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Italian breed-specific legislation on potentially dangerous dogs (2003): Assessment of its effects in the city of Florence (Italy)
Abstract and Figures
Canine aggression is a very discussed topic, especially when a person is injured. The problem of dog bites towards human beings must be tackled and scientifically analysed, in order to address the policy makers to effective measures. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of Italian breed-specific legislation on potentially dangerous dogs (Sirchia’s Ordinance issued on the 9th September 2003 called “Protection of the public safety against the risk of aggressions by potentially dangerous dogs”) on the trend of dog bites towards people in the city of Florence (Italy). Data for the current study were collected by the Veterinary and Urban Health, Local Sanitary Enterprise 10 in the city of Florence (Italy). Reports drew from the certifications of medical reports coming from different Hospital Emergency Departments in Florence, from the denunciation done at the canine registry office, and from the observational reports carried out at the observatory for the prophylaxis of the rabies. Reports referred to dog bites occurred in the city of Florence from September 2002 to August 2005. In total, 556 cases were gathered. The characteristics of injuries, dogs, owners and victims involved in dog bites in the year preceding the Sirchia’s Ordinance were compared to the same characteristics in the two years after the issue of such Ordinance (short and long-term effects) using the χ2 test (p<0.05).The findings suggest that the above-mentioned ordinance has not caused any significant change on the trend of dog bites in the taken sample, nor in the short-term neither in the long-term. In fact, even if a numerical decrease has been observed in the period following the ordinance, a trend of reduction was already in progress since 1986. In addition, the characteristics of owners, injured people and dogs involved in the aggressive episodes remained unvaried, apart from a decrease in minor injuries. Finally, after the Ordinance the number of dog owners whose personal details were unknown increased. These findings suggest that restrictive legislative measures regarding potentially dangerous dogs are not effective for the control of canine aggression towards people.
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... 83 An Italian study of moderate quality showed an 18% reduction in the number of dog bites from various sources after BSL was introduced, which was stable in the long term (210 pre-BSL, 172 in short term, 174 in long term). 49 Of note, BSL was removed in Italy in 2009, 5 years after the completion of this study. A moderate quality study in Denmark showed a 15% non-significant reduction in the average 6 monthly number of dog bites presenting to EDs over 13 years from 103 pre-BSL (95% CI 98 to 108) to 87 post-BSL (95% CI 82 to 93). ...
... The main limitation of the studies on BSL legislation was that they did not compare dog bite rates in legislated breeds compared with a control group of non-legislated dogs, they often already had a decreasing trend prior to intervention implementation, [49][50][51] and lacked robust statistical analysis. ...
Background
The prevention of dog bites is an increasingly important public health topic, as the incidence of serious injury continues to rise.
Objectives
To evaluate the effectiveness of interventions to prevent dog bites and aggression.
Methods
Online databases were searched (PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, and Google Scholar), using the search terms: dog/s, canine, canis, kuri, bite/s, bitten, aggression, attack, death, fatal, mortality, injury/ies, prevention, intervention, for studies between 1960–2021. All study designs were considered. Outcomes of interest were the incidence of dog bites or dog aggression. Non-English studies, and those without full-text access were excluded.
Results
Forty three studies met the review criteria, including 15 observational and 27 interventional studies. Fifteen studies investigating dog-control legislation, including leash laws, stray dog control and infringements indicated this can reduce dog bite rates. Breed-specific legislation had less of an effect. Six studies investigating sterilisation, showed while this may reduce dog bites through a reduction in the dog population, the effect on dog aggression was unclear. An alcohol reduction programme showed a significant reduction in dog bite rates in one study. Seven studies assessing educational approaches found that intensive adult-directed education may be effective, with one study showing child-directed education was not effective. Eight studies on dog training (two police-dog related), and six evaluating dog medication or diet were generally low quality and inconclusive.
Conclusions
Multiple strategies including effective engagement with indigenous communities and organisations will be required to reduce dog-bites and other incidents involving dog aggression. This review provides some evidence that legislated dog control strategies reduce dog bite rates. Available evidence suggests greater restrictions should be made for all dogs, rather than based on breed alone. Due to a burden of child injury, protection of children should be a focus of legislation and further investigations. Prevention strategies in children require redirection away from a focus on child-directed education and future research should investigate the effectiveness of engineering barriers and reporting strategies.
... 83 An Italian study of moderate quality showed an 18% reduction in the number of dog bites from various sources after BSL was introduced, which was stable in the long term (210 pre-BSL, 172 in short term, 174 in long term). 49 Of note, BSL was removed in Italy in 2009, 5 years after the completion of this study. A moderate quality study in Denmark showed a 15% non-significant reduction in the average 6 monthly number of dog bites presenting to EDs over 13 years from 103 pre-BSL (95% CI 98 to 108) to 87 post-BSL (95% CI 82 to 93). ...
... The main limitation of the studies on BSL legislation was that they did not compare dog bite rates in legislated breeds compared with a control group of non-legislated dogs, they often already had a decreasing trend prior to intervention implementation, [49][50][51] and lacked robust statistical analysis. ...
Background
The prevention of dog bites is an increasingly important public health topic, as the incidence of serious injury continues to rise.
Objectives
To evaluate the effectiveness of interventions to prevent dog bites and aggression.
Methods
Online databases were searched (PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase and Google Scholar), using the search terms: dog/s, canine, canis, kuri, bite/s, bitten, aggression, attack, death, fatal, mortality, injury/ies, prevention, intervention , for studies between 1960 and 2021. All study designs were considered. Outcomes of interest were the incidence of dog bites or dog aggression. Non-English studies, and those without full-text access were excluded.
Results
Forty-three studies met the review criteria, including 15 observational and 27 interventional studies. Fifteen studies investigating dog-control legislation, including leash laws, stray dog control and infringements indicated this can reduce dog bite rates. Breed-specific legislation had less of an effect. Six studies investigating sterilisation, showed while this may reduce dog bites through a reduction in the dog population, the effect on dog aggression was unclear. An alcohol reduction programme showed a significant reduction in dog bite rates in one study. Seven studies assessing educational approaches found that intensive adult-directed education may be effective, with one study showing child-directed education was not effective. Eight studies on dog training (two police-dog related), and six evaluating dog medication or diet were generally low quality and inconclusive.
Conclusions
Multiple strategies including effective engagement with indigenous communities and organisations will be required to reduce dog-bites and other incidents involving dog aggression. This review provides some evidence that legislated dog control strategies reduce dog bite rates. Available evidence suggests greater restrictions should be made for all dogs, rather than based on breed alone. Due to a burden of child injury, protection of children should be a focus of legislation and further investigations. Prevention strategies in children require redirection away from a focus on child-directed education and future research should investigate the effectiveness of engineering barriers and reporting strategies.
... 14 It found no reduction in the number of bites after the DDA was passed, and that Alsatians and Mongrels were the most commonly implicated breeds -not those banned by the DDA. Similar studies in Italy in 2003 15 and Ireland from 1998 and 2013, 16 which also have forms of BSL, found similar results. ...
... Most previous analysis of the DDA has focused on BSL, and in particular its effectiveness in improving public safety. 15,16 Research has also been conducted on how the DDA works before and during the charging of a dog and owner. 13,18 However, little attention has been paid to the whole DDA (outside of BSL), the legal process surrounding its use, and whether courts are delivering the best outcome possible in terms of public safety and animal welfare. ...
Background:
The Dangerous Dogs Act (DDA) is considered among the most controversial pieces of legislation ever passed in the UK. Its effectiveness and how it works in practice, up until a dog and its owner are charged, has been subjected to considerable analysis. However, there has been little examination of how the DDA works after charging, nor of how courts are interpreting it.
Method:
We accessed legal cases from 1992 to 2019, the period in which the DDA has been in force. Each case was examined from a legal and ethical perspective, using doctrinal legal methodology and the principlism approach to ethics described by Beauchamp and Childress.
Results:
Analysis showed that while improvements to the function of the act have been made, substantial legal and ethical failings remain, particularly with Section 1 and the therein breed specific legislation (BSL).
Conclusion:
Legal failings could be partially resolved by removing the reversed burden of proof placed on dog owners and allowing a change of ownership for banned breeds. However, ethical failings could only be resolved through the abolition of BSL. Further study into whether judicial bias exists against certain breeds found to be dangerously out of control is warranted.
... A further study on dog bites in Ireland found that the breeds most commonly involved in attacks were breeds in the highest numbers within the population [7]. This is supported by further research on dog biting populations which relate to popularity in a geographical location [8]. Recent research has found that dog bite hospitalisations have continued to rise over a 15-year period following the introduction of the current breed-specific legislation in Ireland [1]. ...
... Research from various other nations have suggested a lack of any efficacy and validity of targeting dog breeds as a dog bite mitigation strategy [8][9][10][11][12][13][14]. Conversely, research has observed some reductions in dog bites in a municipality following the enactment of breed-specific legislation [15]. ...
Background
The primary objective of this study was to investigate if differences in dog bite characteristics exist amongst legislated and non-legislated dog breeds listed under breed-specific legislation in Ireland (age when bitten, anatomical bite locations, triggers for biting, victim’s relationship with the dog, geographical location and owner presence, history of aggression, reporting bite incident to authorities, medical treatment required following the bite, and type of bite inflicted). A second objective of the current study was to investigate dog control officer’s enforcement and perceptions of current legislation. Data for statistical analyses were collated through a nationally advertised survey, with Pearson Chi-square and Fisher’s Exact Test statistical methods employed for analyses. A total of 140 incident surveys were assessed comprising of non-legislated (n = 100) and legislated (n = 40) dog bite incidents.
Results
Legislated breeds were significantly more likely to be perceived as aggressive and less fearful as triggers for biting compared to non-legislated breeds (P = 0.003). Non-legislated breeds were more likely to inflict a bite with the owner present on own property and on a business premises compared to legislated breeds (P = 0.036). Non-legislated breeds were more likely to not be reported to the authorities before (P = 0.009), and after (P = 0.032) the bite occurred compared to legislated breeds. There were no significant differences observed between both groups for; age when the victim was bitten, bite location, relationship with the dog, history of aggression, outcome for the dog, if the dog bit again, and seeing a professional trainer or behaviourist. No significant difference was observed between both legislated and non-legislated groups for medical treatment required following the bite, and the type of bite inflicted.
Conclusion
The present study results did not observe evidence of any differences between legislated and non-legislated for both the medical treatment to victims required following the bite, and the type of bite inflicted. The significant differences in bites being reported to authorities, perceived triggers for biting, and biting locations suggests distinctly differing perceptions relating to risk between legislated and non-legislated dog breeds. Further consequences relating to the introduction of breed-specific legislation in Ireland are discussed.
... In response to this public health risk, many countries and U.S. cities have introduced breedspecific legislation (e.g., the banning or restriction of specific breeds) [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]. The pit bull (actually consisting, in the U.S., of three separate breeds-American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and American Pit Bull Terrier) is a commonly banned breed. ...
Dog aggression directed towards humans is a common and serious behavioral and public health issue. This cross-sectional study was designed to gain insights into U.S. small animal veterinarians' views and experiences with the most common dog breeds in the U.S., dog aggression, and breed-specific legislation. An electronic survey was distributed via email to an online veterinary community, and responses were summarized and compared by means of χ 2 and Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel tests. Most respondents were concerned about the risks of dog bite injuries, but the majority were not in favor of banning specific breeds of dogs in order to enhance public safety. When participants rated the perceived bite risk associated with popular dog breeds, Chow Chows were perceived as the highest risk, with pit bull types categorized as a moderate risk. Golden Retrievers were seen as the most appropriate for families with children. Public education about animal behavior was the most frequently endorsed policy intervention to increase public safety. These findings suggest that most veterinarians feel that banning an entire dog breed is not an effective way to ensure human safety. Instead, most respondents endorsed alternative initiatives, such as public education and stricter leash laws, to reduce the risk of dog bites.
... In an attempt to combat this problem, judicial regulations have been suggested and implemented in a number of countries [6][7][8][9]. Specifically, two different approaches have been used; breed specific legislation and non-breed specific legislation. Whilst breed-specific legislation is focused on the banning of ownership and breeding of particular breeds that have been identified as dangerous, non-breed-specific legislation is focused on promoting responsible dog ownership. ...
As dog bite injuries are a considerable problem in modern society, in order to reduce such injuries, breed-specific legislation has been introduced in a number of countries. Whilst many studies have shown a lack of effect with such legislation, the commonly used methodology is known to be flawed. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the effect of the Danish breed-specific legislation on the number of dog bite injuries using more credible methods. A time series intervention method was used on a detailed dataset from Odense University Hospital, Denmark, regarding dog bite injuries presented to the emergency department. The results indicate that banning certain breeds has a highly limited effect on the overall levels of dog bite injuries, and that an enforcement of the usage of muzzle and leash in public places for these breeds also has a limited effect. Despite using more credible and sound methods, this study supports previous studies showing that breed-specific legislation seems to have no effect on dog bite injuries. In order to minimise dog bite injuries in the future, it would seem that other interventions or non-breed-specific legislation should be considered as the primary option.
... Consequently, breed-specific legislation was enacted across the United States to address this risk with local ordinances ranging from prohibiting ownership [19], to confinement restrictions and muzzling [20], to mandatory sterilization [21]. Thus far, limited empirical data has been published on the effect of these legislations on improved public safety; however breed bans in Spain [22], the Netherlands [23], Canada [24], and Italy [25] have failed to decrease bite incidents and a recent study from Ireland found no differences between restricted and non-restricted breeds in the severity of bites inflicted or the likelihood that the bite would need greater medical attention [26]. ...
Previous research in animal shelters has determined the breeds of dogs living in shelters by their visual appearance; however the genetic breed testing of such dogs is seldom conducted, and few studies have compared the breed labels assigned by shelter staff to the results of this testing. In the largest sampling of shelter dogs’ breed identities to-date, 459 dogs at Arizona Animal Welfare League & SPCA (AAWL) in Phoenix, Arizona, and 460 dogs at San Diego Humane Society & SPCA (SDHS) in San Diego, California, were genetically tested using a commercially available product to determine their breed heritage. In our sample, genetic analyses identified 125 distinct breeds with 91 breeds present at both shelters, and 4.9% of the dogs identified as purebreds. The three most common breed signatures, in order of prevalence, American Staffordshire Terrier, Chihuahua, and Poodle, accounted for 42.5% or all breed identifications at the great grandparent level. During their stay at the shelter, dogs with pit bull-type ancestries waited longer to be adopted than other dogs. When we compared shelter breed assignment as determined by visual appearance to that of genetic testing, staff at SDHS was able to successfully match at least one breed in the genetic heritage of 67.7% of dogs tested; however their agreement fell to 10.4% when asked to identify more than one breed. Lastly, we found that as the number of pit bull-type relatives in a dog’s heritage increased, so did the shelter’s ability to match the results of DNA analysis. In total when we consider the complexity of shelter dog breed heritage and the failure to identify multiple breeds based on visual identification coupled with our inability to predict how these breeds then interact within an individual dog, we believe that focusing resources on communicating the physical and behavioral characteristics of shelter dogs would best support adoption efforts.
... This type of legislation attempts to control certain breeds of dogs in various ways, including breeding controls, and is based on disputed evidence that some breeds are more at risk of biting or of causing serious injury if they do bite than other breeds. These legislative approaches are thought to be inappropriate and ineffective for a number of reasons [5][6][7] and in most studies have failed to reduce the risk of dog bite, [8][9][10][11] with some exceptions. 12 13 To date, there are no definitive tests of dog breed, and people are inaccurate when assigning dog breed based on appearance, 14 making the implementation and enforcement of breed-specific legislation problematic. ...
Compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, and other characteristics such as mindfulness and mental health stigma have not been investigated in veterinary students. The aims of this study were twofold: first to determine the prevalence of compassion, satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress among Australian veterinary students and second to investigate the association between these factors and self-stigma, coping, empathy, and mindfulness. A cross-sectional online survey consisting of demographic questions and four validated psychological measures sampled 828 students, with a response rate of 31% (255/828). We obtained a usable sample of completed surveys from 193 of 828 (23%) veterinary students from six of the seven Australian veterinary schools. Bivariate correlations and multiple regression analyses were used to examine associations between the psychological predictors and the outcome variables. Approximately 30% of veterinary students were at high risk of burnout, 24% were at high risk of secondary traumatic stress, and 21% reported low compassion satisfaction. High empathic concern, low personal distress, female gender, and employment history at a veterinary clinic were associated with high compassion satisfaction. High dysfunctional coping, low nonjudgmental and acting-with-awareness mindfulness, and lack of previous employment at a veterinary clinic were associated with high burnout. High dysfunctional coping, low acting-with-awareness mindfulness, high self-stigma, and high personal distress were associated with high secondary traumatic stress. As a result of these findings, certain emotional characteristics can be identified as targets for intervention to minimize the frequency and potentially negative impact of compassion fatigue and burnout in veterinary students.
Dog aggression directed towards people is a leading reason for relinquishment and a major public health hazard. In response to the threat of dog aggression and dog bites, breed-specific legislation has been introduced in numerous cities within the United States and countries throughout the world. There is limited evidence, however, to suggest that such laws are effective. This study explored, through an online, anonymous, cross-sectional survey, US residents’ views about the bite risk of common dog breeds, breed-specific legislation, and alternative options for improved public safety. A total of 586 surveys were completed by adult US residents, 48.8% female and 48.6% male. Approximately half of the respondents reported feeling that dog bites are a serious public health issue. Although 70% of respondents were opposed to a breed ban, only 56% felt that banning specific breeds creates an animal welfare issue. Females were less likely to support a ban or agree that specific breed bans improve public safety. When participants were asked to indicate their support of several alternatives to breed-specific legislation, the most frequently endorsed options included public education about animal welfare and animal behavior, and stricter leash laws. Further research pertaining to the most effective public education dissemination methods is warranted.
The aim of this study was to examine the efficacy of the current breed specific legislation in Ireland by investigating all dog bite hospital admissions throughout Ireland since that legislation was introduced. Data for statistical analyses were acquired through the National Hospital In-Patient Enquiry Scheme. In years 1998-2013, a total of 3164 human hospitalisations (admissions for dog bite) occurred in Ireland. Incidence of hospitalisations increased over this period (P <0.001). Male humans were at greater risk than females of dog bite hospitalisation (P = 0.015). Children under 10 years were identified as an at-risk group. The present legislation is not effective as a dog bite mitigation strategy in Ireland and may be contributing to a rise in hospitalisations.
Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The possible relationship between companion animal behavior and owner attachment levels has received surprisingly little attention in the literature on human-companion animal interactions, despite its relevance to our understanding of the potential benefits of pet ownership, and the problems associated with pet loss, or the premature abandonment and disposal of companion animals. The present study describes a preliminary investigation of this topic involving a questionnaire survey of 37 dog owners and 47 cat owners exactly 1 year after they acquired pets from animal shelters. The results demonstrate a number of highly significant differences in owners' assessments of the behavior of dogs and cats, particularly with respect to playfulness (Mann-Whitney U Test, P = 0.125), confidence (P < 0.001), affection (P = 0.002), excitability (P = 0.018), activity (P = 0.002), friendliness to strangers (P < 0.001), intelligence (P = 0.02), and owner-directed aggression (P = 0.002). However, few differences were noted between dog and cat owners in terms of their perceptions of what constitutes ‘ideal’ pet behavior. The findings also suggest that dog owners who report weaker attachments for their pets are consistently less satisfied with most aspects of their dogs' behavior compared with those who report stronger attachments. Weakly attached cat owners are significantly more dissatisfied with the levels of affection shown by their pets (P = 0.0186), but in other respects they are far less consistent than dog owners.
This paper examines the variations in dog owners' attitudes toward, treatment of, and interactions with, animals. Based on 28 in-depth interviews with dog owners from a county in the Midwestern United States, I demonstrate that pets are an important part of many people's lives, often
providing companionship, entertainment, and meaningful interactions; however, there are notable, distinct variations in how people relate to them. Pet owners typically exhibit one of three orientations toward pets: “dominionistic,” “humanistic,” or “protectionistic.”
The dominionistic have relatively low regard for their pets, valuing them primarily for the uses they provide, such as protection. Those employing the humanistic orientation elevate their pets to the status of surrogate humans and value their pets primarily for the affective benefits they
enjoy from their close attachments. The protectionistic have high regard for both pets and animals more generally. They view pets as valuable companions and as creatures with their own interests. This typology offers insights for understanding the source and variety of the often ambiguous
and contradictory relations between people and pets. I argue that individual characteristics and experiences impact how people understand and relate to animals, in large part, because they represent exposure to different cultural messages. I suggest that these orientations represent three
sets of distinct cultural logics, each with distinct histories and contemporary sources.
A modified version of the Ainsworth Strange Situation Test was used to analyse 40 dog–owner
pairs in order to assess whether owners can represent a secure base for their dogs. The Wilcoxon
test revealed significant differences between owner and stranger for protest at separation (whining),
contact maintenance effect (proximity, attention seeking and physical contact) and secure base
effect (exploration, individual play and social play). The results suggest that dogs behave similarly
to children towards the mothers and to chimpanzees towards human caretakers in the Ainsworth
Strange Situation Test: owners are the preferred recipient of affiliative behaviours and, in their
absence, dogs show behaviours indicative of distress. After reunion with the owner, dogs show
an increase in social behaviours towards him/her. Dogs did not show fear of the stranger, and it
was regarded as a normal behaviour for adult well-socialized dogs. Until now whether owners
represented a secure base for their dogs was debated, due to controversial results. This study found
that dogs play and explore more when owners were present, suggesting that owners can represent
a secure base for their dogs. Therefore, according to Bowlby’s definition, dogs are linked to their
owners by an attachment bond.
Various measures, including ticketing, licensing, and breed-specific legislation, are used by municipalities to control dog bites, but their effectiveness is largely unknown. Thirty-six urban Canadian municipalities provided information about their animal control practices, resourcing, and (for 22 municipalities) rate of reported dog bites. Municipalities differed widely in rates of licensing (4% to 75%) and ticketing (0.1 to 83 per 10 000 people), even where staffing and budgets were similar. Reported frequency of dog bites ranged from 0 to 9.0 (median 1.9) per 10 000 people. Rates were generally higher in municipalities with higher ticketing, licensing, staffing, and budget levels. However, in municipalities with very active ticketing the reported bite rate was much lower than predicted by a linear regression on ticketing rate (quadratic regression, R (2) = 0.52), likely reflecting a reduction in actual bites with very active enforcement. Municipalities with and without breed-specific legislation did not differ in reported bite rate. Ticketing appeared most effective in reducing dog bites, although it may also lead to increased reporting.
The aim of the current research was to assess the effects of a project of educational anthrozoology on primary-school children.The study focused on 201 school children, aged 9-11 years, who had no impairment. The project consisted of four 40-minute meetings conducted by the authors in the classroom. Lessons discussed dogs, cats, and rabbits; the teaching modules focused on behavior, communication, and ethological needs of these species.Data were collected using 2 questionnaires, one preceding and the other following the project, formed by 31 items (20 identical and 11 different). Questionnaires were divided into areas comprising personal details of the children, their knowledge on animals, their perception of nonhuman animals, their responsibility toward pet species, their actual relationship with nonhuman animals.Data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon test (P < 0.05) and a 2-factor, repeated-measurement of analysis of variance (P < 0.05). Comparisons before and after the lessons included the whole questionnaire and the identical questions, only.Analyses showed that attending the lessons led to the following positive results: a reduction of children’s fear of pets, an increase in knowledge and education of the animal world, an improvement of the children’s perception of animals, a possible improvement of the relationship with pets, a higher sense of responsibility toward animals, especially owned ones. Children who did not have a pet showed a proportionally higher improvement. Therefore, the prospect of integrating such teaching in to school syllabi is desirable.
The characteristics of 227 biting dogs, their homes, and their victims were gathered in a detailed telephone survey of general veterinary clientele in the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. All of the dogs had bitten either someone living in the same household, or someone who was a frequent visitor and was well known to the dog. There were 117 male and 110 female dogs included in this case series. Significantly more female dogs were neutered (P=0.03), 58% of the dogs were purebred, and the most commonly reported breed was the Labrador Retriever (n=15). The mean number of people living in each home was 3.13 (S.D.±0.08). Aggression which would traditionally be defined as dominant or possessive had been demonstrated by 75.6% of the dogs in at least one of 17 specific situations outlined in the questionnaire. Dogs with a history of this type of aggression were significantly older (P=0.02) and of lower body weight (P
This paper reports on the development and psychometric evaluation of a scale for assessing emotional attachment of individuals to their pets. Previous attachment scales have suffered variously from low internal consistency and reliance on small or nonrepresentative samples for their development. Telephone interviews of a random, representative sample of 412 pet owners in Fayette County, Kentucky, were completed in September 1990; a 69.5 percent response rate was achieved. From a preliminary set of 42 questions, a final 23-question instrument, the Lexington Attachment to Pets Scale (LAPS), was developed, having excellent psychometric properties. The scale is suitable for use with dog and cat owners. Data on internal consistency, factor structure, and item response theory (IRT) modeling are presented, along with correlations between the LAPS and several domains of variables known to relate to pet attachment.