Shelter dogs housed with a canine companion experience less stress and find new homes more quickly than those living alone, according to a recent study led by Erica Feuerbacher, associate professor in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ School of Animal Sciences at Virginia Tech.
The findings, published in the open-access research journal PLOS ONE, offer a potential solution for animal shelters grappling with limited space and lengthy adoption wait times.
With nearly 4 million dogs entering shelters every year, as reported by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the study’s insights could have far-reaching implications for animal welfare and adoption rates.
Cohousing Reduces Stress Behaviors and Biological Indicators of Stress
The study, funded by the WALTHAM Foundation, followed 61 dogs over seven days at the Humane Society of Western Montana. Researchers divided the dogs into two groups, with half placed in cohousing with compatible partners and the other half kenneled alone. Throughout the week, the team observed the dogs, recording common stress behaviors such as lip-licking, whining, and pulling back their ears. They also collected daily samples of the dogs’ urinary cortisol and creatinine to measure biological indicators of stress.
“Dogs housed in shelters can face chronic levels of stress due to noise, confined kennel spaces, and limited access to social interaction,” Feuerbacher said. “This can reduce their overall well-being, which might impact their adoptability.”
The results revealed that dogs housed together exhibited fewer stress behaviors and were adopted, on average, four days sooner than their single-housed counterparts.
Promoting Social Interaction to Highlight Adoptability
Feuerbacher hopes that the study’s findings will encourage animal shelters to pair dogs with suitable “roommates” as a means to alleviate stress and showcase their best qualities to potential adopters.
“Many potential adopters might already have a dog or would like to engage in social activities with their dog,” Feuerbacher said. “Clearly exhibiting that a dog can successfully interact with other dogs might highlight those dogs as good matches – leading to more successful adoptions.”
The research team included Grace Hecker ’21, a current veterinary student at the Royal Veterinary College in London; Katherine Martineau, a former student research assistant at Carroll College who now works at Lewis and Clark Humane Society in Helena, Montana; Mariah Scheskie, a professional dog trainer and former director of programs, behavior, and training, at the Humane Society of Western Montana; and Rhonda Hammerslough, a professional dog trainer and Humane Society of Western Montana volunteer.
Feuerbacher’s research, outreach, and teaching focus on companion animal behavior and welfare. Her recent efforts have centered on shelter dog welfare and interventions that can improve dogs’ well-being and increase adoptions. She also studies human-animal interactions, including dogs’ preferences for different social interactions and how to use positive reinforcement training most effectively in training dogs.
“Despite being a social species, dogs are often housed alone in shelters to reduce disease transmission and possible injury from inter-dog conflict. But this social isolation can work against dogs’ behavioral health and adoptability,” Feuerbacher said. “We wanted to examine whether pair housing could be a useful intervention for improving shelter dogs’ welfare.”
