Behavioral assessments in animal shelters are used to make life-and-death decisions about dogs. The scientific evidence on their accuracy and welfare implications deserves careful examination.
The welfare implications of shelter behavioral assessment are profound - assessments that inaccurately label dogs as dangerous can result in euthanasia of behaviorally healthy dogs, while inaccurate passes can result in placements that end in bites or returns. The evidence that point-in-time assessments in stressful shelter environments poorly predict home behavior means many dogs are euthanized unnecessarily. Welfare-centered shelter practice involves extended behavioral observation, foster programs that assess dogs in home environments, and recognizing that shelter stress profoundly confounds any behavioral snapshot.