The role of breed and personality descriptions in influencing perceptions of shelter dog adoptability.

ABSTRACT: The majority of dogs in US animal shelters are of mixed breed. Many animal shelters still use visual identification to assign breed labels, despite research indicating it to be largely inaccurate. Some shelters now include personality descriptions in conjunction with, or instead of, breed labels. However, little is known about the interaction between these factors. Thus, the aim of this study was to experimentally evaluate the impact of breed labels and descriptions on the perceived adoptability of dogs. Participants, recruited both in-person at a shelter and online, were shown ten dog photos, and indicated how likely they were to adopt the dog. The photos were randomly presented under four conditions: (1) photo only; (2) photo with breed label; (3) photo with description; and (4) photo wi

SUBMITTER: Archer C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12645507 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature