![]() Previous research found that areas of high social vulnerability predicted both dog “hot spots” -areas from which high amounts of dogs were relinquished-and indicated higher intake of dogs with health issues and social neglect ( 1). The significance of owner-related reasons for surrender indicates that animal relinquishment may be a One Welfare issue as well, as owner factors (such as poor health, housing issues, and low socioeconomic status) may create greater risk of relinquishing their animal. ( 12) reported 87.2% of cat surrenders in an Australian shelter being due to owner-related reasons. Studies report owner-related issues (including housing issues, owner health issues, cost) as a major reason for surrender. Previous studies have found pet ownership to be associated with social factors such as housing type, house ownership, income, education, family composition, and urban vs. Pet ownership is not equal across human groups. Pet ownership falls under the One Welfare framework, as previous studies report various physical and mental health benefits to owning a companion animal ( 5– 7). In response, the One Welfare framework was created as a unifying concept to include both physical and psychosocial impacts of human animal relationships, and how improvement of one can ultimately benefit the other ( 4). Recently, the One Health framework-which reflects the interconnected nature of the health of humans, animals, and the environment-has become more popular, although it typically focuses on threats to the health of the three aforementioned facets, such as zoonotic diseases or antimicrobial resistance ( 3). The close relationship of humans and companion animals means that the two populations often share similar physical and social conditions ( 1) however, human and animal services, such as shelters for humans and animals experiencing homelessness, often remain segregated ( 2). ![]() The results of this research validate the use of geospatial analysis to understand relationships between human vulnerability and animal welfare, but also highlight the need for further interventions in marginalized populations to increase retention of animals. For example, whereas Ethnocultural Composition predicted increased risk of owner surrender for multiple owner-related reasons in Metro Vancouver, these same reasons for surrender were predicted by Residential Instability in Kamloops, indicating demographic differences that affect animal shelter service use. There were also differences in predictors of animal surrender variables, suggesting that provision of animal services, such as veterinary care, for vulnerable groups may be specific to location. We found that there were some similarities across areas, such as Situational Vulnerability predicting increased odds of surrendering pit bull-labeled dogs vs. For further understanding of differences between areas in the province, the present study also analyzed the relationship between CIMD factors and animal surrender variables in two areas of interest: Metro Vancouver ( n = 3,445) and Kamloops ( n = 2,665), and plotted these relationships on a geospatial scale. ![]() We found that CIMD factors predicted increased risk of surrender across many shelter variables. The present study used the Canadian Index of Multiple Deprivation (CIMD), which uses four factors of social vulnerability (Ethnocultural Composition, Economic Dependency, Residential Instability, and Situational Vulnerability) to predict risk of surrender for various reasons, of various species and breeds, and of various health statuses across British Columbia, Canada ( n = 29,236). It is likely that the burden of surrendering for owner-related reasons falls on those who are socially vulnerable (e.g., low income, unemployed) however, very few studies have assessed social determinants as a predictor of animal relinquishment. Previous studies identify owner-related issues, such as cost and housing, as common reasons for relinquishment of companion animals to animal shelters. 2The British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Vancouver, BC, Canada.1Animal Welfare Program, Faculty of Land and Food Systems, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.Ly 1 *, Emilia Gordon 2 and Alexandra Protopopova 1
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