A survey to investigate dog-adoption processes in Italian shelter-kennels

Adoption is not a single action, but takes the form of a journey of mutual acquaintance. To increase the chances of success in terms of the well-being of the dog and of the adopters, the adoption processes currently used by dog-kennels could be designed in order to favour an increase in ethical competence among the involved stakeholders. This thesis deals with the first two steps of the experimental project of University of Genova conducted since February 2023: Well-being and ethical competence for the development of conscious interspecific adoptions, relating to the process of dog’s adoption. The preparatory theorical step of the research, was the conduction of bibliographic research to structure coherently the interviews and the survey. Then the first operational step consisted of in loco investigations in four shelter-kennels in north-west Italy, to assess the current reality of adoption processes through semi-structured interviews, and to obtain useful ideas to develop the questionnaire's content. To further investigate the topic of ethical skills in the dog-adoption’s process, in the second step a survey on Google Forms was elaborated and sent to shelter-kennels in different Italian regions. The results of the questionnaires were collected in April 2023, with the participation of 27 facilities. From the analysis of the obtained data, it emerged that the themes of ethical awareness, the acceptance of the animal's needs and the type of commitment one makes in the moment of adoption, are perceived by the shelters as key elements to determine the readiness of adopters to get a dog. The second element which emerged from the data analysis was that shelters find essential to improve communication with other shelters, institutions and general public, aiming to make themselves known and obtaining support, including economic support. Lastly, the topic of “citizen-dog” emerged in the request of consideration in the urban planning, of sterilization campaigns of both pets and strays (focused on the southern regions for the latter) and of microchips’ controls. These results confirmed the need to improve the ethical competences of dog’s adoption, which will be addressed in the upcoming steps of the research through the development of training courses and consciousness-raising campaigns. As for the need to improve inter-facility communication, the research team will work on communication tools, creating an online platform and developing ICT solutions.