Families Often Lie When Leaving Dogs At Shelters

Many dog owners who relinquish their pets to animal shelters are not entirely honest about the dogs' problems, according to researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and University of California.

The owners probably for fear that their pets will be put to sleep, according to the study.

The behavioral problems may sometimes pose a risk to an adopting family.

The researchers found that people are less likely to report aggression and fear of strangers if they believe that their responses would be shared with shelter staff.

Their findings were published recently in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Questionnaires are often effective at revealing certain health and behavioral problems among animals being left at a shelter. However, shelters need to be aware that these responses are not always straightforward, said study author James Serpell.

"These owners might think they are bettering their pet's chances by concealing behavior problems, but what they don't realize is that they are really worsening things for both their pets and the shelter," Serpell said.

For animal shelters, however, the lesson that this study provides is more complex. Shelter workers and volunteers cannot lie to people and tell them that responses are confidential when they are not. Yet shelters must identify potentially troubled dogs before making them available for adoption. Even family-friendly breeds, such as Labrador retrievers, could be dangerously aggressive.

"Questionnaires certainly provide a useful starting point when assessing an animal's behavioral health," Serpell said, "but they should also be taken with a grain of salt."