When a dog is given up, how honest is the story? A study uncovers how the framing of behavioral questionnaires in shelters may shape the truth about why dogs are surrendered.
When dogs are relinquished to animal shelters, a behavioral assessment is often the first window into their story. But what if the answers depend not on the dog — but on what the owner thinks will happen with their response?
A study by Segurson, Serpell, and Hart investigated the effects of perceived confidentiality on owners’ honesty when completing shelter behavior questionnaires. Two groups of dog owners were formed: one told their responses would remain confidential, the other informed their answers could affect adoption outcomes.
The result? Owners in the “confidential” group reported significantly higher levels of owner-directed aggression and fear of strangers than those in the “nonconfidential” group. These weren’t minor discrepancies — they suggest that social desirability bias may be distorting the behavioral narrative of surrendered dogs.
Compared to a control group of client-owned dogs, the “confidential” shelter dogs also scored higher in aggression, fear, and separation-related behaviors — underscoring the complex emotional profiles that often go unnoticed when shelter intake relies on filtered information.
Still, despite these biases, the study concluded that such questionnaires retain value in identifying general behavioral tendencies. They can help shelters flag critical patterns, even when full transparency is elusive.
Truth in the shelter setting is fragile. And when lives hang in the balance, the way questions are asked — and the answers given — may decide the future of a dog in crisis.
Evaluation of a behavioral assessment questionnaire for use in the characterization of behavioral problems of dogs relinquished to animal shelters.
Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 227(11), 1755–1761.
