Canine ResearchHuman-animal interactions of community dogs in Campo Largo, Brazil: A descriptive study
Introduction
Brazil is home to approximately 37 million of the estimated 500 million domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) in the world—a considerable portion of which are free-roaming (Dantas-Torres and Otranto, 2014, Hsu et al., 2003). The term “free-roaming” is used to define domestic dogs that are generally unattended or are not under direct human control (Høgasen et al., 2013, Majumder et al., 2014). These animals can thrive as either solitary individuals or members of large social groups (Sparkes et al., 2014). However, the lives of these dogs are typically believed to be brief and harsh because of their limited access to food, water, and shelter on the streets (Amaku et al., 2010). Lack of human ownership also suggests that veterinary care is either insufficient or absent, thereby increasing their susceptibility to disease and malnutrition, compromising welfare and reducing chances of survival (Hsu et al., 2003, Morters et al., 2014).
Although region-specific, Brazilian free-roaming dogs are typically found near impoverished urban areas, rural parks, and forested neighborhoods (Dias et al., 2013). One way to address the direct welfare needs of free-roaming dogs is to allow these animals to remain on the streets while tending to their basic needs through establishing them as community residents.
In the Southern Brazilian town of Campo Largo, the community dog program has been in effect since 2012. Community dogs differ from free-roaming dogs in that they are collectively cared for by community members and have been sterilized, vaccinated, and identified by the local municipal veterinarian (Høgasen et al., 2013). “Maintainers,” or self-appointed members of the community, are registered with the municipal government to be legally responsible for providing basic necessities such as clean water, food, and shelter to their respective community dogs. Maintainers are also responsible for monitoring the health status of the community dog and contacting the municipal veterinarian if the animal is injured or sick. In addition, community dogs must not pose significant risk to humans and animals in their neighborhood. This alternative may have a positive impact on public health through addressing animal health issues in the region (Molento, 2014). Since its inception, the Campo Largo community program has registered more than 80 dogs in the community and is expected to increase its capacity in the coming years.
Although studies have been conducted on the spatial distribution of free-roaming dogs, research on their behaviors and relationships with their communities has been scant. Likewise, the concept of community dogs is relatively new to the animal population management field and has received little attention. Hence, the aim of this study was to describe the types of human-animal interactions observed between community dogs and humans in Campo Largo, Brazil.
Section snippets
Materials and methods
This study was approved by the UBC Animal Care Committee (Protocol # A14-0207), and by a joint cooperation term between the Federal University of Paraná and the Campo Largo municipal government.
Results
Over the 18 days of observation across all 7 dogs, a total of 465 dog-human interactions and 157 dog-vehicle interactions were observed. Of the dog-human interactions, 298 were initiated by dogs and 167 by humans. Of the dog-vehicle interactions recorded, 104 interactions involved cars and the rest involved bicycles, bulldozers, busses, motorcycles, and trucks.
Subject variability
In this study, interactions with both dogs and humans varied considerably across dogs. Although some dogs frequently approached, played with, and followed humans, others seldom did. This may in part be due to the different individual experience with humans and diversity in human exposure they received throughout their lives. In many species, experiences during the infant and adolescent period are critical in shaping behavioral development and temperament (Appleby et al., 2002, Foyer et al., 2014
Study limitations
Results obtained from the study were limited to a convenience sample of 7 dogs repeatedly observed over several days and thus cannot be considered a representative sample of all community dog interactions in Campo Largo. Thus, we would recommend further studies be done with larger sample sizes to validate the human-animal interactions with community dogs in these communities. Another limitation is the exclusion of dog-dog interactions from this study. Although we anecdotally noted numerous
Conclusion
Through this study, it was possible to briefly describe and compare the interactions between community dogs, humans, and vehicles in Campo Largo, Brazil. Although some interactions seemed to suggest a positive relationship between certain individuals in the community, others brought about concerns for animal welfare. Nonetheless, preliminary investigation of the community dog program in Campo Largo suggested that this program is a promising step toward improving the welfare of street dogs and
Acknowledgments
Funding for this project was provided by the Mitacs Globalink Research Award (Vancouver, BC, Canada). The authors are extremely grateful to all the staff and students at the Animal Welfare Laboratory of Universidade Federal do Paraná for their help in planning this project, collecting field data, and volunteering translators. Many thanks also to the members of the UBC.
Animal Welfare Program, particularly Dr. David Fraser, Dr. Becca Franks, and Nancy Clarke, and the staff at Prefeitura Municipal
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2022, Journal of Veterinary BehaviorCitation Excerpt :Such behavior may be related to the manifestation of their natural behavior of protecting part of the street as their territory (Beaver, 2009), in probable association with the strong bond shown by the animals with the residents and the place of maintenance. On the other hand, such behavior of defending the territory can have negative impacts on the welfare of all involved, and dogs can be subjected to abuse such as kicking, cursing, and attempts to scare them (Kwok et al., 2016). To study the profile of dogs showing chasing behavior, we explored the data by sex, sterilization, shelter status, and age (Figure 1).
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