Behavioral Insights into Shelter Dogs: Demographics, Interactions, and Welfare
A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Companion Animals".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 58
Special Issue Editors
Interests: Human–animal interactions; animal behavior
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Through the last decade, dog ownership worldwide has grown substantially, alongside an increase in ‘impulse’ buying and choosing dogs based upon their appearance. Additionally, modern dog ownership has been characterized by changes in the expectations of the role that dogs should play within the home. In many cases, there appears to be a lack of awareness of what successful dog ownership requires in terms of both time and financial commitment, as well as understanding of a dog’s needs and how to meet these. This has led to an unsustainable growth in the shelter dog population and increased challenges in rehoming animals due to the existence of behavioral issues.
This Special Issue aims to bring together current studies from around the world that will provide insights into the challenges and potential solutions relating to shelter dogs. Topics include, but are not limited to, the following: understanding the human, veterinary, and behavioral factors leading to dogs entering shelter organizations; management of dogs from intake through to the end of their shelter journey; considerations to improve rehoming success and the reduction of return rates and the rehome–shelter cycling/euthanasia of dogs; and preventative strategies to reduce the requirement for shelters in the future.
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Anne McBride
Dr. Wanda McCormick
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- shelter dogs
- canine behavior
- dog behavior
- rehoming
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