Study on the Public Perception of Community-Owned Dogs in the Abruzzo Region Central Italy

摘要

The present study was conducted in the Abruzzo Region, central Italy, to investigate the public perception towards “community-owned dogs” (CODs); i.e., whether their presence is perceived as a problem or a benefit by the local communities. The data were collected by both direct interviews and an online survey, based on a questionnaire developed by a multidisciplinary team. The questionnaire was distributed in 31 municipalities sampled on the basis of the urbanization rate, and 497 people were interviewed over 9 months. The majority (83%) believed that a greater commitment is needed to involve the local communities on issues regarding CODs. The findings of this study highlighted the general difficulty for people to distinguish stray dogs from CODs that are not fully known, as evidenced by the fact that 59% of the respondents are not aware of the Regional Law that defines and regulates the presence of the CODs.