PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

More pets relinquished to shelters due to housing insecurity

2024-08-02
(Press-News.org) Housing policies may be becoming more pet inclusive, but housing insecurity is getting worse, finds a new study that examined the housing issues that led to owners turning their pets over to an animal shelter.

“Over the duration of the study, instances of animals entering shelters due to loss of housing rose, while those due to pet restrictions and landlord conflicts declined,” said the study’s lead author Jennifer Applebaum, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Environmental and Global Health in the University of Florida College of Public Health and Health Professions who studies the human-animal bond and the effects of social inequalities on human and companion animal health.

“The proportion of pit bull-type dogs among all breeds that were housing-relinquished declined over time, as did the average weight and age of animals upon intake,” Applebaum said. “Taken together, our results suggest that the culture around pet-inclusive housing may be improving while broader housing insecurity is worsening.”

According to the study, which appears in the journal Frontiers in Veterinary Medicine, housing issues represent 14% of intakes to animal shelters.

The study team analyzed 2019-2023 data from Human-Animal Support Services, a nonprofit organization that works to keep pets with their owners through community and animal shelter initiatives. The data included 28,000 housing-related relinquishment records from 21 U.S. shelters Human-Animal Support Services is working with on progressive initiatives. The study data spans before, during, and after the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, when a number of factors affected pet adoption and housing, including stay-at-home orders, a federal eviction moratorium, and shelter policy changes to limit in-person contact. Following an increase in pet adoptions early in the pandemic, recent media reports have described shelter trends of lower pet adoption rates and increased pet relinquishments.

Additional highlights from the team’s findings include:

Housing-related reasons for relinquishing pets broke down as unspecified (54%), pet-related restrictions (27%), landlord issues (8%), housing loss (5%), and unhoused owners (5%). The large proportion of unspecified housing issues may be attributable to a number of factors, including limitations on staff time, owners not providing detailed information, or variations in data collection across shelters. This is an area for further research, Applebaum said, particularly where enhanced knowledge of the likely multifaceted reasons for relinquishment may lead to actionable policy change. Large (average weight 75 pounds) and small (average weight 12 pounds) dogs comprised the highest proportions of housing-related intakes in terms of size and species. “It was previously thought that small dogs were less vulnerable to housing-related restrictions due to common size cut-offs, but this does not appear to be the case in this dataset,” Applebaum said. Pit bull-type dogs accounted for 12% of shelter intakes related to housing restrictions and 27% related to landlord issues. Cats comprised 37% of pets relinquished due to housing issues. Ninety-five percent of animals taken to the shelter due to housing issues left the shelter alive with outcomes including adoption (76%), transfer to another shelter or rescue (12%), return to their owner (3%), foster placement (3%) or return to the wild (1%). Euthanasia was more common for dogs than cats. Animals relinquished because the owner was unhoused were more likely to not have a live outcome. “Although it’s unclear from the data what percentage of owners would have wanted to keep their pet, research suggests that tenants who have to choose between their pet or a place to live face devastating choices and that housing-related relinquishment is one of the most-cited reason for needing to give up a pet,” Applebaum said. “Since we know most pet owners consider their pets family, this may indicate that more people want to reunite with their pets than were able to in this study.”

The study findings reiterate the importance of efforts to remove breed, weight, and size restrictions in rental housing policies, said Applebaum, whose previous research on pet fees in Texas rental housing has been cited in legislative bills in several states to introduce pet-friendly housing policies.

Policymakers should also address the affordability and arbitrary nature of some existing rental pet policies, Applebaum said. Cat owners, for example, may be subject to pet fees that subsidize amenities like housing unit dog parks and pet washing as well as waste stations they are unlikely to use.

“The issues we discuss in this paper are systemic; that is, they are not an isolated or one-off problem,” Applebaum said. “We need better housing policy that is more inclusive, less discriminatory and more accessible.”

END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

KTU researchers’ eye-tracking study provides valuable insights into learning mathematics

KTU researchers’ eye-tracking study provides valuable insights into learning mathematics
2024-08-02
Eye-tracking allows studying aspects that cannot be seen, for example, the thinking processes of a student solving a mathematical problem. Researchers at Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) are the first in Lithuania to integrate eye-tracking into education and are using the technology to radically improve the teaching of mathematics. Eye-tracking creates the possibility for researchers to observe a subject’s attention shifts based on where they fix their gaze or how they move it. This helps researchers understand various emotional, thinking and cognitive processes that happen in response to the environment. “By applying this technology in mathematical education, ...

New approaches and insights on the environment and climate change at the 37th International Geological Congress 2024

New approaches and insights on the environment and climate change at the 37th International Geological Congress 2024
2024-08-02
□ Overview ○ Event: The 37th International Geological Congress 2024 (IGC 2024) ○ Date/Venue:: 25 Aug (Sun) - 31 Aug (Sat) 2024, 7 days / BEXCO, Busan, Republic of Korea ※ Hosted in a 4-year cycle across continents ○ Scale: Over 7,000 participants from 121 countries (more than 3,000 scientipic programs, 250 exhibition booths) ○ Theme: The Great Travelers: Voyages to the Unifying Earth ○ Host: International Union of Geologcial Sciences (IUGS) ○ Organizer: IGC 2024 Organizing Committee (The Geological Society Of Korea, Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources, Busan Metropolitan ...

Genetic signatures of domestication identified in pigs, chickens

Genetic signatures of domestication identified in pigs, chickens
2024-08-02
Wild boars and red junglefowl gave rise to common pigs and chickens. These animals’ genes evolved to express themselves differently, leading to signatures of domestication — such as weaker bones and better viral resistance — in pigs and chickens, according to a research team based in Japan. The findings, published on July 6 in Animals, could provide insight into the genetic changes of the domestication process and highlight target genes for healthier and more productive livestock breeding, the researchers ...

Megamonas bacterium found to influence obesity risk

Megamonas bacterium found to influence obesity risk
2024-08-02
A recent study published in Cell Host & Microbe identifies a potential obesity-linked bacterium, Megamonas, from a large-scale cohort of obese individuals in China. This research suggests potential strategies for future obesity management by illustrating how the bacterium degrades intestinal myo-inositol, enhances lipid absorption, and contributes to obesity. The study is jointly conducted by Ruijin Hospital affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, BGI Research, and BGI Genomics Institute of Intelligent Medical Research (IIMR). "Through a large-scale study of intestinal ...

Scientists find a human “fingerprint” in the upper troposphere’s increasing ozone

2024-08-02
Ozone can be an agent of good or harm, depending on where you find it in the atmosphere. Way up in the stratosphere, the colorless gas shields the Earth from the sun’s harsh ultraviolet rays. But closer to the ground, ozone is a harmful air pollutant that can trigger chronic health problems including chest pain, difficulty breathing, and impaired lung function.  And somewhere in between, in the upper troposphere — the layer of the atmosphere just below the stratosphere, where most aircraft cruise — ozone contributes to warming the planet as a potent greenhouse gas. There are signs that ozone is continuing to rise in the upper troposphere despite efforts to reduce its ...

Researchers develop promising therapy treatment that can kill glioblastoma cells in newly discovered brain pathway

2024-08-02
A new pathway that is used by cancer cells to infiltrate the brain has been discovered by a team of Canadian and American research groups led by the Singh Lab at McMaster University. The research also reveals a new therapy that shows promise in blocking and killing these tumors. The research, published in Nature Medicine on Aug. 2, 2024, offers new hope and potential treatments for glioblastoma, the most aggressive form of brain cancer. With existing treatments like surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy, the tumors often return, and patient survival is limited to only a few months. With this new treatment, ...

York researchers make breakthrough in bid to develop vaccines and drugs for neglected tropical disease

2024-08-02
Scientists have developed a new, safe and effective way to infect volunteers with the parasite that causes leishmaniasis and measure the body’s immune response, bringing a vaccine for the neglected tropical disease a step closer.   The breakthrough, by a team from the University of York and Hull York Medical School, is described in the journal Nature Medicine and lays the foundations for vaccine development and for testing new preventative measures. Controlled human infection studies, where volunteers are exposed to small amounts of ...

Combined effects of plastic pollution and seawater flooding amplify threats to coastal plant species

Combined effects of plastic pollution and seawater flooding amplify threats to coastal plant species
2024-08-02
Two of the planet’s more pressing environmental stressors have the potential to alter the growth and reproductive output of plants found right along the world’s coastlines, a new study suggests. The research, published in the journal Environmental Pollution, is one of the first to examine the combined effects of seawater flooding and microplastic pollution on coastal plants. It showed that both stressors had some effects on the species tested, with microplastics impacting the plants’ reproduction while flooding caused greater tissue death. However, being exposed to both microplastics ...

Sea level changes shaped early life on Earth, fossil study reveals

Sea level changes shaped early life on Earth, fossil study reveals
2024-08-02
A newly developed timeline of early animal fossils reveals a link between sea levels, changes in marine oxygen, and the appearance of the earliest ancestors of present-day animals. The study reveals clues into the forces that drove the evolution of the earliest organisms, from which all major animal groups descended. A team from the University of Edinburgh studied a compilation of rocks and fossils from the so-called Ediacaran-Cambrian interval – a slice of time 580–510 million years ago. This period witnessed an explosion of biodiversity according to fossil records, the causes of which have ...

'Screaming Woman' mummy may have died in agony 3,500 years ago

Screaming Woman mummy may have died in agony 3,500 years ago
2024-08-02
In 1935, the Metropolitan Museum of New York led an archaeological expedition to Egypt. In Deir Elbahari near Luxor, the site of ancient Thebes, they excavated the tomb of Senmut, the architect and overseer of royal works – and reputedly, lover – of the famed queen Hatschepsut (1479-1458 BCE). Beneath Senmut's tomb, they found a separate burial chamber for his mother Hat-Nufer and other, unidentified relatives. Here, they made an uncanny discovery: a wooden coffin holding the mummy of an elderly woman, wearing a black wig and two scarab rings in silver and gold. But what struck the archaeologists was the ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Mathematical model illuminates how environment impacts life choices of salmon

Houston Methodist researchers shed light on increased rates of severe human infections caused by Streptococcus subspecies

Auburn University hosts 62nd Hands-On Workshop on Computational Biophysics, featuring the new VMD 2.0

The Salton Sea — an area rich with lithium — is a hot spot for child respiratory issues

University of Maryland-YouGov poll: Alsobrooks dominates Hogan, amendment to state constitution garners broad support

Exposure to particular sources of air pollution is harmful to children’s learning and memory, a USC study shows

Change of ownership in home health agencies may lead to increased Medicare spending and reduced staffing levels, according to UTHealth Houston research

More resources needed to protect birds in Germany

Mission to International Space Station launches research on brain organoids, heart muscle atrophy, and cold welding

nTIDE November 2024 Jobs Report: Disability employment remains near historic highs over past 18 months

Researchers aim to streamline cancer detection with new method for liquid biopsies

New Huntington’s treatment prevents protein aggregation

Bee gene specifies collective behavior

Jennifer Bickel, M.D., named MD Anderson Vice President and Chief Wellness Officer

Evolutionary paths vastly differ for birds, bats

Political pros no better than public in predicting which messages persuade

Investment in pediatric emergency care could save more than 2,100 young lives annually

The dynamic core of black holes

Improving energy production by boosting singlet fission process

Smoking cessation and incident cardiovascular disease

Cannabis use during early pregnancy following recreational cannabis legalization

Research shows Cleveland Clinic’s therapeutic virtual yoga program can be effective for chronic low back pain

Closing in on Parkinson’s Disease proteins in extracellular vesicles in the blood

Regional and global experts convene in Accra, Ghana to update cancer treatment guidelines for Sub-Saharan Africa

China University of Geosciences (Beijing) unveils clues to an enigmatic geological process

Fueling greener aviation with hydrogen

Education, occupation, and wealth affect the risk of cognitive impairment

Revealing causal links in complex systems

Alzheimer disease as a clinical-biological construct— an international working group recommendation

Press registration now open for the EULAR 2025 Congress in Barcelona

[Press-News.org] More pets relinquished to shelters due to housing insecurity