should have a litter before being surgically altered (New et al. 2000). Providing opportunities for owners to learn about normal behavior of dogs and cats may provide owners with a refined skill set to help their pets earlier when they first encounter a behavioral problem. One study found that those relinquishing their cat did not know that cats can be physically rough while playing or that the cats were impacted by other cats living in the home (New et al. 2000). This study also found that many people believed their pet misbehaved out of spite, and 30% thought it was helpful to rub a dog’ nose in their own mess as a house-training method. This type of advice is outdated and misguided, so it is important to offer support before the owner is in the lobby with their pet ready to relinquish. For greatest impact regarding overall relinquishment, shelters should go to the people who are asked first for advice: veterinarians. Shelters can connect with veterinarians within the community and enlist them to be allies, “listening” for the signs of a breaking bond, potential relinquishment, and the loss of a patient/client. Scarlett et al. (2002) gave a call to action for veterinarians by defining their role in reducing relinquishment. Veterinarians can help reduce relinquishment of pets by offering behavioral support, referring, working with trainers in the community, and by giving clients effective management tools for homes with children (Duxbury et al. 2003). One study recommends that veterinarians discuss the risks associated with confrontational training methods since those methods were associated with an increase in aggressive behavior to people (Herron et al. 2009). Both the animal sheltering organization and the community veterinarians have a stake in keeping pets in their home. Research shows that those who take their dog or cat to a veterinarian have a 93% chance of keeping their pet (American Humane Association 2013). It is unclear if those that chose to go to a veterinarian are simply more bonded to their pet overall, or if the act of going to the veterinarian increases their bond. Shelters can troubleshoot with adopters the roadblocks to veterinary care such as finding a veterinarian, access to transportation, concerns about getting the animal into a carrier, not owning a carrier, or other factors. Building a community partnership that focuses on a goal of retention may open doors to other opportunities for collaboration. Animal welfare organizations can establish relationships with dog and cat trainers that use positive reinforcement training in their community as these relationships can be mutually beneficial. The shelter has the opportunity to prevent relinquishment, and in turn, the trainer can gain a client. Partnerships may be supported by the animal shelter by providing free advertising for the trainer on the shelter web site, through conversation, or in the new adopter packets. In exchange, the trainer may consider offering free or discounted training either at their own training facility or the shelter can create a space for classes or a private lesson (Figure 3.3). Animal shelters can also promote behavioral support in ongoing education, social media, the shelter’s lobby, and through their network of community contacts with other animal professionals such as groomers, veterinarians, and boarding facilities. To find professional behavioral help in your community, a resource list will be provided as Appendix 3.1. Figure 3.3 People who attend a puppy class are less likely to relinquish. Relinquishment can be decreased when owners have realistic expectations of normal behavior and when given training guidelines to support their pet in the daily situations that they will encounter. Courtesy of Heather Mohan. One type of training class has the potential to increase retention rates for dogs. Dogs that participated in a puppy socialization class organized by a humane society were more likely to be retained than dogs that had not attended those classes as a puppy with their owners (Duxbury et al. 2003). This data can be interpreted in many ways; it could be that those that attend classes are more bonded to their puppy and that the class itself increases the bond between puppy and person. It is also possible that the behavior and life skills the puppy learns in class increase the behavioral tendencies that help improve the bond (comfort with other dogs and people). While more data are needed to tease out the causation, it is reasonable to suggest puppy classes for new adopters. Seksel et al. (1999) notes that normal dog and cat behavior can be perceived as a behavior challenge by some people. Puppy and kitten classes open a door to a dialogue with the owner about normal behavior and basic humane training. One study found that puppies adopted from a shelter were more likely to stay in their home if they attended a puppy class in the first 12 weeks of life (Duxbury et al.
Behavior risks for relinquishment
Demographics of relinquished animals
Behavior and medical reasons for relinquishment
Risks factors for people that effect relinquishment
Shelter perception of those that relinquish and the impacts
Behavioral interventions and resources
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