Avoidant Attachment Mediates Cultural Differences in Likelihood to Surrender Pets


Aliya Khalid, University of Saskatchewan

Many people around the globe consider pets as family members and many pet owners report high levels of satisfaction with their pets, particularly dogs, given their unconditional love, support, and lack of judgement. However, despite the recognition of significance of pets, an estimated 3.3 million pet or stray dogs are annually surrendered to animal shelters in the USA. Similarly, the annual rates of euthanized shelter animals are high in the USA and Australia. When considering factors related to animal surrender, most studies to date have focused on pet-related factors and associated behavioral concerns. In this paper, we investigated the associations among several pet-related as well as owner-related variables/characteristics and the likelihood of surrendering pets by owners in the future in Western (USA, Canada, UK, and Netherlands) and Eastern (Hong Kong and Pakistan) countries across two studies. Taking into consideration the Attachment Theory and types of attachments between owners and pets, we explored both the strength and style of attachment to pets (CENSHARE Pet Attachment Scale; The Pet Attachment Questionnaire), attitudes toward pets (Pet Attitude Scale), and belief in animal mind as predictors of likelihood to surrender a particular pet. Study one included dog owners from the USA, Pakistan, and Hong Kong ( n = 266). Study two included dog as well as cat owners from the countries in first study as well as Canada, the UK, and the Netherlands ( n = 236). The sample for these studies was recruited through an online survey by using snowball sampling through several social media platforms (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter) and through email lists requesting dog owners to participate in the study. The survey was also distributed by the authors to their own networks in the USA, Pakistan, and Hong Kong. For analysis, only those respondents were included who filled out the survey about a pet dog (or a pet cat for Study two) and who indicated their area of residence. Participants were then designated as part of the larger Western (USA, Canada, UK, Netherlands) or Eastern (Hong Kong, Pakistan) sample. Across the samples, results were for the most part replicated. In Eastern countries, participants reported a greater likelihood to relinquish their preferred pet as compared to the Western countries’ sample. The two samples also differed on certain variables, such as the number of reported problem behaviors and concerns for their pets, attachment styles, and belief in animal mind. However, the avoidant attachment style significantly mediated the greater likelihood to surrender a pet across both studies. Furthermore, participants from Eastern cultures were more likely to display anxious and avoidant attachment styles as compared to participants from Western cultures, and this avoidant attachment style was linked to a greater likelihood to relinquish a pet. While this study shed light on cultural differences for the study variables under investigation, future studies should explore reasons for the attachment style differences among pet owners in Western and Eastern countries. Moreover, this study focused on the future likelihood of surrendering pets, which distinguished it from previous studies by allowing for identifying the pet- and owner-related characteristics that could predict future likelihood to surrender, irrespective of whether pets had been surrendered already. This study has further implications for a sustainable and welfare-informed future, given that it is important to explore, identify, and consequently address societal and personal factors contributing to animal surrender, which not only places pressure on shelters and government organizations but also causes significant physical and emotional harm to the pets that are surrendered. Furthermore, identifying factors that contribute significantly to this high rate of surrender may help identify venues of education, interventions, and tangible support which may help reduce surrender rates in the future.

Non-presenting authors: Jennifer Vonk, Oakland University; Amy Johnson, School of Nursing, Oakland University; Patricia Cameron, School of Nursing, Oakland University; Kar Tat Eddie Lee, Hong Kong Institute of Animal Assisted Interventions

This paper will be presented at the following session: