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| dc.contributor.advisor | Burdsal, Charles A. | |
| dc.contributor.author | DeLeeuw, Jamie L. | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2011-08-19T14:23:38Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2011-08-19T14:23:38Z | |
| dc.date.copyright | 2010 | |
| dc.date.issued | 2010-12 | |
| dc.identifier.other | d10022 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10057/3647 | |
| dc.description | Thesis (Ph.D.)--Wichita State University, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Dept. of Psychology | en_US |
| dc.description.abstract | Each year millions of dogs enter animal shelters across the U.S.; subsequently well over a million are euthanized (American Humane, 2010). Only a limited number of independent studies have investigated reasons for relinquishment of dogs to animal shelters; empirical literature on predictors of adoption versus euthanasia is even scarcer. The primary aim of this study was to use a data-driven approach to identify dog characteristics that contribute to adoption. In turn, the results can be used in subsequent theory building on owner--dog attraction. Data were comprised of all the dogs entering and exiting a Midwestern shelter in 2007. The variable contributing the most variance (17%) to whether a dog was adopted or euthanized was owner’s reason for relinquishment. Having too many animals (18%) was the most frequently cited reason, followed by moving (12%). A discriminant analysis revealed that purebred status had the biggest influence relative to six other variables used to predict whether dogs were adopted or euthanized; it accounted for 29% of the variance of the discriminant function, which in turn accounted for 7.8% of the variance. In descending order of importance, the other predictors of adoption were smallness, being a stray, youth, not having a primarily black coat, medium hair, and being female. Additional findings and implications for shelter and community policy are presented. | en_US |
| dc.format.extent | xi, 131 p. | en |
| dc.language.iso | en_US | en_US |
| dc.publisher | Wichita State University | en_US |
| dc.rights | Copyright Jamie L. DeLeeuw, 2010. All rights reserved | en |
| dc.subject.lcsh | Electronic dissertations | en |
| dc.title | Animal shelter dogs: factors predicting adoption versus euthanasia | en_US |
| dc.type | Dissertation | en_US |
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Dissertations [245]
This collection includes Ph.D. dissertations completed at the Wichita State University Graduate School. -
PSY Theses and Dissertations [78]
This collection consists of theses and dissertations completed at the WSU Department of Psychology. -
LAS Theses and Dissertations [379]
Theses and dissertations completed at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (Fall 2005 -)