In 2018, Dogs Trust (UK) launched the Post Adoption Support project, the largest known prospective cohort study investigating behavioural and health problems post-rehoming of dogs. Individuals adopting a dog from any UK Dogs Trust Rehoming Centre are eligible to receive phone calls regarding their dog’s health and behaviour at specific timepoints after adoption (2 days, 2 weeks, 4 months). Alongside providing an early and proactive framework to support the wellbeing of the adopter and dog, the project collects rich longitudinal data on dog health and behaviour following adoption to assess the development of issues, the impact of support given, and re-relinquishment risk. This paper details the methodology and study design of the Post Adoption Support project and describes a cohort profile of adoptions over an initial 6-month period. In the cohort, behaviour and health data were collected from 5498 adopters, with call success for those eligible ranging from 72% (4 months) to 89% (2 days). Data from these calls will provide significant insights into canine welfare during the first 4 months post-adoption, which can be used to inform strategies for effective and impactful rehoming and post-adoption support.

This mixed-methods study investigated themes and factors associated with recent dog adopters declining free over-the-phone support for dog behaviors of concern. At least one behavior of concern (potentially aggressive behavior [PAB], separation-related behavior [SRB], or other behavior of concern [OB]) was reported across 6,317 post-adoption support (PAS) calls made to 3,782 adopters at 2-days, 2-weeks, and 4-months post-adoption. However, for 68.8% of calls, the behavior support offered was declined. Generalized linear mixed-effects modeling and Tukey post-hoc testing showed declining support was significantly more likely at 2-weeks post-adoption compared to 2-days and when reporting behaviors of concern in the following combinations: PAB or SRB individually > PAB and SRB simultaneously > only OB > OB with PAB +/SRB. Inductive thematic analysis produced four themes from adopters' responses around declining help: "Awareness but no action yet", "managing behaviour", "feels support not needed", and "belief of cause". Findings offer insights into adopter attitudes around dog behavior, support needs, and behavioral management. Future research should explore whether declining this support is associated with using other support types and whether uptake impacts overall adoption.