Affiliation:
1. North Shore High School Sea Cliff, NY USA
Abstract
Abstract
Pit bulls are the most common type of dog found in shelters, and negative perceptions of their temperament are believed to reduce their likelihood of adoption. Two experiments investigated the effects of breed label on perceptions of shelter dog attractiveness. The first experiment recruited 176 participants to rate the attractiveness of a dog labeled either a Pit Bull or Mixed Breed. The second study added an unlabeled condition and a Staffordshire Bull Terrier condition, and recruited 257 participants. While the Pit Bull was rated significantly less attractive than the Mixed Breed in Experiment 1, in Experiment 2, the Mixed Breed was rated the least attractive and significantly less so than the dog in the unlabeled condition. In addition, both experiments demonstrated that younger people viewed the dog as more attractive than older people. Given the conflicting results regarding breed labels, further research is necessary.
Subject
Sociology and Political Science,General Veterinary
Reference23 articles.
1. Bhattarai, A. (2016). Millennials are picking pets over people. The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/business/wp/2016/09/13/millennials-are-picking-pets-over-people/?noredirect=on.
2. Views of college students on pit bull “ownership”: New Providence, the Bahamas;Burrows, T.
3. Determinants of adoption and euthanasia of shelter dogs spayed or neutered in the University of California veterinary student surgery program compared to other shelter dogs;Clevenger, J.
4. Pit bull panic;Cohen, J.
5. Defining generations: Where Millennials end and Generation Z begins;Dimock, M.