How Human Vulnerability Influences the Surrender of Pets

Key Points:

• A new study examined the conditions under which people surrender their pets.
• The researchers found multiple connections between factors that make a person more socially vulnerable and the likelihood that they would give up their pet, or be asked to do so.
• Providing additional services for people in a vulnerable state could not only benefit those individuals but reduce the probability that they would have to surrender a pet.

The relationship between humans and their pets is a close one, so it’s possible that when people are vulnerable (for whatever reason), their pets are more vulnerable too. For example, if people struggle to find pet-friendly housing, they may end up surrendering their pet to a shelter. New research by animal welfare scientists at the University of British Columbia and the BC SPCA looks at the links between animal surrenders and social deprivation.

A dog in Port Coquitlam, Metro Vancouver

Source: Justin Veeneema/Unsplash

The study looked at the reasons why people surrender pets to the BC SPCA and investigated whether they are linked to different aspects of social deprivation at a geospatial level. As well as the results for BC as a whole, the scientists looked in detail at Metro Vancouver and Kamloops. These locations were chosen as they are very different. Metro Vancouver is a cosmopolitan area comprising Vancouver itself and surrounding cities. Kamloops is a smaller city of around 100,000 people in south-central BC.

Lexis Ly (UBC), first author of the research, told me:

“People and their companion animals share their environment closely, so factors that can impact human well-being can also impact animals. Our study aimed to understand the relationship between human vulnerability (e.g. social factors such as income, race/ethnicity, housing insecurity, employment) and animal surrender to shelters across British Columbia.

Our study found that there were multiple relationships between human vulnerability and surrendering animals for various reasons, of various species/breeds, and of various health statuses and that these vary by community. Overall, what this may indicate is that the difficult decision to surrender an animal can be impacted by human vulnerability.

Companion animal relinquishment is therefore a One Welfare issue (wherein the wellbeing of humans, animals and the environment are interconnected). This study then builds on previous work suggesting that a One Health/One Welfare approach is important for supporting human-animal families and reducing shelter intake.”

The study used the Canadian Index of Multiple Deprivation, a measure developed by Statistics Canada that is publicly available and captures four aspects of deprivation at a fine geographical level (areas where around 400-700 people live):

• Residential instability includes the proportion of homes that are owned, that are apartments, and how many people live alone or moved within the last five years.
• Economic dependency includes measures of the proportion of people who are employed or of retirement age.
• Situational vulnerability includes the proportion of Aboriginal people, single families, unemployed, people without a high school diploma, and the number of homes that need major repairs. Social deprivation and inequities in access to health and housing may affect people’s access to care for their pets.
• The ethnocultural composition includes the proportion of people who are a visible minority (a Canadian term that is used to mean non-white and non-Aboriginal), as well as those who are recent immigrants, born abroad, and those who don’t speak one of the official languages of English and French. The greater challenges faced by ethnic minorities might increase the risk of them surrendering a pet.

The results showed that these factors do indeed tie into different reasons for animal surrender and that these relationships are different in different parts of the province. In BC as a whole and in Metro Vancouver specifically, higher ethnocultural composition was linked to people being more likely to give up an animal because they couldn’t afford to keep it, they had health issues, housing issues (such as complaints from neighbors or being unable to find pet-friendly housing), or personal issues such as getting divorced, having a baby, or going to jail.

A dog and their guardian at Kitsilano Beach, Vancouver

Source: Jennifer Chen/Unsplash

In contrast in Kamloops, where there is a much higher proportion of rental housing than in Metro Vancouver, residential instability was the main factor behind these owner-related reasons to give up a pet.

In both Metro Vancouver and Kamloops, people were more likely to surrender pets that were deemed unhealthy and not treatable when there were higher levels of residential instability.

The hope is that by considering the relationship between deprivation and types of animal surrenders in different geographic areas, it will be possible to develop targeted programs for particular communities that will help pets to stay in homes.

Ly explains: “Our data show that when people are surrendering animals, their reasons for surrender depend on their social vulnerability, which is further evidence for the need to consider sheltering within a One Welfare perspective.

For example, people who are experiencing Situational Vulnerability (i.e., low-income, single parents, etc.) are more likely to surrender puppies and kittens compared to other types of animals. This suggests that people experiencing Situational Vulnerability are not currently finding spay/neuter services as accessible or useful in British Columbia. Perhaps then, shelters in British Columbia can consider approaches which increase accessibility of spay/neuter services for communities that are high in Situational Vulnerability.”

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The results show that providing services for people may also help prevent the surrender of animals. For example, it is helpful if foodbanks also supply pet food, and housing for seniors could help them keep their pets. (See also, "The Challenges and Benefits of Pet Ownership for Seniors.") The data also shows the risk factors for surrender are different for adult dogs, adult cats, kittens, puppies, rabbits, and small animals.

Overall, the results show the benefits of a One Welfare approach, and that when people have vulnerabilities, so do their animals.

The paper is open-access if you want to read it in full.