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No Callback Required: Themes and Factors Associated with New Adopters Declining Free Dog Behavior Support
Lauren Samet1, Kassandra Giragosian1, Carys Williams1
1Research Team, Dogs Trust, London, UK.
Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science : JAAWS
|October 18, 2025
Summary
Many dog adopters decline free behavior support, especially at two weeks post-adoption. Reasons include managing behavior, perceived lack of need, or beliefs about the cause.
Area of Science:
- Animal Behavior and Welfare
- Veterinary Public Health
- Human-Animal Interactions
Background:
- Post-adoption support is crucial for addressing dog behavior issues.
- A significant proportion of dog adopters decline offered support, impacting welfare.
- Understanding reasons for declining support is key to improving adoption success.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate factors and themes influencing dog adopters' decisions to decline post-adoption behavior support.
- To analyze patterns in declining support based on behavior type and time post-adoption.
Main Methods:
- Mixed-methods approach combining quantitative analysis of support calls with qualitative thematic analysis of adopter responses.
- Statistical analysis (generalized linear mixed-effects modeling, Tukey post-hoc tests) of 6,317 support calls from 3,782 adopters.
- Inductive thematic analysis of adopter reasons for declining support.
Main Results:
- 68.8% of offered behavior support was declined by dog adopters.
- Declining support was more likely at 2-weeks versus 2-days post-adoption.
- Specific behavior combinations (e.g., potentially aggressive behavior or separation-related behavior) influenced likelihood of declining support.
Conclusions:
- Adopter attitudes towards dog behavior, perceived support needs, and management beliefs influence decisions to decline support.
- Findings highlight a gap between reported behaviors of concern and uptake of available resources.
- Further research is needed to understand the impact of declining support on adoption outcomes and alternative support utilization.
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