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Item Racing to retirement : understanding greyhounds' experiences of becoming pets : a dissertation presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Arts in Social Anthropology at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand(Massey University, 2017) Paap, HannahThis thesis is a multispecies ethnographic investigation of the transition of retired racing greyhounds to domestic pets. The key aim of this research was to understand the greyhounds’ experiences of this transition. To achieve this aim, I sought to understand the relationships that greyhounds have with both human and non-human animals over the course of their transition and how these relationships influenced the pets they became. I use the concept of rite of passage to frame greyhounds’ transition because they move from one societal role, working dogs, to another, pets, undergoing transformation in the process. My fieldwork involved a mixed methodological approach, combining participant-observation, interviews, and photography. In doing so, I gained insight into greyhounds’ own experiences of their rite of passage and not just that of the humans involved in their lives. To help me do this, I combined ethnography with ethology, the science of animal behaviour. Using ethology allowed me to learn how greyhounds used their senses to investigate and make sense of the changes in their lives, which were brought about by their transition, and how they responded to and communicated about them. I did this by interpreting their body language, body carriage, and vocalisations. Thus, greyhounds play a central role in this thesis, whilst the human is decentred. The goal of this research was to centre greyhounds, even though it is challenging to do this in text: as such this thesis is an experiment in representation. My findings suggest that greyhounds can successfully transition into pets due to breed-specific traits, such as laziness; individual dog personalities like independence; and the constructive interactions they have with both human and non-human actors. This is even though some greyhounds may find their rite of passage more difficult than others. Keywords: greyhound(s). racing dog, transition, retirement, adoption agency, (domestic) pet, multispecies ethnography, rite of passage, non-human animal, human companion, companion animal, companion species.Item Rehoming animals from animal rescue shelters in New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science (Animal Science) at Massey University, Palmerston North(Massey University, 2003) Phipps, Nicola MearnA few studies in the UK and USA have investigated the reasons why animals are surrendered to animal rescue shelters and how successful adoptions from such shelters are. There are no data available from New Zealand animal shelters and this research project was undertaken to determine how successful adoptions from three shelters in the North Island were, and why dogs were surrendered to one of these shelters. In a pilot study 98% of people (n = 45) who had adopted a cat from one SPCA shelter believed that the adoption was successful 73% of the cats were still with their new owner and none were returned to the shelter. Fewer (78%) people who adopted dogs (n = 28) believed that the adoption was successful and 61% of the dogs were still with their owners while 21% had been returned to the shelter. Failure was primarily due to the dog's behaviour being inappropriate and the problem behaviours were hyperactivity, aggression towards humans and regularly running away. In a larger study, contact was made with 103 of 354 persons who had adopted a dog from one of three shelters between January 2001 and April 2002. 90% of the persons interviewed stated that the adoption had been a success. There was no difference in success rates between the three shelters despite them having quite different protocols to identify persons suitable to adopt a dog and to match the dog with a potential adopter. Dogs were rejected before they reached 18 months of age. Inappropriate behaviour was closely related to the fate of the adopted dog and aggression and running away were common problems. The reason for adopting a dog influenced its subsequent fate. Dogs were most commonly adopted 'for the children' but dogs were also adopted to act as company and replace an old dog. The reason why a dog was surrendered to a shelter was determined for 967 dogs surrendered between January 1999 and December 2001. The greatest number (30%) were strays followed by unwanted puppies (26%). A smaller percent were surrendered as unwanted (14%) or, because of behaviour problems (7%) or the owner was moving (9%). The most common behaviour problems were running away (24%) and hyperactivity (19%). More than half the dogs entering a shelter were less than 6 months of age and if the strays are excluded, because they are usually sent to the local authority pound, then about half the surrendered dogs were either euthanased or adopted. The inability in 2002, to contact more than 70% of the persons who had adopted a dog in the previous 18 months suggests that much of the pre-adoption checking of properties and persons might not be effective in identifying stable households. The majority of these people could not be contacted because they had either given an inappropriate telephone number to the shelter or had moved. The fact that 9% of dogs were surrendered because the owners were moving suggests that the dog adopters who could not be contacted, might not have the adoption success rate seen in those who were contacted.