Dog Welfare Priorities, According To The Experts

Animal advocates often debate which issues are the most significant in terms of both the scope and our potential to make an impact. This paper, published in Science of Animal Welfare (the journal of Universities Federation for Animal Welfare), identifies which welfare issues are most pressing—and most solvable—for dogs in Great Britain. The study, funded by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, is the first to bring together experts from a variety of disciplines to discuss and identify dog welfare issues.

The authors assembled a panel of experts in the areas of behavior, welfare science, genetics, nutrition, veterinary ethics, veterinary science, and veterinary nursing. During the panel, the experts discussed 25 welfare issues and assigned each a score of one to five based on five criteria: proportion of dogs affected, duration of suffering, severity of the issue, counterbalancing effects (potential benefits associated with the issue), and tractability (perceived manageability of the issue).

The numbers were used to calculate a Welfare Problem (WP) score based on the formula “proportion x duration x severity x counterbalancing effects,” as well as a Strategic Priority (SP) score based on the formula “WP x tractability.” A number of issues had high WP and SP scores, including inappropriate husbandry, lack of owner knowledge, undesirable behavior, inappropriate socialization, inherited disease, and conformation-related disorders (breed-specific disorders). Issues with low WP and SP scores include lack of elective neutering, routine neutering (potential harmful side effects of neutering), and euthanasia of healthy dogs. A full list and description of each issue can be found on the UFAW website.

In summarizing the results, the authors note that individual dogs are likely to experience a majority of these welfare issues for long durations. They also note that most of the issues are considered mild to moderately severe, have few or no counter-balancing benefits, and are considered difficult in terms of tractability. Additionally, the panelists found that all 25 welfare issues were mostly or fully related to human activity.

The authors express hope that their results can be used by government and animal welfare organizations in Great Britain to identify strategic focus areas. They recommend that organizations prioritize the issues with the highest scores as well as those identified as having high tractability. As the authors state, the paper does not seek to analyze the significance behind the issues themselves or to provide solutions. However, advocates will note that several of the issues identified as high priority involve one of two solutions: educating dog guardians, which can improve issues such as poor husbandry and inappropriate dog behavior and socialization; and combating selective breeding to reduce risks of inherited disease and genetic disorders.

As of October 2016, you can find the full text of this study here (PDF).