Dog Breeding in New Providence, The Bahamas, and Its Potential Impact on the Roaming Dog Population II: The Fate of Puppies

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1 This article was downloaded by: [Dr Kenneth Shapiro] On: 09 June 2015, At: 08:50 Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: Registered office: Mortimer House, Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: Dog Breeding in New Providence, The Bahamas, and Its Potential Impact on the Roaming Dog Population II: The Fate of Puppies William J. Fielding a a Planning Department, The College of The Bahamas, New Providence, The Bahamas Published online: 23 Sep To cite this article: William J. Fielding (2010) Dog Breeding in New Providence, The Bahamas, and Its Potential Impact on the Roaming Dog Population II: The Fate of Puppies, Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, 13:4, , DOI: / To link to this article: PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the Content ) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages,

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3 JOURNAL OF APPLIED ANIMAL WELFARE SCIENCE, 13: , 2010 Copyright Taylor & Francis Group, LLC ISSN: print/ online DOI: / Dog Breeding in New Providence, The Bahamas, and Its Potential Impact on the Roaming Dog Population II: The Fate of Puppies William J. Fielding Planning Department, The College of The Bahamas, New Providence, The Bahamas This article reports the first known study on the disposal of puppies in an Afro- Caribbean community. The study reported the fate of 2,427 puppies through 517 interviews with dog caregivers. The study reported that surviving puppies from pure-bred females were typically sold (60.1% of surviving puppies) whereas those from mongrel (potcakes) mothers were given away (48.4%). Pure-bred mothers produced the majority of surviving puppies (55.8%). Some caregivers failed to appreciate that the stray dog problem resulted from the inappropriate care of their dogs and disposal of puppies. Overall, the unstructured relinquishment (giving away) of puppies (22.7% of surviving puppies) could contribute to the roaming dog population unless they are cared for responsibly. The care of dogs is linked to the presence of stray dogs. This link has been seen in varied cultural settings: the United States (Beck, 1973), Taiwan (Hsu, Severinghaus, & Serpell, 2003), and Madagascar (Ratsitorahina et al., 2009). Abandonment of dogs is common, as is the custom of giving away unwanted dogs in many communities (Batson, 2008), and clearly abandonment can result in a street population of dogs. Cultural differences among dog-keeping communities results in moderating influences that produce a different mix of factors, Correspondence should be sent to William J. Fielding, Planning Department, The College of The Bahamas, Thompson Boulevard, P.O. Box N 4912, New Providence, The Bahamas. wfru@ hotmail.com 300

4 DOG BREEDING IN NEW PROVIDENCE 301 which ultimately affect not only dog caretaking practices (Knobel, Laurenson, Kazwala, Boden, & Cleaveland, 2008) but also dogs on the streets; for example, some caregivers consider it cruel to confine a dog (Fielding, Mather, & Isaacs, 2005). The situation in New Providence may have similarities to Baltimore, where many dogs seen on the streets had caregivers (Beck, 1973; Fielding & Plumridge, 2005). When roaming dogs receive little care, their survival depends on recruitment (Boitani, Francisci, Ciucci, & Andreoli, 1995; Rinzin, 2007). In a country such as The Bahamas, where heartworm is endemic (Grieve et al., 1986), health care is essential to ensure the longer term survival of dogs. Such local considerations highlight the need for recruitment if a street population is to maintain its numbers. In many ways, The Bahamas would appear to be little different from other communities. It has suffered from the consequences of roaming dogs since at least the 1840s. However, the irritations caused by dogs, both roaming and confined, continue to the present day (Fielding, 2008b). Laws concerning the confinement of dogs have not provided sufficient incentive to ensure that dogs are not allowed to roam freely; it is legal for a licensed dog to roam during the day (The Statute Laws of The Bahamas, 2007). The complaint that the dogs breed too fast has repeated throughout the 20th century, which suggests that the commonly accepted cause of the dog problem is uncontrolled breeding (Fielding et al., 2005). This results in dogs roaming the streets ( The Stray Dog Problem, 2001). It has been estimated that more puppies are born each year than are required to replace losses in the population and to supply companion animals to new households (Fielding & Plumridge, 2005), leading to a surplus of puppies. Clearly, there are many issues associated with the causes of dog overpopulation. Confinement and neutering are two important levers that can be used to regulate the rate of growth of the dog population. The Bahamas Humane Society has a policy by which its dogs are only adopted out to homes that have an enclosed yard; all of its dogs available for adoption are neutered. The Humane Society s adoption policy is important because of the relationship between confinement and production of unplanned litters (Fielding, 2010). In The Bahamas, the demand for pure-breed dogs is met by private individuals importing dogs, which requires a permit from the Department of Agriculture, local breeders, and by one shop that sells imported dogs. Dog breeding is not regulated, and anyone can set himself or herself up as a backyard breeder (Strand, 1993). Breeds such as pit bulls, chow chows, Rottweilers, and German shepherds account for approximately 45% of the dogs in the owned dog population and are used to protect the home, whereas local mongrels (potcakes) account for only about 30% (Fielding et al., 2005). Typically, potcakes are not sold, and it is only pure-breed dogs who are of commercial value; mixed breeds are also often worth little (Fielding, 2007), with their value probably depending on the manifestation of pure-breed features.

5 302 FIELDING Typically, potcakes are kept outside, unconfined, and produce unplanned litters, whereas pure-breed dogs are confined, though not always effectively so, and produce planned litters. Other studies show that potcakes are more likely to be neutered than pure-breed dogs (Fielding et al., 2005), probably as a result of low-cost neutering programs that typically neuter potcakes rather than other types of dogs (Plumridge, Fielding, & Bizzell, 2007). This neutering practice would act as a constraint on the ability of potcakes to breed and limit their contribution to the puppy population, even if they are visible roaming the streets. Although potcakes may be more visible than other types of dogs, their ability to reproduce may be limited. Given that many dogs breed each year, either intentionally by their caregivers or by accident, it is important to know the fate of the puppies as responsible relinquishment is another important element of population control. When puppies are not taken into homes that care for them responsibly, the fate of puppies is a cause for concern. A previous study indicated caregivers with unwanted dogs would dispose of them by relinquishing them to the local shelter (45.3%), giving them away (17.4%), abandoning them (13.0%), selling them (9.9%), having them killed humanely (16.5%), or killing them personally, possibly inhumanely (3.7%) (Fielding, 2007). Relinquishment statistics suggest that relatively few dogs are actually surrendered. At the government s Animal Control Unit, an average of 90% of the dogs handled are euthanized (Fielding et al., 2005). Approximately 10% (173 of 1,522) of the dogs it euthanized in 2006 were relinquished (M. Isaacs, personal communication, December 24, 2007). For the 12 months to June 2007, 720 dogs, of which 518 were under 6 months (K. Degenhard, personal communication, January 22, 2008), were surrendered to the only local shelter. In a dog population estimated at around 73,000 (Fielding et al., 2005), this suggests that caregivers may not surrender as many dogs as previously indicated. However, this rate of surrendering, around 1%, is in line with that found in the United States (New et al., 2004). Although risk factors for relinquishing companion animals have been assessed elsewhere (Patronek, Glickman, Beck, McCabe, & Ecker, 1996; Salman et al., 1998), factors other than cost/source of the dog may have little bearing on relinquishment practices in The Bahamas as dog-keeping practices and attitudes are different from those in the United States (Fielding, 2008a). In the Caribbean, there appears to be a disconnection between acquisition and disposal of dogs. Caregivers wish to keep imported or at least locally reared, pure-breed dogs rather than mongrels. This was noted in Dominica (Alie, Davis, Fielding, & Galindo, 2007), where residents were reluctant to adopt dogs unless they looked like pure-breeds. Many Bahamian dog caregivers get their dogs as gifts (39.7%) or buy them (38.7%); some (13.0%) acquire them as offspring from another companion animal, some (8.5%) adopt companion animals, and others (10.1%) get them as strays or from free advertisements

6 DOG BREEDING IN NEW PROVIDENCE 303 (Fielding, 2009); this pattern is not dissimilar to that found in Dominica (Davis, Alie, Fielding, Morters, & Galindo, 2007) but different from U.S. households, where 26.5% of dogs come from litters born in the household (New et al., 2004). The purpose of this study was to discover how Bahamian caregivers disposed of puppies and what impact, if any, the fate of puppies might have on the roaming dog population. METHOD A survey form was developed to collected information about the dispersal of puppies from the most recent litter, which we call the reported litter, born to a caregiver s female dog in the past 12 months. The questionnaire consisted of both open and closed questions and included questions that related to both the litters and puppies to allow for the fact that puppies from the same litter could be disposed of in different ways. Information was also collected on the litter s parents. The interviewee was asked if there was a dog overpopulation problem, and if so, the perceived cause. After training in class, 12 students in the College of The Bahamas Social Research class of Fall 2007 selected respondents in a convenience sample. Based on a previous study (Fielding & Plumridge, 2005), it was noted that relatively few caregivers would be expected to have a dog that would have bred in the previous 12 months; therefore, in order for a reasonable number of qualified interviewees to be found, any member of the target population of dog caregivers whose female dog had whelped in the previous 12 months was included. The 12-month limit was imposed so that the details of the parents and disposal of the puppies could be more easily recalled. Interviews were carried out at all the veterinary clinics in Nassau. As not all caregivers take their companion animals to the veterinarian on a regular basis (Fielding et al., 2005), caregivers were also interviewed in public places where people had to wait so as not to unduly inconvenience respondents. Participation was voluntary, and interviewees were appraised as to the purpose of the study before being asked questions; respondents were not obliged to answer all the questions. Only caregivers age 18 or over were included. Information regarding the breeds of dog was self-reported. Locally, pit bulls are regarded as a breed and thus were also included under pure-breeds. The term pure-breed should be interpreted loosely to mean a dog who looks like a particular breed rather than being a pure-breed dog or, even less likely, a pedigree. When dogs are reported as a mixed-breed this means that they still retain features associated with the stated breed and so could be passed off as a pure-breed dog. The offspring of known, but different, pure-breeds are included as mixed-breeds. In a few cases (33 puppies) where both parents were of the

7 304 FIELDING same mixed-breed, the puppies were classified as pure-breed as it would appear that the intent of the caregiver was to maintain the physical characteristics of the dogs. The local mongrel, the potcake, is recognized as being distinct to a mixed-breed. If one parent was a potcake, the offspring were classified as potcake no matter how the other parent was described. These definitions were used to derive the variable type of puppy, pure-breed, mixed-breed, and potcake. When the type of one or more parent was unknown, the puppy type was classified as unknown. However, it might be surmised that such puppies are probably mixed-breeds or potcakes as pure-bred dogs typically receive preferential care (Fielding, 2007) and so the caregivers could be expected to be more aware of the mating. Fielding et al. (2005) found that respondents can have difficulty in reporting the fate of puppies or indeed the number of puppies born in a litter; this may mean that the numbers of puppies reported on were smaller than the actual number born. This difficulty is understandable when the female may be pregnant one day, wanders off to whelp, and later returns with the surviving puppies; this may account for not all forms being complete. RESULTS Information, not necessarily complete, was obtained on 517 litters. Of 503 interviews, 22.4% took place at veterinary clinics with the remainder conducted elsewhere. The three most common types of dogs in the study who had a litter in the previous 12 months were potcakes (29.4% of 517 females), pit bulls (15.9%), and Rottweilers (8.7%). Most potcakes (55% of 149 mothers) were kept outside with access to the streets; 42.3% were confined in the yard, and 2.3% were confined inside the home or other enclosure. This contrasted to the pure-/mixed-breed group as only 5.2% (of 349 mothers) were kept outside with street access; 48.7% were confined outside, and 46.1% were confined in the home or other enclosure. Only 7.2% of 149 litters from potcake mothers were planned, whereas 66.5% of 358 litters from pure-/mixed-breed mothers were planned (Fisher s exact test, p <.001, n D 507). The mean size of litters (including early deaths) was similar, with no significant effect of breed type or planning (p >.05, analysis of variance); the overall mean litter size was 4.73 (SE D 0.161). The fate of 2,427 puppies was reported, but the parents of only 1,855 of these puppies could be identified. Overall, pure-breed puppies (from parents of the same type, excluding potcakes) accounted for 52.5% of all puppies born. However, cross-breeding resulted in 7.3% of puppies from parents of different breeds; 16.7% of the puppies were potcakes. The remainder of the puppies were from litters with at least one unknown parent. Potcake puppies appeared to have a higher infant mortality than breed dogs. Only 13.0% of

8 DOG BREEDING IN NEW PROVIDENCE 305 pure-breed puppies and 19.4% of mixed-breed puppies were reported to have died compared with 28.8% of potcake puppies. Fate of Surviving Puppies It should be noted that puppies from the same litter were not necessarily disposed of in the same way; some puppies might be sold, some might be kept by the caregiver, and some might be given away as gifts. Overall, 33.0% of the puppies were kept by the caregiver. The majority of the puppies was either dispersed as gifts (22.7%) or sold (41.0%). The remainder of the puppies was disposed of in some other way. The fate of puppies differed depending on whether they were pure-/mixed-breed or potcake. Potcake puppies were more likely to be disposed of via other methods than pure-breed puppies (Table 1). The location of where the mother was usually kept appeared to influence the fate of puppies. Few puppies from females kept outside with access to the street were sold. Although potcake mothers were responsible for a minority of the puppies, the majority of the 440 puppies given away, 56.8%, were from potcake mothers (Table 2). Two hundred thirty-four respondents gave reasons as to why they wanted the litter (Table 3); this included 6 respondents who described themselves as professional breeders. Only 9 respondents gave reasons for wanting a potcake litter, and 8 of these indicated that they would sell the puppies. Fourteen respondents wanted the litter because they thought it was in the best interests of the female or that it was required so that the companion animal could be spayed ( Dog s experience in Table 3). When the litter was not wanted, 115 respondents gave reasons as to why they did not want the puppies (Table 4). Overall, the most common reason for not keeping the puppies was that respondents already had enough dogs TABLE 1 Fate of Surviving Puppies, Classified by Their Parents, Percentages Within Type of Puppy Fate of Surviving Puppies Type of Puppies Kept by Owner Sold Given Away Other Overall % N % overall Pure-breeds ,094 Mixed-breeds Potcake Not known N ,962

9 306 FIELDING TABLE 2 The Fate of Surviving Puppies Classified by Type of Dog of Mother and Where the Mother Was Usually Kept, Percentages Within Type of Mother and Where Kept Fate of Surviving Puppies Type of Female Dog Where Kept Kept by Owner Sold Given Away Other Overall % N Breed, mixed-breed % overall 31.2% 54.2% 13.5% 1.1% Inside 36.8% 48.9% 14.1% 0.2% Outside, confined 25.0% 62.4% 11.8% 0.8% Outside, street access 46.8% 16.9% 24.7% 11.7% N ,411 Potcake % overall 37.8% 5.0% 48.2% 9.1% Inside 28.6% 42.9% 28.6% Outside, confined 37.5% 7.3% 50.8% 4.4% Outside, street access 38.3% 3.0% 45.8% 12.9% N (42.6%), and this was particularly so in the case of respondents with potcakes (53.7% of 41 replies). Only 2 persons did not want the puppies for behavioral reasons and 1 because the puppies seemed sick. Four respondents did not want the puppies because they were mixed-breed and so could not be sold, and 5 respondents gave away puppies because they were wanted by the keeper of the male dog. No puppies were given to nonhuman animal welfare groups or the government Animal Control Unit. When puppies from potcake mothers were given away, only 2.1% (of 97 respondents) thought that all these puppies would be confined and neutered by the new caregivers as opposed to 26.0% (of 173) TABLE 3 Reasons, by Theme, for Caregivers Wanting the Reported Litter by Type of Mother (Percentage Within Type of Breed of Mother) Reasons for Wanting the Puppies Pure-/Mixed-Breed Potcake Overall % For sale 73.3% 88.9% 73.9 Wanted more dogs 15.1% 11.1% 15.0 Dog s experience 6.2% 6.0 Benefit of the breed 1.3% 1.3 For the love of the animals 1.3% 1.3 For protection 1.3% 1.3 To give away 1.3% 1.3 N

10 DOG BREEDING IN NEW PROVIDENCE 307 TABLE 4 Reasons, by Theme, for Caregivers Not Wanting the Reported Litter by Type of Mother (Percentage Within Type of Breed of Mother) Reasons for Not Keeping or Selling Puppies Pure-/Mixed-Breed Potcake Overall % Did not want more dogs 36.5% 53.7% 42.6 Gifts 33.8% 17.1% 27.8 Others wanted them 20.3% 17.1% 19.1 Owner of male wanted them 5.4% 2.4% 4.4 Not wanting mixed-breed dogs 2.7% 4.9% 1.7 Behavioral problems 1.4% 2.4% 0.9 Puppies seemed sick 2.4% 0.9 N in the case of pure-/mixed-breed mothers; a similar percentage of respondents, 23.7%, did think that all these puppies would be confined and neutered and the remainder did not know (chi-square D 27.4, p <.001, n D 270). When puppies were not disposed of in other ways (Table 1), 29 responses were given as to the fate of one or more of these puppies. The most common response (12 responses) concerned running off/wandered off/went missing when the mother was usually kept outside with access to the street, and this event was also reported four times when the female was confined outside; when the mother was kept inside, this was reported only once. Alleged stealing was reported five times and killed by motor vehicles four times when the mother was kept outside, with or without access to the street. Abandonment/let go was reported three times when the mother lived outside with access to the street. Attitudes Toward Dog Overpopulation Overall, respondents were divided as to whether or not The Bahamas suffered from a dog overpopulation problem (54.3% of 506 responses said there was), and this result was similar irrespective of the type of female dog kept (Fisher s exact test: n D 505, p D.14). However, respondents interviewed in veterinary clinics were more likely to think there was a dog overpopulation problem than those in the general problem (Fisher s exact test, n D 501, p <.001). When respondents thought there was a dog overpopulation problem, the reasons they gave focused on lack of care toward dogs and on complaints concerning the care offered potcakes (Table 5). Aspects of care were the most common reasons given, and abandonment and excess breeding were suggested by about 15% of those who responded. Some comments indicated the lack of

11 308 FIELDING TABLE 5 Reasons, by Theme, Given by Respondents as to Why The Bahamas has a Dog Overpopulation Problem Reasons The Bahamas Has a Dog Overpopulation Problem % Inadequate care of dogs 39.5% Dogs not confined 25.4% Breeding not controlled 13.7% Government not doing its job 9.0% Too many dogs 7.8% Shelter not doing its job 2.3% Abandonment 1.2% Do not know 0.8% Not caring for children 0.4% N 256 knowledge of caregivers belief that there was no adoption agency. Only one person admitted that the overpopulation problem arose from the way people kept their companion animals. Among the comments, 20 specifically mentioned potcakes or their owners as being responsible for the problem; of these, 17 were from respondents who kept a pure-breed female. DISCUSSION The sampling method employed places restrictions on the interpretation of the data. The nonrandom nature of a convenience sample means that extrapolation of the results to the wider population could be unreliable. Therefore, the results and discussion are only directly applicable to the study group. The results indicate that in this study group the breeding of pure-/mixedbreed dogs was the major source, and the sale of these puppies was the major sink. Although potcakes constituted a smaller proportion of the population than pure-/mixed-breed dogs, they were more visible to the public due to their limited confinement and so have become regarded as the manifestation of the dog overpopulation problem. The study participants included many caregivers who bred their dogs to sell the offspring as well as 6 caregivers who called themselves professional breeders. This indicates the prevalence of dog breeding for financial gain; indeed, the majority of pure-breed puppies were sold. Newspaper advertisements indicate that pure-breed dogs can be worth hundreds of dollars (Fielding et al., 2005), whereas potcakes are considered worthless (Fielding et al., 2005). The breeding

12 DOG BREEDING IN NEW PROVIDENCE 309 of puppies for sale means that there was a group of caregivers in the study who would not spay their females; this places limits on the reach of neutering programs and probably explains why free spay/neuter programs tend to neuter potcakes rather than pure-breed dogs (Plumridge et al., 2007). Many pure-breed puppies in this study appeared to be sold privately (local newspapers carry daily advertisements for purebred dogs; Fielding et al., 2005) and thus customers may be offered little or no advice on the care or training of puppies. Further, no puppies from planned litters were reported as being culled. This means that dogs with poor temperament or behavioral problems were probably being passed to unsuspecting caregivers; these dogs then run the risk of being relinquished (Patronek et al., 1996) or disposed of inhumanely. This concern is heightened when many of the puppies can be expected to be bought as working animals, in guarding or watching roles (Fielding, 2007). It should be noted that the pattern of disposal of puppies in this study was different from that of backyard breeders in the United States. In this study, 41% of the surviving puppies were sold, 33% kept, 23% given away, and 3% disposed of in other ways. In the United States, 50% were sold, 25% given away, and 25% relinquished to shelters (Cloud, 1993). It appears that giving away in The Bahamas may, to some extent, substitute for relinquishment to shelters in the United States. It might appear that the reluctance to relinquish companion animals may mean that caregivers keep more dogs than they can adequately care for. Caregivers in New Providence average a mean of 2.6 dogs (Fielding et al., 2005), whereas caregivers in Australia average 1.3 dogs (Kobelt, Hemsworth, Barnett, & Coleman, 2003). No one in this study reported relinquishing a puppy to an animal welfare group or the government s Animal Control Unit. The apparent reluctance to surrender dogs to the Animal Control Unit may reflect an unwillingness to have dogs euthanized (Plumridge et al., 2007). Potcakes typically receive less care than pure-bred dogs (Fielding, 2007). One important implication of this is that potcakes were allowed to roam and consequently produce litters that were unwanted by their caregivers. So although the pure-/mixed-breed females produced more puppies than the potcake population, more potcake puppies were reported as being given away and disposed of through other ways probably because they had no commercial value. Relatively few potcake puppies who were given away were expected to be kept responsibly (confined and neutered); therefore, more potcakes than other types of puppies would likely end up on the street. Consequently, it would appear that potcake puppies in this study were probably most at risk of being subject to unstructured relinquishment caregivers disposing of puppies in a way convenient to themselves and without thought of the future welfare of the nonhuman animal. Giving away without considering how the new caregiver will treat the puppy could even be considered a form of abandonment on the part of the donor as many of these puppies were gifted or given away without

13 310 FIELDING much apparent interest in the future care of the puppies. This attitude contrasted to that of the local humane society, which only adopts out neutered dogs and requires caregivers to have an enclosed yard. Although giving away appeared a common method for caregivers to dispose of unwanted puppies, compared with turning the puppies loose, the result as far as the care of the dog might be little different. According to Fielding and Plumridge (2005), the estimated oversupply of dogs is about 27% per year compared with the 23% of puppies given away or disposed of in other ways (Table 1). If this estimated excess of puppies is correct, it could mean giving away might have been a euphemism for disposing of the puppies in other ways, including the humane society, which would be in agreement with Fielding (2007), and the fact that 72% of dogs surrendered to the Bahamas Humane Society were under 6 months, or that death rates in the puppy/young dog population may be higher than previously thought so more replacements are needed to maintain the adult population. The fact that almost 40% of caregivers reported that they obtained their dogs as gifts (Fielding, 2009) highlights the importance of gifts as a source of dogs and the need to ensure that recipients will be responsible caregivers. Few respondents (3 of 517) admitted that they abandoned any of their puppies. This result might have arisen through underreporting, or it could indicate that caregivers in this study might be more reluctant to abandon puppies than adults; there may be an appreciation that puppies require a certain level of care to survive, whereas it may be considered that adults can fend for themselves. If the results are interpreted literally, overall, the intentional abandonment of puppies, as opposed to adults, may not be an important contribution to the street population and so responsible for the stray dog problem. This action should be distinguished from the abandonment of adult dogs, which may be more common in The Bahamas (Fielding et al., 2005) and internationally (Batson, 2008). The place where the mother usually stayed appeared to be important to the fate of her puppies possibly due to different levels of care and attachment, which can differentiate yard and house dogs (Shore, Riley, & Douglas, 2006). Loss of puppies due to alleged stealing, wandering off, or motor vehicle accidents was higher when the mother was not confined inside the home. Puppies kept outside were at risk of being harmed, as they would not have been aware of dangers such as motor vehicles. Although it may have been convenient for respondents to say that puppies were stolen, verification of these claims was not possible, but dogs do go missing as indicated by newspaper advertisements ( Reward Offered for Missing Dog, 2008). Puppies who wandered off (a form of passive abandonment) and did survive may have been recruited to the street population, particularly if they were potcakes, or adopted if a purebreed.

14 DOG BREEDING IN NEW PROVIDENCE 311 Relatively more deaths were reported in the potcake than pure-bred population. Issues surrounding a lower level of care offered to potcakes (such as lack of confinement leading to road kill) as opposed to pure-breed dogs may be a contributory factor; other studies demonstrated this differential in care (Fielding, 2007). Although local mongrels may be better adapted to survive in the local environment and, subsequently, hardier than their pure-breed counterparts, this may be more than offset by the differential in care offered. Respondents interviewed in the veterinary clinics were more aware of the dog overpopulation problem than caregivers in the general population, and this may have arisen from their interaction with veterinarians. Not all caregivers appreciated that the care of companion animals was their responsibility and not that of government agencies a response that has persisted for at least 10 years (Fielding, 1999). Inadequate confinement of potcakes explains why these dogs are typically the breed seen on the streets and so associated with the dog overpopulation or stray dog problem (Fielding et al., 2005). The reactions of respondents in this study indicated that some thought specifically that potcakes and their caregivers were responsible for the problem. This attitude may reflect a feeling of superiority that keepers of pure-breed dogs may have toward other caregivers. It may also reflect a feeling that pure-breed dogs do not contribute to dog overpopulation, although studies show pure-breeds do contribute to dog overpopulation in the United States (Cloud, 1993). The results from this participant group suggested that caregivers deliberately mated dogs to benefit from the sale of puppies. In the absence of breeding regulations, this activity may not be in the best interest of the females as they could be abused. Caregivers need to be responsible as to how they dispose of their puppies to ensure their future welfare is not compromised. Regulations need to be instituted to discourage caregivers from allowing their dogs to roam; this, in turn, would be a useful check on the unplanned mating of dogs and help to reduce the number of unwanted companion animals given away. CONCLUSION: LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY The study used a convenience sample. This nonprobabilistic sample can result in a biased sample and make it difficult to extrapolate the results beyond the sample subjects. However, the results from this study triangulate with previous studies, which suggests that this sample may not be too biased. The percentage of potcake to other types of dogs and the composition of the pure-breed dogs in the sample were similar in number to those reported by Fielding and Plumridge (2005), as was the mean litter size; also, the percentage of potcakes in the Fielding and Plumridge study who had bred in the previous 12 months was

15 312 FIELDING 32.6% (of 43 litters; unpublished data from the study), which is similar to the percentage found in this study. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am grateful to all the veterinarians in Nassau for allowing interviews to be held at their clinics, the Fall 2007 class of Social Research (SOS 200) for collecting the data, the insightful comments of an anonymous referee, and the librarians at The College of The Bahamas. REFERENCES Alie, K., Davis, B. W., Fielding, W. J., & Galindo, F. G. (2007). Attitudes towards dogs and other pets in Roseau, Dominica. Anthrozoös, 20, Batson, A. (2008). Global companion animal ownership and trade: Project summary, June London, UK: World Society for the Protection of Animals. Beck, A. M. (1973). The ecology of stray dogs: A study of free-ranging urban animals. West Lafayette, IN: Purdue University Press. Boitani, L., Francisci, F., Ciucci, P., & Andreoli, G. (1995). Population biology and ecology of feral dogs in central Italy. In J. Serpell (Ed.), The domestic dog: Its evolution, behaviour and interactions with people (pp ). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Cloud, D. F. (1993). Working with breeders on solutions to pet overpopulation. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 202, Davis, B. W., Alie, K., W., Fielding, W. J., Morters, M., & Galindo, F. (2007). Preliminary observations on the characteristics of the owned dog population in Roseau, Dominica. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, 10, Fielding, W. J. (1999). Perceptions of owned and unowned animals: A case study from New Providence. Bahamas Journal of Science, 6(2), Fielding, W. J. (2007). Knowledge of the welfare of non-human animals and prevalence of dog care practices in New Providence, The Bahamas. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, 10, Fielding, W. J. (2008a). Attitudes and actions of pet caregivers in New Providence, The Bahamas, in the context of those of their American counterparts. Anthrozoös, 21, Fielding, W. J. (2008b). Dogs: A continuing and common neighborhood nuisance of New Providence, The Bahamas. Society & Animals, 16(1): Fielding, W. J. (2009). A comparison of Bahamian cat and dog caregivers on New Providence. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, 12, Fielding, W. J. (2010). Dog breeding in New Providence, The Bahamas and its potential impact on the roaming dog population: I. Planned and accidental breeding. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, 13, doi: / Fielding, W. J., Mather, J., & Isaacs, M. (2005). Potcakes: Dog ownership in New Providence, The Bahamas. West Lafayette, IN: Purdue University Press. Fielding, W. J., & Plumridge, S. (2005). Characteristics of owned dogs on the island of New Providence, The Bahamas. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, 8, Grieve, R. B., Glickman, L. T., Bater, A. K., Mika-Grieve, A., Thomas, C. B., & Patronek, G. J. (1986). Canine Dirofilaria immitis infection in a hyperenzootic area: Examination by parasitologic

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