Wyllow Hildner

Biology 10
Period 5
Master File

Unit #1 Behavioral Study

Question: What are the variables that affect adoption rates? (Question 11)

Main Hypothesis:
A dogs breed can impact how quickly it gets adopted from the shelter.
Prediction: Dogs of a stereotyped breed (i.e. American Pit Bull Terrier, American
Staffordshire Terrier, etc.) have lower adoption rates than retriever mixes.

Null Hypothesis:
A dogs breed does not impact the adoption rate of a dog in a shelter.
Null Prediction: All dogs have the same adoption rate.

Main Variables:
Breed
Independent variable: Breed
Dependent variable: Adoption Rates

Preliminary Methods:
No collaboration with peers.

Collection Technique:
Collaborating Outside of Animas High School
The data I am interested in acquiring is the adoption rate of pit bull type dogs
(American Pit Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers,
etc) compared to the adoption rate of other well-known dog breeds (i.e. Retrievers/mixes
[Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, etc]) in shelters. I am also interested in
acquiring data about the intake rate of pit bull type dogs and retriever mixes in
shelters.
I am collaborating with the La Plata County Humane Society. 7 questions (see
below) will be asked to acquire data about the La Plata County Humane Societys intake
rate(s) and adoption rate(s) based on breed. I also plan on using statistics and study
analysis provided by credible sources (i.e. Humane Society of the Unites States [HSUS],
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals [ASPCA], etc).

Study Subjects/Sample Size:

Data will be collected from 1 local shelter (The La Plata County Humane Society). Data provided
by credible sources will be evaluated and analyzed. The number of credible sources and/or
shelters studied by those sources is not yet determined.

Environment/Conditions of the Study:

Wyllow Hildner
Biology 10
Period 5
Master File

The environment of my study will be the La Plata County Humane Society located in Durango
Colorado (37.2330 N, 107.8676 W).

Steps:
Shelter director(s) will be contacted by phone or email and invited to participate. If they express
their agreement, a series of questions (see below) will be asked (over email or in person) to receive data
about their adoption rates. Shelter director(s) will also be asked to provide any data they may already have
assembled. Additional data will be acquired from credible sources to add a variety to the evaluation.

Questions:

How many dogs did you take into your shelter in the most recent year?

Of those, how many were pit bull type dogs/mixes (American Pit Bull Terriers,
American Staffordshire Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, etc)?
Of those, how many were retriever type dogs/mixes (Golden Retriever, Labrador
Retriever, etc)?
How many dogs were adopted from your shelter in the most recent year?

Of those, how many were pit bull type dogs/mixes (American Pit Bull Terriers,
American Staffordshire Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, etc)?
Of those, how many were retriever type dogs/mixes (Golden Retriever, Labrador
Retriever, etc)?
If you already have statistics assembled consisting of your Humane Societys intake rates
and/or intake rates of certain dog breeds, and adoption rates and/or adoption rates of certain
dog breeds at your Humane Society, will you please provide them to me?

If this data has not been collected yet, may I have records of every dog taken in in the most recent year
and their breed? If Pet Point is the best way to obtain this data, may I be instructed on how to access it?

If it is easier, you can send me anything from a month to a year in an Excel sheet. I am most
interested in intake day, adoption day, and assigned dog breed. I can pull all the relevant information out
of this Excel sheet if you can share this data with me.

Defining Terms:
I will define dog breed by what the shelter considers as a pit bull type dog/mix (including
American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, etc) and what the
shelter considers as a retriever type dog/mix (Labrador Retriever, Golden Retriever, etc).
Wyllow Hildner
Biology 10
Period 5
Master File

Materials Needed:
Excel
Data provided by the La Plata County Humane Society
Computer

Final Product:
I will collect all data and produce a graph and/or chart. Using this information, I will create an
infographic and, if deemed acceptable, I will hang it up in the La Plata County Humane Societys building
where they see fit.

Annotated Bibliography:
The Effects of Social Training and Other Factors on Adoption Rates of Shelter Dogs
- Higher sociability test scores did not predict adoption but did predict length of stay.
- Adopted dogs were perceived as more physically attractive.
- Adopters prefer light-colored over dark-colored dogs, dogs surrendered by their owners over
dogs that were found as strays, long-haired over short-haired dogs, young over old dogs, neutered
over intact dogs, and toy breeds over other breeds.
- The average length of stay was 18.0 days.
- Breed and mode of intake were significant predictors of outcome, but not length of stay, whereas
color, size, and sociability were significant predictors of length of stay, but not outcome.
- Toy breeds (e.g. Pug, Rat Terrier, Chihuahua, Maltese, Jack Russell Terrier, Welsh Corgi, etc.)
were never euthanized, whereas 5.3% of shepherd mixes (e.g. German Shepherd Dog, Australian
Shepherd, Anatolian Shepherd, Husky mixes, etc.), 16.7% of small hounds (e.g. Beagle, Basset
Hound mixes), 23.1% of lab mixes (e.g. Labrador retriever, Golden retriever, excluding lab/pit
bull mixes), 23.5% of cattle dog mixes (Australian Cattle Dog mixes), 38.8% of medium hounds
(Black and Tan Hound, Bluetick Hound, Redbone Hound, Catahoula, Pointer, Plott Hound mixes,
etc.), and 56.1% of pit bull type dogs (e.g. Boxer, American Pit Bull Terrier, Rhodesian
Ridgeback, Rottweiler, American Bull Dog, Chinese Sharpei, Mastiff mixes, etc.) were
euthanized.
- Size was a significant predictor of length of stay. Specifically, small dogs stayed on average for
15.5 days, medium dogs stayed on average for 20.0 days, and large dogs stayed on average for
26.3 days.
- Sociability was a significant predictor of length of stay.
- Color was also a significant predictor of length of stay. Black dogs stayed on average for 23.2
days, whereas white dogs stayed on average for 15.7 days.
PROTOPOPOVA, A. (2012). The Effects of Social Training and Other Factors on Adoption Rates of
Shelter Dogs. Retrieved September 19, 2017, from http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UFE0044162/00001

Behavioral Evaluation and Demographic Information in the Assessment of Aggressiveness in Shelter

Dogs
- 1221 (61%) passed the behavioral evaluation. Of those that passed, 41 were sent to breed
placement organizations.
Wyllow Hildner
Biology 10
Period 5
Master File

- Seventy-two percent of the dogs belonged to eight major breed groups (pit bull/mixes,
shepherd/mixes, Labrador/mixes, rottweiler/mixes, Chihuahua/mixes, husky/mixes, chow/mixes,
and beagle/mixes).
- The odds of failure [for one or more of the component tests during the behavioral evaluation] for
high risk breeds were about three times those of low risk breeds.
- For behavioral problems, the signicant odds ratios were for unsocial dogs, 3.65 (P = 0.005),
and high risk breeds.
- The odds of failure were signicantly higher for high risk than for low risk breeds.
Bollen, K. S., & Horowitz, J. (2007, August 31). Behavioral evaluation and demographic information in
the assessment of aggressiveness in shelter dogs. Retrieved September 19, 2017, from
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168159107002389?showall%3Dtrue%26via%3Dihub

Climbing Out of the Pit

- Fewer pit-type dogs entering these shelters in 2014 compared to 2013.
- Second most popular dog adopted in this sample were pit-type dogs.
- Euthanasia of pit types dipped below 50%.
- Pits rank number one in intake and euthanasia.
- Breed-specific legislation and housing restrictions could affect these.
- Restrictions animal welfare organizations put on the adoption of dogs in the bully category could
affect these.
- Pits moved up for adoption, from #3 in 2013 to #2 in 2014.
Weiss, E. (2015, May 28). Climbing Out of the Pit. Retrieved October 20, 2017, from
https://www.aspcapro.org/blog/2015/05/27/climbing-out-pit

Is That Dog a Pit Bull? A Cross-Country Comparison of Perceptions of Shelter Workers Regarding
Breed Identification
- 7 of the 20 dogs were identied as pit bulls or pit bull mixes by the majority (>50%) of U.S.
participants.
- 10 bull breed and Mastiff breed names were alternative names for pit bull or pit bull-type dogs, a
greater percentage of U.S. participants than UK participants responded in the afrmative for each
breed listed.
- U.S. participants were signicantly more likely than UK participants to consider the following
breeds to be pit bulls: American bulldog, American Staffordshire terrier, English bull terrier,
miniature bull terrier, Presa Canario, and Staffordshire bull terrier.
- Physical traits commonly referenced included the dogs size, estimated weight, stance, body
conformation, musculature, legs, paws, chest, and tail. The coat length, texture, and color were
also mentioned.
Hoffman, C. L., Harrison, N., Wolff, L., & Westgarth, C. (2014, January 18). Is That Dog a Pit Bull? A
Cross-Country Comparison of Perceptions of Shelter Workers Regarding Breed Identification. Retrieved
October 20, 2017, from http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10888705.2014.895904
Accessed on
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/261182541_Is_That_Dog_a_Pit_Bull_A_Cross-Country_Comp
arison_of_Perceptions_of_Shelter_Workers_Regarding_Breed_Identification
Wyllow Hildner
Biology 10
Period 5
Master File

Peer Tune Reflections of Question, Hypothesis, and Prediction:

Peer Tune Partner: Quincy Buickerood
How it went:
I think that it was helpful for students who needed the help. I, for one, felt that I did not need the
help at this point in the project. I felt that I was already on a good track and had Summer looking
at/critiquing my progress at multiple points throughout the past week(s).
I think that Quincy and I started off with answering the prompt questions, without digging deeper,
but the following day, we really looked over each others work with a keen eye and critiqued the
papers by asking questions aloud and providing comments.
The feedback I acquired from Quincy was specific when asked aloud, but the online comments
were a bit brief due to the fact that he expanded aloud. They were good questions, that were
needing to be asked in terms of a question like mine, but were questions I had already asked
myself prior to the peer tune.
How it could be done better:
We couldve been provided with an example of a peer tune.
More specific peer tune questions (i.e. How are you going to test this? What will be your
controlled variables? Etc.)
If you participated in the peer tune and felt it didnt help and/or you felt you didnt need the peer
tune in the first place, you couldve been provided with extension questions to continue to dive
deeper.
Have the students pick out specific things they need help with before the peer tune.

Peer Tune Reflection of Methods:

Peer Tune Partner(s): Saige Fogarty, Quincy Buickerood, Catalina Shirley