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Ciara Villarreal

ENGL 1302-231

Sharity Nelson

1 March 2024

Adoption: Its Effects on Animals and Society

[Introduction lengthen] Animal adoption rates keep rising, and most adopters must gather

more research or knowledge before choosing an animal to raise. Many adoptions directly result

in high return rates, as some adopters may need help understanding what they are getting into.

The topic of pet adoption is of scholarly interest, and several research areas provide interesting

avenues of knowledge and factors about pet adoption. Together, these scholars examine and give

issues on the adoption process and how it can be improved, such as analyzing how an animal's

behavior is affected after a return, promotions to increase adoption in dogs with unwanted traits,

and better caretaker enforcement.

[Issue A] One prominent concern scholars discuss in adoption returns is the effects on the

animals after returning to the shelter. Powell et al. and Thompson and Young investigate

adoption and return rates, focusing on abandonment reasons and animal characteristics to

understand why an animal may have adoption trouble. As Powell et al. explain, most returns to

shelters frequently stress both the animal and the adopter (“The impact of” 1). As Powell et al.

clarify in a different paper, in the United States, “57% of U.S. Households estimated to own a

pet”. However, “20% of all adoptions” result in the return to a shelter due to animal behavior and

general incompatibility (“Characterizing unsuccessful animal adoptions” 1). As a result of

increasing adoption rates, Thompson and Young mention euthanization as one of the significant

negatives of a return when caretakers aren’t capable of caring for the animal (333). Around “40%
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and 50%” of returns result in euthanasia. Although euthanasia rates are decreasing fast, it is still

a significant problem that can be solved (“The impact” 2). Together, all three articles analyze

how a failed adoption may influence an adopter's chance of adopting again, the key factors that

may affect adopting an animal, and the effects of a returned animal. Powell et al. state that age

and behavior are crucial factors in failed adoptions; their found data will aid shelters in

identifying a bad match and prevent stress for both animal and adopter (“Characterizing

unsuccessful animal adoptions” 9). These sources show similarities to support their claims of

negative impacts and unsuccessful adoptions, which result in a bigger problem for the shelters in

terms of adoptions.

[Issue B] Another foremost concern scholars discuss in adoption is adopter expectations

and animal characteristics. Scholars O’Connor et al., Dinwoodie et al., and Kay concentrate on

adoption experience expectations and analyze why adopters may not feel satisfied through or

after the process. As O'Connor explains, the expectations set by an adopter will affect the

relationship and satisfaction of an animal (362). O’Connor also states some expectations or

relationship qualities a caretaker may need (363). Such expectations include emotional or

physical needs, and if they aren’t met, the adopter may feel the need to give up or never adopt

again (O’Connor et al. 363). O’Connor finds that 34% of dog and 28% of cat intakes are due to

unmet desires (363). This is similar to Kay et al.’s study, which focuses on the characteristics that

affect how long an animal will be in a shelter or when they will be adopted (375). Kay et al. were

influenced by the overcrowding of nonhuman shelters with substandard animal well-being (375)

Due to the crowding, studies show increased animal stress and spread of infectious diseases

between the animals in the shelters (Kay et al. 375). After studying the stay-in-shelter factors,

Kay found that the main reasons for bias in adoption were age, breed, and behavioral issues
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(385). Dinwoodie et al. also concentrated on adoption expectations by conducting a

questionnaire asking adopters what affected or influenced their selection between physical or

behavioral characteristics (3) With the gained knowledge of all three articles, we can understand

how and why adopters develop a bias towards specific characteristics in the animals they may

adopt. Although it might be an overstretch to assume that all shelters deal with this similar

problem, we can develop some solutions to decrease the adverse effects the overall bias creates

for the shelters.

[Issue C] Another prominent concern scholars discuss in adoptions is the failure to

evaluate the ability of a seeking adopter to take care of an animal or to meet their requirements.

In some cases, adopters are not examined or enforced well enough to be able to care for an

animal as well as they should be. This is supported by Bernete Perdomo, Eva et al., and

Thompson and Young, who focus on the interview process and the legal side of adoption. As

Thompson and Young explain, it is necessary to conduct a full-on interview before allowing

someone to adopt an animal; it is also essential to deny applicants properly to avoid a negative

experience (333). Conducting an interview can help a shelter understand what an adopter wants

and if they are qualified to care for an animal based on their living circumstances and needs

(Thompson and Young 334). The interview may also help the adopter understand their reason for

rejection and decrease aggression in possible adopters (Thompson and Young 338). This is

similar to what Perdomo et al. mention: abandonment and overpopulation result from the low

regulation towards pet owners (2). Add more on perdomo. Overall, this will allow shelters to

build a better and healthier environment for both the animals and the shelter itself.

[Conclusion lengthen] As this paper has shown, scholars investigating adoption and

abandonment focus on animal characteristics and behaviors, caretaker expectations and abilities,
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and the effects of adoption returns on animals and shelters. It is essential to investigate the

adoption and its impact on the environment, as overpopulation of domestic animals is a current

problem. Strays that are abandoned tend to reproduce and harm communities; it is easier to

prevent the issue before it does more harm than good. Readers can take their newly gained

knowledge and apply it to their own lives by learning when it is appropriate to adopt it and how

to deal with it.

Works Cited

Bernete Perdomo, Eva, et al. “Amelioration of Pet Overpopulation and Abandonment Using

Control of Breeding and Sale, and Compulsory Owner Liability Insurance.” Animals,

vol.11, no.524, 2021, pp. 1-10, Academic Search Complete,

https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11020524.
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Dinwoodie, Ian R., et al. “Selection Factors Influencing Eventual Owner Satisfaction about Pet

Dog Adoption.” Animals, vol.12, no.17, 2022, pp. 2264-2278, Academic Search

Complete, https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12172264.

Kay, Alleigh, et al. “Factors Influencing Time to Adoption for Dogs in a Provincial Shelter

System in Canada.” Applied Animal Welfare Science, vol.21, no.4, 2018, pp. 375–388,

Academic Search Complete, https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11020524.

Mikkola, Salla, et al. “Aggressive behavior is affected by demographic, environmental and

behavioral factors in purebred dogs.” Scientific Reports, vol.11, no.1, 2021, pp. 1-10

Academic Search Complete, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-88793-5.

O’Connor, Rachel, et al. “Exploratory Study of Adopters’ Concerns Prior to Acquiring Dogs or

Cats from Animal Shelters.” Society & Animals, vol.25, no.4, 2017, pp. 362-383,

Academic Search Complete, doi 10.1163/15685306-12341451.

Powell, Lauren, et al. “Characterizing unsuccessful animal adoptions: age and breed predict the

likelihood of return, reasons for return and post-return outcomes.” Scientific Reports,

vol.11, no.1, pp. 1-12, Academic Search Complete,

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-87649-2.

Powell, Lauren, et al. “The impact of returning a pet to the shelter on future animal adoptions.”

Scientific Reports, vol.12, no.1, 2022, pp. 1-7, Academic Search Complete,

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-05101-5.

Stull, C.L., and K.E. Holcomb. “Role of U.S. animal control agencies in equine neglect, cruelty,

and abandonment investigation.” American Society of Animal Science, vol.92, no.5, 2017,

pp. 2342-2349, Academic Search Complete, doi: 10.2527/jas.2013-7303.

Thompson, Carol Y., and Robert L. Young. “Cooling out the Mark in Companion Animal

Adoption.” Society & Animals, vol.22, no.4, pp. 333-351, Academic Search Complete,

DOI: 10.1163/15685306-12341329.