Selection Factors Influencing Eventual Owner Satisfaction about Pet Dog Adoption

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Pet dog adopters are influenced by a variety of complex factors some of which are ethical, emotional, and humanitarian, including wanting companionship for themselves or other pets, the dog’s breed, age, appearance, temperament, or behavior, or to provide a home for a homeless dog. However, not all adoptions are successful and managing owner expectations preadoption is difficult to navigate. Using a self-reporting questionnaire, we found that consideration of a dog’s personality and behavior had a positive effect on eventual owner satisfaction. Owners who adopted a dog for companionship were more likely to be satisfied than owners compelled by any other motive. In addition, less forethought prior to adoption, ideally less than one week, was found to increase the likelihood of eventual owner satisfaction. We suggest that consideration of these factors prior to adoption may lead to more successful pet dog adoption outcomes. ABSTRACT: Personal likes, experience, and deep-rooted interests to satisfy emotional needs such as companionship, affection, empathy, and security are some of the underlying human motivations for acquiring a pet companion. In this study, we asked how long the owner took to decide whether to adopt a dog, who their dog was adopted from, their primary motivation for adoption, a ranking of characteristics considered during the adoption process, and how satisfied they were with the eventual outcome. Participants (n = 933) to this Center for Canine Behavior Studies survey completed an online questionnaire with responses representing 1537 dog/owner pairs. A majority of participants reported satisfaction with at least one of their adopted dogs. Odds of eventual satisfaction are higher for participants who spent less than a week considering an adoption or were seeking a pet to provide companionship and affection. Participants that prioritized personality as an adoption criteria were more likely to be satisfied with their adopted dogs. A mast majority (91%) of participants reported they would consider adopting another dog in the future. Selection criteria rankings that participants indicated they would employ for future adoptions tended to shift away from physical to behavior characteristics when compared to selection criteria priorities of prior adoptions.