The Influence of Community Feeders and Commercial Food Outlets on the Spatial Distribution of Free-Roaming Dogs—A Photographic Capture and Recapture Study

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Interactions between free-roaming dogs and humans influence the quality of life and behavior of both species. Understanding the spatial distribution of free-roaming dogs is essential in designing policies to control zoonoses and improve canine well-being. In the present study, by means of photographic captures and recaptures and geospatial position recordings of 554 dogs, we demonstrated that the location of the animals in an urban environment was influenced by the direct supply of food offered by the human population. Free-roaming dogs stayed closer to community feeders than to commercial food outlets. We know that community feeders are essential to improve the quality of life of free-roaming dogs. However, they should be in areas with reduced movement of people/vehicles. Our results may be representative of different areas of Brazil and of other parts of the world. They expand the understanding of canine ecology and behavior in the urban environment and highlight the importance of human contributions to the maintenance and distribution of free-roaming dogs. ABSTRACT: Understanding the distribution of dogs in the environment is relevant for establishing human and animal health actions. In the present study, we analyzed the influence of community feeders and commercial food outlets on the spatial distribution of free-roaming dogs in an urban area of a municipality in Southeast Brazil. The dogs were identified via photographic capture and recapture performed over five sampling efforts. The spatial densities of dogs were determined using the Kernel method. Spatial correlations between the distribution of free-roaming dogs and the locations of community feeders and commercial food outlets were analyzed using the K function. During the study, 1207 captures/recaptures were performed encompassing 554 dogs, the majority (62.6%) of which were males. Agglomerations of male and female dogs were observed in the areas where food was present. Positive spatial autocorrelations were detected between the distribution of dogs and food sources. The median distances between dogs and community feeders or commercial food outlets were 1.2 and 1.4 km, respectively, and the difference between these two was statistically significant. The presence of community feeders and food outlets demonstrates the influence of human activity, on the spatial distribution of free-roaming dogs. These results will be useful for developing strategies aimed at the improvement of animal welfare and the prevention of zoonoses.