Shelter behavioral assessments influence life-and-death decisions for millions of dogs annually, and their scientific validity directly affects both welfare and adoption outcomes.
The welfare stakes of shelter behavioral assessments are enormous. A dog euthanized based on a behavioral assessment that predicted aggression risk may have had years of good-quality life ahead in an appropriate home. The scientific evidence that many formal protocols have limited predictive validity for actual home behavior is a genuine welfare concern requiring response. Assessment approaches that observe dogs over time and in foster home settings, rather than in the artificial stress of a single shelter assessment session, provide more ecologically valid data and are more likely to lead to appropriate welfare decisions.