Adoption of Dogs in the Czech Republic

The aim of this work was to analyze selected factors playing a role in the adoption of dogs from shelters in the Czech Republic. The study was performed in two shelters from May to December 1999. Using a questionnaire, we obtained data about the adopted dogs (time spent in the shelter, age, sex and breed of the dog, dogs admitted to shelter by incoming category, group housing vs. individual housing), and demographic data about the new owners (age, sex, urban/rural housing type, previous experience with dogs, reason for the wish to own a dog, motivation for selecting a specific dog). We compared data about dogs adopted from shelter A situated in an urban environment with a population of 50 thousand, and from shelter B situated in a rural area, in a village with approximately 2 000 inhabitants. Dogs in shelter A were most frequently brought in by the person who captured the animal (41.3%), and surrendered by the owner (28.0%). Dogs in shelter B in the rural area were most frequently delivered by municipal police (82.0%). Before adoption, the dogs spent 53 days on average in shelter A, and 85 days in shelter B. The highest fractions of dogs adopted from both shelters were puppies 2-4-month-old (26.7 and 38.0 %, respectively), closely followed by dogs aged 8 months-to-2 years and 2-5 years. Sex did not play a significant role in dog adoption.