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Factors Influencing Owners' Reactions to Their Dogs' Fouling

School of Psychology, Queen's University Belfast

This study explored what factors influence owners' reactions to their dogs'fouling in a bid to identify the demographic profile of the "typical" dog fouler. The behavior of 400 dog walkers was observed in eight public parks in Northern Ireland. Information was collected on the walkers' gender, age, socioeconomic status, use of leash, and reaction to their dogs' fouling. A weak majority (53.5%) of owners cleaned up their dogs'feces. All of the independent variables, except age, influenced owners' reactions to their pets' fouling. Fewer males (35.3%), those with a lower income (18.2%), and owners who allowed their dogs off the leash (26.2%) cleaned up their dogs'feces than females (58.2%), those with higher earnings (68.7%), and those who kept their pets on a leash (72.6%). Findings have implications for the design of antifouling campaigns, highlighting what sectors of the population need to be targeted by educational programs.

Key Words: dogs • fouling • environmental pollution • demographics • littering

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