New research from the Animal Welfare Program showing a link between behavioural traits and illness in dogs was recently featured in the Vancouver Star. The research found that dogs who were more social to people when taken into the animal shelter were more likely to succumb to upper respiratory diseases.
Dr. Alexandra Protopopova, an Assistant Professor at UBC’s faculty of Land and Food Systems said, “This is really striking for us,[sociability] is something I would have never thought would have such predictive value.”
Protopopova also notes the study results are relevant for all dogs, whether or not they’re in a shelter. The shelter simply provided researchers with an environment where dogs were placed in a highly stressful situation and were exposed to many pathogens.