YourSAY™ 2012.6 - Canada's Thought Leaders Ponder Dog Friendly Communities

The sixth public opinion poll of 2012 is reported. This report summarizes the YourSAY™ survey Powered by PetLynx™ that fielded July 12th to July 26th, 2012. 

Recently PetLynx™ compiled industry data for a prominent film maker investigating Canada's most dog friendly communities. The job turned out to be more complex than expected because of the lack of clarity about what 'dog friendly' means. The purpose of the YourSAY™ 2012.6 is to discover what thought leaders of the Companion Animal industry value when determining what constitutes a dog friendly community. Can the industry agree on which criteria should be used? Should it be dog population density, use of compliance services, use of health care services, financial investment and/or the amenities a community offers?

Forty-five respondents participated in the PetLynx™ YourSAY™ forum for 2012.6 featuring opinions about dog friendly communities. Participants included thought leaders representing all sectors of the industry in Canada. 

Highlights from YourSAY™ 2012.6:

• One out of three respondents chose British Columbia, almost one in four chose Ontario and one in five felt that Alberta was the most dog friendly province in Canada. Top dog friendly communities mentioned included Vancouver (22%), Calgary (16%), and Toronto (11%).
• When respondents were asked what criteria they used for naming Canada’s most dog friendly community, most common responses were about dog-related amenities (dog runs/parks, off-leash communities for dog friendly recreation, dog friendly hotels and restaurants) followed by animal welfare criteria (responsible sources of adoptable dogs, adoptions through shelters, low euthanasia rate shelters, animal welfare initiatives/legislation, # humane societies, and education).
• Interestingly, when asked to formalize one’s judging role as an industry expert awarding the most dog friendly community in Canada, respondents most commonly mentioned dog-related amenities followed by animal welfare criteria once again, but the gap between the two widened from the previous question percentages. Perhaps this is because animal welfare criteria are more subjective.
• A majority of respondents felt that dog population statistics are not important criteria to use when determining Canada’s most dog friendly community.
• When respondents were probed specifically about compliance, top factors for determining the most dog friendly community were spay/neuter, regular vet exams and vaccinations (other than rabies).
• In general, financial investment factors were rated as less important criteria than compliance factors. However, the top rated financial factor was general annual dog expenses.
• Top dog-related amenity criteria included: responsible source of adoptable dogs, dog runs/parts, and off-leash areas for dog friendly recreation.
• Respondents felt the highest ranking categories of criteria used to determine Canada’s most dog friendly community were: compliance services, health care and dog-related amenities.

Demographics of YourSAY™ 2012.6:
 

• Gender: 58% Female, 42% Male
• Age: 0% 20 years old or younger, 20% 21-35 years old, 36% 36-50 years old, 44% 51 and older
• Region: 40% Central, 27%% Prairie, 13% Pacific, 20% Atlantic 
• Pets: 80% Dog owner, 49% Cat owner
• Industry: 33%  Animal Welfare, 36% Animal Services, 20% Animal Health and Wellness, 9% Animal Control and Enforcement
• Executive Level: 24% C-Level Executive, 27% Senior Management, 22% Middle Management, 13% Individual Contributor, 13% Other

YourSAY™ public opinion polls are owned and Powered by PetLynx™. Copies of the complete survey report are available for a nominal cost. Contact Sheena.Neel@petlynxmail.com if you wish to procure a copy.