Several studies report that olfactory cues play an important role in human life; humans are essentially able to recognize other family members and friends by their odors. Moreover, recent studies report that humans are also able to identify odors of non-conspecifics. The aim of this study was to determine whether dog owners are able to identify their dogs by smell and distinguish the odor of their own dogs from those of other dogs. A total of 53 dog owners (40 females and 13 males of different ages) volunteered to take part in this study. A number of the participants (17) owned 2 dogs; these owners took part in the study twice (i.e., working with only one dog at a time). Sterile gauze pads were used to collect odor samples from the dogs. Each pad was placed in its own sterile glass jar (750 ml) with a twist off lid until the experiment commenced. Participants were asked to identify their own dog´s odor from a line-up of 6 glass containers. This experiment demonstrated that dog owners are capable of identifying their dogs by smell on a significant level. Results of this study additionally suggested that male owners outperformed their female counterparts in the identification process. Moreover, dog owners whose dogs were housed outside had a higher success rate in identification than did participants who kept their dogs indoors with them. The dog owners found it easier to identify dogs that had been neutered, fed dry dog food and bathed less frequently. In general, younger dog owners tended to have more success when attempting to identify their dogs than did their older counterparts.
- MeSH
- čich fyziologie MeSH
- diskriminace (psychologie) fyziologie MeSH
- dítě MeSH
- domácí zvířata * MeSH
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladiství MeSH
- mladý dospělý MeSH
- předškolní dítě MeSH
- průzkumy a dotazníky MeSH
- psi MeSH
- senioři MeSH
- vlastnictví statistika a číselné údaje MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- dítě MeSH
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladiství MeSH
- mladý dospělý MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- předškolní dítě MeSH
- psi MeSH
- senioři MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
BACKGROUND: Many studies have shown that having a dog has an impact on the increase in physical activity (PA) of people. However, what is often not taken into account in many such studies is owning of other pets. The aim of this study was to compare PA levels between animal owners and non-owners and to research potential differences between owners of different kinds of animals. METHOD: 111 young females of mean age 21 ± 1.2 years enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Czech version of short International physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ) was used to assess PA level, supplemented with a question about whether they owned an animal and what kind. RESULTS: People who owned a pet had higher frequency and duration of moderate physical activity (MPA) and spent more MET/min/wk. (p < 0.05). This difference has projected into total PA duration and also into calories burned in a week. Furthermore, a statistically significant difference between subgroups of animal owners was also confirmed for MPA and total PA in favour of horse owners. CONCLUSIONS: Animal owners generally reported higher PA levels compared to people who do not own any pets. However, similarly significant in this particular age group was the kind of animal these young women owned.
- Klíčová slova
- Dog walking, Exercise, Horse riding, Human-animal interaction, Pet ownership,
- MeSH
- cvičení * MeSH
- domácí zvířata * MeSH
- koně MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladý dospělý MeSH
- průřezové studie MeSH
- průzkumy a dotazníky MeSH
- psi MeSH
- vlastnictví statistika a číselné údaje MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- mladý dospělý MeSH
- psi MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
The aim of this study was to describe the numbers and characteristics of cats entering Czech shelters. Records of sheltered cats were collected from three cat shelters situated in different regions of the Czech Republic from 2011 to 2015. A total of 2170 cat admissions were analyzed in this study. Significantly (p < .001) greater numbers of females (56%) were admitted. Most cats (60%) were admitted when they were aged younger than six months. Cats with dark coat colors prevailed (73%), cats with medium-shade colors followed (20%), and light-colored cats were the rarest (7%). The greatest numbers of cats were admitted in summer (36%), followed by autumn (33%). The fewest cats were admitted in winter (14%). Adoption was the most common outcome for admitted cats (65%), followed by unassisted death (22%) and euthanasia (11%) due to health reasons. Only 2% of cats were reclaimed from the shelters by their original caretakers. The length of stay ranged from 0 days to 1736 days with a median of 45 days. These findings may help shelter operators define optimal strategies and operational plans.
- Klíčová slova
- Cat, age, season, sex, shelter,
- MeSH
- barva MeSH
- eutanazie u zvířat statistika a číselné údaje MeSH
- kastrace veterinární MeSH
- kočky * MeSH
- mortalita MeSH
- pohoda zvířat statistika a číselné údaje MeSH
- roční období MeSH
- věkové faktory MeSH
- vlastnictví statistika a číselné údaje MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- kočky * MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Česká republika MeSH
BACKGROUND: Although job satisfaction is among the most widely researched topics, relatively little research has been done on this issue as it relates to early childhood educators. This study was designed to contribute significantly to the deficient body of knowledge about working conditions and job satisfaction of day care teachers, in particular with regard to differences in job satisfaction depending on day care centres' ownership. METHODS: Analyses were based on cross-sectional comparison of 469 questionnaires (42.55% response rate) from day care teachers working at public day care centres with those working at day care centres run by churches or parents' initiatives. RESULTS: A significant difference in job satisfaction was found between these three types. The important interaction between socio-demographic characteristics, psychosocial working conditions, and job satisfaction could be demonstrated. CONCLUSION: The present study is one of the few that examines the impacts of day care centres ownership on pedagogical staffs' job satisfaction and indicates that the type of the centre is a potential factor explaining variations. Results provide a valuable basis for the development of solution-focused approaches to improve pedagogical staff working conditions.
- MeSH
- akademický sbor statistika a číselné údaje MeSH
- dítě MeSH
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- personální rozvoj MeSH
- pracovní uspokojení * MeSH
- pracovní zátěž psychologie MeSH
- průřezové studie MeSH
- sebeuplatnění MeSH
- socioekonomické faktory MeSH
- věkové faktory MeSH
- vlastnictví statistika a číselné údaje MeSH
- zařízení denní péče pro děti statistika a číselné údaje MeSH
- Check Tag
- dítě MeSH
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
