Animals living in human-dominated environments often face constrains on expression of natural behavioural repertoire and compromised welfare. Domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) housed in shelters provide a valuable model for examining both welfare outcomes and methodological approaches to behavioural assessment in an artificial, and human organised, setting. Here we evaluate behavioural sampling methods within an ecologically valid experimental framework. Specifically, we compared continuous recording (CR) and instantaneous sampling (IS; 15s, 30s, and 6s intervals) following enrichment manipulation, reflecting a real-world research context for behavioural data collection. From a methodological perspective, results showed that IS systematically underestimated behavioural expression compared to CR, with increasing underestimation from IS-15 to IS-60. Regarding enrichment, using CR as the most reliable approach, we investigated the short-term behavioural effects of social interaction with conspecifics and food-based olfactory stimulation. We found that, while overall behavioural repertoires did not differ markedly between enrichment conditions, inactive lying increased following social interaction compared to olfactory enrichment. Stress-related behaviours were rare, indicating that neither enrichment type was aversive and that both social and olfactory enrichment can be safely implemented in shelters. Our findings highlight the importance of aligning sampling methods with specific research aims and behavioural outcomes and inform the implementation of different enrichment programs in shelter dogs. This integrated approach aligns with the principle of reduction by maximising information from a single dataset, allowing methodological and experimental conclusions under realistic conditions.

Reported prevalence of dog behavioural problems (BPs) varies. Reports may not depend solely on the question/answer content, but on how the questions/answers are structured. We investigated whether questionnaire design (presence/absence of descriptor lists and response scales) influenced caretaker answers on possible BPs using a convenience sample of 569 online respondents. The respondents’ perception of BPs in their dogs was asked in three ways (1) “no/yes, specify” with an open answer (asked twice); 2) no/yes and 3) on a frequency scale (never to always) for each problem on a list. The order these questions were asked varied. Consistency across repeated measures and the influence of question design, owner and dog characteristics on owner-reported canine behaviours were analysed using descriptive statistics, logistic regression and generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs). The structure of the questionnaire had a strong effect on reported BP prevalence, as only 32.7% of caretakers spontaneously reported at least one BP in the open-ended format, whereas 99.0% mentioned at least one BP when presented with a closed-descriptor list.The order of the questions also affected reporting: respondents completing the open question first, reported increased BPs (p<0.001) and less correspondence between the answers to the open questions on BPs in the two mirror sections (p=0.031), suggesting that when given a list first, respondents tend to limit their answers to items present in the list. The agreement across repeated measures depended on the scale design: contextual intensity scales based on the C-BARQ showed higher test-retest reliability than standard frequency scales, with median kappa values of 0.932 and 0.687, respectively. Dog gender/reproductive status and age significantly influenced the probability of reporting BPs, although their impact varied across categories. Overall, these results highlight that caretaker-reported prevalence of dogs’ BPs is sensitive to the survey design. Closed descriptor lists may increase reported prevalence, while question order and response-scale structure might shape what caretakers report and how consistently they report it.The structure of the questionnaires should, therefore, be treated as a methodological variable in companion animal behaviour research.

Evidence-based standards on environmental enrichment for lynxes under human care remains limited, despite their importance for the welfare of these wild cats and its recommendation by zoological associations. This study aimed to: (1) evaluate the scientific evidence available to guide practical decisions on lynx enrichment in controlled environment within an Evidence-Based Practice framework; and (2) examine enclosure enrichment structures use and social behaviour in a group of Eurasian lynxes. A total of seven relevant publications (3 on Lynx rufus) were identified, five of which through a scoping review. All studies reporting quantifiable outcomes indicated positive effects from at least some forms of environmental enrichment. We observed three Eurasian lynxes (Lynx lynx) housed at the Wildheart Animal Sanctuary, using the facility’s live-streaming webcams. Enclosure furnishing use by the lynxes was assessed from two-hundred opportunistically recorded instantaneous scans, while social behaviours were assessed from 200 minutes continuous recording. Lynxes used structural enrichment in more than half of the scan samples, and engaged in intra-specific affiliative behaviour. The use of the wooden turret was lower from sunrise to 12:59 pm than during other time periods (p< 0.001). Further species-specific research is needed to evaluate the effects of environmental enrichment on lynx behaviour and welfare.

Managing relinquished/stray dogs is a significant socio-economic and ethical challenge necessitating structured policies to ensure animal welfare and integration into society. Critical to successful rehoming is careful assessment of a dog’s temperament/behavior and appropriate matching of a dog to an owner. Shelter dogs’ involvement in canine-assisted interventions (CAIs) provides a potential avenue for rehoming through appropriate dog educational programs. CAIs consist of structured interactions between dog and clients targeted at specific groups with physical/psychological/emotional impairments in various settings. However, there is a lack of standardized protocols for assessing shelter dogs’ suitability for CAI, raising ethical concerns regarding selection/training practices. This study explores the ethical dimensions of rehoming shelter dogs for CAI, employing a philosophical framework considering the responsibilities of humans/veterinarians toward companion animals and how societal perceptions of human–animal relationships impact decision-making in this context. An ethical matrix is applied to evaluate the implications of rehoming decisions on canine and human interests. Our findings highlight the need for a balanced, responsible approach that respects the individuality of dogs while promoting their potential roles in human society. Ethical guidelines for the selection and training of shelter dogs for CAI could enhance their welfare, improve adoption rates, and reinforce the value of the human–animal bond.

Therapy dogs involved in animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) can be a valuable support for individuals with physical or psychological difficulties. The effectiveness of the intervention is influenced by the functioning of the dog-handler dyad. In Italy, handlers who have completed the requisite training are registered on the 'Digital Pet' platform. This study aimed to construct a general profile of the Italian population of therapy dogs and handlers and to investigate the mechanisms underlying the dog-handler relationship. We administered a survey to the handlers registered on Digital Pet. The survey included information on the dyad, an Italian translation of the C/ DORS to assess the relationship between the dog and the owner (in this case, the handler), and of the C-BARQ to assess the dog's personality. The data from both questionnaires were subjected to Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA). Subsequently, factor scores were calculated for each dog-handler dyad and then tested across a series of background variables, including the dog's age, sex, weight, origin, and breed. In conclusion, the correlations between the C-BARQ and C/DORS factors were calculated. A total of 240 respondents were obtained from the 809 handlers who were contacted. EFA identified 14 factors for the C-BARQ and six factors for the C/DORS, which differs from other studies. As expected, the examined cohort of therapy dogs exhibited minimal scores and limited variability for the C-BARQ factors pertaining to behavioral issues, including 'Owner-directed aggression', 'Stranger-directed aggression', and 'Territoriality'. Conversely, the highest median value was observed for the 'Attachment/attention seeking' factor. With regard to the C/DORS, the factor designated 'Perceived costs' exhibited the lowest median scores, while the highest median value was observed for the factor designated 'Perceived emotional closeness - emotional support'. Weak correlations were identified between the factors of the two questionnaires. Moreover, the age and weight of the dog was found to affect some factor scores of both questionnaires. Additionally, specific factors of the C-BARQ were found to be affected by the breed, origin and sex/neuter status of the dog. These preliminary results are part of a multimodal analysis of the dog personality and dog-handler relationship. Further investigation will be conducted through behavioral and hormonal observations, with the aim of elucidating the factors that contribute to the efficacy of AAI teams.

The One Welfare framework emphasizes the interconnection between animal, human, and environmental well-being, extending One Health principles to address broader welfare dimensions. Despite its relevance, One Welfare remains underexplored. This study investigates global research trends and thematic priorities in One Welfare literature published from 2013 to 2024. A bibliometric review was conducted using PubMed, Elsevier, Springer, Web of Science, Scopus, and CABI databases. A literature search was conducted using keywords translated into five of the world's most widely spoken languages: Hindi, Chinese, Spanish, English, and French. A total of 111 publications were identified and categorized into four main domains-Policy, Governance, Economy (PGE); Applied Human-Animal Sciences (AHAS); Societal, Economic, Environmental Dimensions (SEED); and Human-Animal Bond and Mental Health (HAB-MH)-and eight subcategories: Legal Framework and Economy (LFE); Education and Philosophy (EP); Sustainable Resource Management (SRM); Traditional Knowledge and Societal Impact (TKSI); Animal Management (AM); Human-Animal Diseases (HAD); Human-Animal Interaction (HAI); and Psychology (PSY). The analysis also considered animal types-companion animals (CA), production animals (PA), wild animals (WA), working/sport animals (WS), and general (GE)-and divided data into two time periods (2013-2018, 2019-2024). Most publications (78) emerged after 2018, with Animal Management (AM) subcategory as the dominant theme, particularly in relation to PA reflecting their significance in food security. Human-Animal Interaction (HAI) was the second most represented theme among the subcategories, particularly in relation to CA underlining their significance in human lives. Conversely, wild animals (WA), climate change, and working/sport animals (WS) remain underrepresented. Education and Philosophy was the least addressed subcategory, exposing a critical gap in integrating One Welfare into veterinary and animal science education. Given the limited number of publications identified over the past 11 years, there is a clear need to promote increased interdisciplinary research, policy development, and educational reform to fully implement the One Welfare framework and align it with global sustainability goals.

Nowadays, talking about animal adoption requires addressing several aspects that are inherent to this field, which collectively influence the outcome of the adoption process to varying extents. This outcome ultimately concerns the quality of the relationship that established through the adoption process between the adopter and the adopted animal, and then between the latter and their social context of life. However, the path of human-animal adoption, as a novel way through which humans choose to relate to domesticated animals, and which has its origins in the domestication process, raises numerous bioethical challenges. Among these challenges are issues related to the initial search for the desired animal, the motivations driving such choices, and the subsequent day-to-day management of the adopted animal. The adopter’s assumption of both legal and moral responsibility must, first and foremost, be supported by an operational system underpinning the adoption framework, in which all stakeholders contribute with ethical expertise. This article aims to examine several key points that are particularly relevant in establishing, at least partially, a bioethics-based framework for promoting a conscientious and responsible adoption process. Such a framework should foster the development of human-animal relationships that safeguard the well-being of both species, closely interconnected yet fundamentally distinct.

Few studies address behavioral changes after deslorelin treatment in cats. As increasingly more owners opt for pharmacological sterilization, understanding deslorelin effects on behavior is critical. This multicentric study compared behavioral changes in cats that were surgically sterilized with those that were treated with deslorelin using an anonymous survey of 19 behavioral changes. Owners of deslorelin-implanted cats completed two questionnaires related to the flare-up and downregulation periods, while owners of gonadectomized cats completed only one questionnaire. A total of 66 answers were collected (24 for surgical sterilization, 24 for flare-up, and 18 for downregulation). Decrease in urine marking, excessive vocalization, intact male cat urine odor, and disobedience were significantly higher in downregulated cats compared to gonadectomized ones. In the flare-up group, 68% of females exhibited behavioral manifestation of induced heat. Males displayed flare-up behaviors less frequently and intensively than females after implantation with deslorelin. Age at sterilization exerted a significant effect on five behaviors in deslorelin-implanted cats. Owners of deslorelin treated cats in the downregulation phase reported a more pronounced decrease in undesirable behaviors than the owners of surgically sterilized cats.

The current study represents the second phase of developing the Yangtze Finless Porpoise Welfare Assessment Protocol (YFP-WAP), guided by the Five Domains model (FDM). Based on previously validated indicators, it aimed to create a scoring system to quantify welfare states. Application of the FDM grading system to the YFP-WAF revealed that indicators with higher scores influenced overall outcomes disproportionately, highlighting limitations in the original approach. As a result, a new scoring system was developed to ensure a more balanced contribution from all indicators across domains. The scoring system allows the separate quantification of welfare enhancement and compromise to prevent compensation between positive and negative experiences. It employs the sum of numerical values for each indicator, along with a percentage-based normalisation system to account for variations in indicator numbers across domains, ensuring balanced contributions to final welfare scores. In addition, a preliminary ‘Critical Scoring’ tool was created, which prioritises key indicators to identify urgent welfare issues before full assessment. Through the implementation of a standardised, transparent, and adaptable scoring method, the YFP-WAP aims to support individual-level welfare monitoring to improve the living conditions of captive porpoises and facilitate interventions for ex situ breeding programmes of YFP, and other closely related species. Despite challenges associated with fully capturing the complexity of welfare dynamics, this framework offers a practical and scientifically grounded approach for the assessment of the welfare of Yangtze finless porpoises (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis) under human care, that can also be applied or adapted to other cetacean species.

Clarity of communication between humans, intended to convey a message, may be misunderstood, or ambiguous, depending on many influencing variables, including impaired vision/hearing, neuro-divergence, culture, native language accent and gestures. Intraspecific communication in animals has been problematic to define in absolute terms, however, species such as dogs have a robustly researched and documented repertoire of behavioural body language, signalling and vocalizations. Humans tend to exhibit human communicative gestures of affection to their dogs, including hugging, touching, kissing and restraining them. Play is an essential element of the ontogenesis of any puppy/dog; however, it appears that intra and interspecies play in dogs differs in form, function and motivation. This study investigated, compared, and considered, the behaviours/communication which humans exhibit towards their dogs, and those exhibited by dogs towards their humans, during “play, petting and hugging behaviours”. Video-sharing platforms facilitate studying human-dog hugging, petting, and playing behaviour and comparing dogs' non-verbal communication with the comments “like/dislike clicks” of viewers. The current study was conducted on google, investigating media sharing platforms. Study (1) “play” reviewed the 30 most popular videos, and studies (2) “hugging” and (3) “petting”, reviewed the 80 most popular videos on media platforms. Our results showed that many human behaviours may be concerning as humans tend not to necessarily understand the body language or vocalizations shown by dogs, when interacting with them. A high number of stress behaviours were observed in the dogs involved which may have occurred due to misunderstanding of the information a dog is communicating during human-dog play, petting and hugging behaviour. This can cause feelings of discomfort, anxiety, fear, distress, and confusion in a dog, which may result in a fractured human/dog bond, welfare issues for the dog, and the possibility of a dog escalating to exhibit defensive/agonistic behaviour should communication fail. The high prevalence of videos in which stress-related behaviours were identified was concerning, although the expression of a specific behaviour may sometimes depend on the kind of interaction and/or other characteristics of the dyad engaging in it. We advocate for increased education for both adults and children in canine communication, context and in co-operative ways of respecting agency in human-dog interactions.

Free Choice Profiling (FCP) methodology allows observers to qualitatively assess animal behavior using their own vocabulary. This study aims to investigate the ability of 3 different observer groups to recognize pain-related emotions in 20 dogs using FCP methodology, and to compare FCP data with the Glasgow Composite Pain Scale-Short Form (GCPS- SF) scores. The observer groups consisted of 10 dog owners, 10 veterinary students and 10 veterinarians. Ten healthy (“healthy”) dogs and 10 dogs showing clinical signs of pain (“pain”) were filmed, and the resulting 20 footages were shown to observers who were blind to the pain-related nature of the study. All observers described and scored animals’ emotional expression using FCP; then, students and veterinarians scored all dogs using GCPS- SF. FCP data were analyzed using Generalized Procrustes Analysis (GPA). Spearman correlation coefficient (ρ) was used to determine the correlation among observer groups’ FCP scores of the first two FCP dimensions (DIM1 and DIM2), and to compare GCPS-SF scores with FCP scores for the students and veterinarian observer groups. Each observer group reached a significant (p < 0.001) good consensus profile. “Healthy” dogs were mainly described as “quiet” and “lively”, while the majority of “pain” dogs were considered “in pain” and “suffering”. The correlation among FCP scores was high between owners’ DIM1 and students’ DIM1 (ρ = -0.86), owners’ DIM2 and students’ DIM2 (ρ = 0.72) and students’ DIM2 and vets’ DIM1 (ρ = 0.70). The correlation between GCPS-SF scores and FCP scores was high for students’ DIM2 (ρ = 0.77) and for veterinarians’ DIM1 (ρ = 0.92). Qualitative methods such as FCP could be used in association with semi-quantitative methods to evaluate the effect of pain on animal emotional expression. Observers’ cultural background and personal experience did not substantially affect qualitative behavioral assessment in dogs with acute somatic pain.

Human-dog interaction is the working tool through which the therapeutic, educational and recreational goals of dog-assisted interventions (DAIs) are achieved. A better understanding of the characteristics of this interaction could improve the effectiveness of DAIs. This scoping review addresses the question: how has the human-dog connection been measured in the context of DAIs? After searching the Web of Science and Scopus platforms, only peer-reviewed, primary research studies reporting measures of therapy dog-human interaction, relationship and bond were included. A total of 70 included articles provided information on what was measured (interaction, relationship or bond) and how, as well as the general context (DAIs or experimental situations with therapy dogs). While the majority of the articles identified use behavioural analysis methods to analyse the interaction between the participant/recipient and the therapy dog during DAIs, it was possible to identify some more structured tools that assess the participant/recipient's interaction, relationship or bond with the therapy dog, as well as tools that consider the animal's perspective or focus on the dog-handler dyad, indicating growing areas of research. The tools and methods identified can be used by both practitioners and researchers to further explore aspects of human-dog interaction in the field of DAIs.

Animal behavior can provide useful information about animal welfare, but methods and tools used to gather behavioral data and data treatment can influence the results. Therefore, this study was carried out on dairy cow (Bos taurus) behavior and interaction with calves early post-partum aiming at comparing two sampling rules, namely continuous and instantaneous sampling at scan intervals of 30 s, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 10 min, and of two methods to deal with out of sight animals. The study was based on three assumptions: (1) continuous sampling provides the most complete and accurate data, allowing the observation of seldom behaviors and short events; (2) instantaneous sampling can provide accurate measurements of frequency and duration, especially at short scan intervals; (3) differences in behavioral results may occur depending on whether a correction for time out of sight is applied or not. Thus, 10 dams were observed from videos in the 2 h post-parturition. Ruminating, stereotypies, calf-biting and calf-butting were not recorded during the observation period. Other behaviors were observed only with continuous sampling or with continuous and instantaneous at 30-s scan intervals. The recoding of several behaviors was less accurate when applying longer scan intervals. Data from continuous and instantaneous sampling at 30-s scan intervals were compared with Wilcoxon test. Results showed no significant differences for posture, position in the pen and all behaviors (p > 0.05) except vocalizing (p = 0.003). The same test did not highlight significant differences due to method of dealing with out of sight for both sampling rules (p > 0.05). Correlation between continuous and instantaneous sampling were prevalently high at 30-s intervals and they decreased as the length of scan intervals increased for most behaviors. Results confirmed the first two assumptions suggesting that continuous sampling is more accurate, in particular for short and rare behaviors, and caution against the suitability of dam behavioral data collected using instantaneous sampling at scan intervals of minutes. The third assumption was not proven by this study. Results should be considered in light of the development of new technologies that relies on data acquired by sensors and imaging to monitor cow-calf welfare and behavior post-parturition.

Companion animals, especially dogs and cats, have increasingly been recognized as moral subjects and valued as family members by European citizens. This new role encourages policy makers to face the many companion animals’ welfare issues not yet covered by the EU legislation. The main gaps in the protection of dog and cat welfare during their all lifespan have been identified: unhealthy and unethical breeding practices, irresponsible sale and ownership, transport for commercial and non-commercial purposes, training methods, working dog conditions and rights, regulation of dog and cat shows and competitions, the therapeutic neglect, dog and cat end-of-life care, shelter management legislation and the free-ranging cat and dog population rights. The EU legislation framework is still very weak and far from establishing a harmonized approach, promoting a high standard of care and protection across Member States. We conclude that education and awareness regarding responsible pet ownership and the need for a One Welfare approach have a high value in finding adequate solutions, especially when poor human social welfare affects companion animal welfare. Given the link between human and companion animal welfare, the use of stakeholders’ involvement strategies and a transdisciplinary approach appear crucial for the development of an EU legal framework for the well-being of dogs and cats.

Dogs’ co-domestication led to a series of modifications in their behaviour and cognition. Yet, how recent evolutionary history also interacts with developmental and experiential factors is often neglected. Here we tested shelter dogs in a two-alternatives free-choice task between different food quantities. Shelter dogs represent a heterogeneous population with high inter-individual variability, and we hypothesised that we could observe differences in cognitive performance between individuals depending on their attitude towards humans. Overall, we found that dogs preferred to approach the larger set of food (emmeans = 6.62. SE = 0.24, t = 28.17, p < 0.0001). However, consistently with our initial hypothesis, we observed that dogs that were evaluated as ‘less sociable’ by the keepers of the shelter succeeded already on their first trial (P(larger set) = 0.81, SE = 0.1, z = 2.31, p = 0.02), similar to what was observed in wolves and roaming dogs. Vice-versa, individuals that were evaluated as ‘highly sociable’ behaved at chance on the first trial and begun selecting the larger set only after a first interaction with the experimental setting (P(larger set) = 0.51, SE = 0.11, z = -0.7, p = 0.94), thus behaving alike to pet dogs. We discuss our results from both an experimental perspective, as in designing studies that account for multifaceted factors to reach a better understanding of cognition and behaviour in the Canis familiaris, and an applicative perspective, as in adding on current practices to facilitate the difficult process of inclusion of dogs in shelters, and possibly adoption.

Scientific evidences support the fact that environmental enrichment, when effective, can affect the behavior of animals in captivity in a way suggestive of an improvement in their quality of life. In the internationally published literature about enrichment in captive conditions, some species, such as primates, appear to have received much more attention than others, such as felids. Within the latter, some species, such as the caracal, appear not have been the focus of any enrichment study at all. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of 2 suspended swinging rope-covered barrels and of a sloped platform on the behavior and fecal cortisol levels of 3 caracals (Caracal caracal), three servals (Leptailurus serval) and 2 ocelots (Leopardus pardalis) in captivity. Animals were observed using a continuous focal animal rule in 4 experimental conditions (before enrichment, addition of the barrels, addition also of the sloped platform, withdrawal of both putative enrichments), repeated for 2 cycles. Fecal samples were collected for cortisol levels analysis. Generalized Estimation Equations, with individual as subject, and experimental condition, cycle, sex, species, and the interaction species by experimental condition as independent variables were used. Pairwise comparisons for experimental condition by species were done to test for significance after Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons. All the three species showed more social affiliative behavior only when both the barrels and the platform were in the enclosures (P ≤ 0.002), In all species, animals were more visible (i.e., less out of sight) already after the introduction of the first enrichment (hanging barrels, P ≤ 0.005). In the ocelots, fecal cortisol was higher in the baseline condition than in any other condition. Given the importance of affiliative social behavior in animal welfare, the addition of the barrels and the sloped platform appeared to be somewhat an effective environmental enrichment for the individuals under study.

Although the popularity of domestic donkeys is increasing, the scientific literature on their behavior is still limited. This study investigated the social behavior of a group of 13 donkeys (10 females, 3 geldings, aged 3-13 years) stabled in an Animal Assisted Interventions facility in the North of Italy. Our first aim was to assess the distribution of donkeys' intraspecific social behaviors during daytime and the second aim was to characterize affiliative and agonistic social interactions during peak activity times. Social behaviors were expressed more between 8 and 9 AM than the rest of daytime, mainly reflecting the expression of affiliative behavior. The latter consisted mostly of proximity (55.0% of all affiliative) and following (29.2%). In most cases affiliative behavior was expressed within preferential dyads, composed of either a mother and her offspring or two adult donkeys. This supports the idea that dyadic relationships are a predominant feature of the social organization of the species. However, dyadic interactions were not observed in the oldest sub-adults, suggesting that social preferences undergo a change around the time donkeys reach full growth. Agonistic behaviors were much less common than affiliative ones. The most expressed agonistic behavior was threat (51%), followed by displacement and bite (both 18.5%). They were less expressed by donkeys who were part of an affiliative pair, suggesting that limited expression of agonistic behavior is associated with an actual change in social preferences, not a mere consequence of fewer occasions of conflict over resources. While the study has limitations, the results provide insight into the social behavior of domestic donkeys which could represent a starting point for further research as well as relevant information for donkeys farming.

This short communication introduces the reader to challenges faced by a cat rescue organization (Dingo-Venezia ONLUS ) operating in the Venice area during and after the COVID -19 pandemic restrictions. The area around Venice houses more than 1,500 cat colonies, in the mainland and in a number of densely inhabited isles. During COVID -19 restrictions, providing for animals was recognized as a legitimate cause to circulate, but there was uncertainty about the procedure to obtain such recognition. Volunteers chose to go and feed the animals nonetheless, even with the risk of incurring legal consequences. During restrictions, there was an increase of cat adoption demands, but also in cat relinquishment, and a general decrease in donations due to the economic crisis. Although not reporting experimentally sourced data, this paper affords the reader an informed insight into the challenges due to COVID -19 restriction, directly from the experience of an established Italian cat rescue organization.

Recognizing animal emotions is critical to their welfare and can lead to a better relationship with humans and the environment, especially in a widespread species like the donkey, which is often prone to welfare issues. This study aims to assess the emotional response of donkeys through an operant conditioning task with two presumed different emotional contents. Specifically, a within-subject design including positive and negative conditions was conducted, collecting behavioural and physiological (heart rate variability and HRV) parameters. Facial expressions, postures, and movements were analysed by principal component analysis and behavioural diversity indexes (frequencies, activity budgets, richness, Shannon and Gini-Simpson). During the positive condition, both ears were held high and sideways (left: r = −0.793, p < 0.0001; right: r = −0.585, p = 0.011), while the ears were frontally erected (left: r = 0.924, p < 0.0001; right: r = 0.946, p < 0.0001) during the negative one. The latter was also associated with an increased tendency to walk (r = 0.709, p = 0.001), walk away (r = 0.578, p = 0.012), more frequent changes in the body position (VBody position = 0, p = 0.022), and greater behavioural complexity (VGini-Simpson Index = 4, p = 0.027). As for HRV analysis, the root mean square of successive beat-to-beat differences (rMSSD) was significantly lower after the negative condition. These non-invasive parameters could be considered as possible indicators of donkeys’ emotional state.

Given the relative scarcity of research focusing on non-rescue sighthound behavior, the present exploratory study aimed to investigate the presence of, and factors associated with, behavioral complaints and owner satisfaction in Italian greyhounds and whippets, using an online questionnaire. Some other behavioral characteristics (such as being challenging, gentle, or reliable), deemed likely to be important for satisfaction and/or cited in the breed standards, were likewise analyzed, and possible predictors of owner satisfaction with the dogs were investigated. The survey yielded answers for 326 dogs (164 whippets, 162 Italian greyhounds) given by a convenience sample of 268 caretakers. Compared to whippets, Italian greyhounds were reported more often to show aggressive behavior toward people (11.7% vs. 4.9%, P < 0.05), fear of people (13.6% vs. 6.1%, P < 0.05) and of dogs/other animals (10.5% vs. 2.4%, P < 0.001), separation distress (29.8% vs. 19.1%, P < 0.05) and house soiling (43.7% vs. 11.1%; P < 0.001) and less often to show predatory behavior (56.2% vs. 79.9%, P < 0.001). Age of the dog was the most often significant predictor among those studied, with older dogs being reported as showing less fear of people (P < 0.001), fear of dogs/other an-imals (P < 0.01), predatory behavior (P < 0.05), "disobedience/lack of cooperation" (P < 0.001), and "mis-cellaneous other issues" (P < 0.01). Intact females were reported as to be less challenging/demanding (P < 0.010), and to show stereotypies less often (P < 0.001) than other dogs. Dogs being scored the max-imum score on satisfaction-related questions were associated with them being reliable, not challenging, and not being reported as showing out-of-context fear of other dogs and other animals (all P < 0.05).(c) 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.