PART II. EMPIRICAL METHODS
5. Data Collection
The research project consists of 5 data sets:
1. Transcript data of interviews from representatives of key stakeholder groups (Data Set 1); 2. Data obtained from the Tasmanian canine association library (Data Set 2);
3. Data obtained from the State and Territory canine associations (Data Set 3);
4. Data obtained from a survey of companion dog buyers and owners (Data Set 4); and 5. Data obtained from a survey of dog breeders (Data Set 5).
5.1 Interviews with Stakeholders (Data Set 1)
The case law content analysis that was discussed in Chapter 2, the literature review that formed the basis of the critical analysis in Chapter 3, and insider knowledge possessed by the researcher were all used to identify the key stakeholders in dog breeding in Australia as being:
➢ The ANKC and State Canine authorities, including members on the Animal Health and Welfare Committees and all breed judges;
➢ National Breed Councils and Breed Clubs and Societies;
➢ The RSPCA and other animal welfare groups including the Animal Welfare League and rescue groups;
➢ The Pet Dog Breeders Association and the Master Dog Breeders Association; and ➢ The Pet Industry Association of Australia.
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Interviews with representatives from key dog breeding stakeholder groups were thought to be essential to determine whether the list of issues addressed in the literature was complete and accurate, and to understand their perceptions on the role and effectiveness of regulation in addressing these issues and on other ways of addressing the current issues.
This thesis assumes that the various stakeholders interviewed were fully able to explain their thoughts and could speak as representatives of their organisations, and that these organisations were themselves representative of those in Australia who have concerns around both
unregulated and regulated dog breeding and dog welfare and who have participated in the political process of developing policy in the area.12
Interviews were conducted using purposive sampling, following the process of stakeholder investigation and identification. The researcher did not engage in any screening or exclude any groups. In total, 43 stakeholder representatives were contacted by letter or email. Included in this number were two organisations that were suggested by another key stakeholder group. This technique is known as snowballing, where a participant recommends that a researcher contacts another participant. This technique has been used in human animal studies before and is a suitable method to use in this investigation.13
When an email was received indicating a willingness to participate in the research, the
participant was sent the consent form, the information sheet and the questions. This allowed for uniformity in the questions asked and enabled the interviewees to provide more thoughtful and considered answers.
Interviewing in person with a representative from each key stakeholder group was thought to be the optimal data collection technique as it enabled the key stakeholder groups to provide their views on the issues and expand upon them and identify others. A set of questions were asked,
12 Dennis A Gioia, Kevin G. Corley and Aimee L Hamilton, 'Seeking Qualitative Rigor in Inductive Reserach: Notes on the Gioia Methodology' (2012) 16(1) Organisational Reserach Methods 15, 17 and Amy Morris, Policies to Promote Socialization and Welfare in Dog Breeding (Public Policy Thesis, Masters Thesis, Simon Fraser University 2013), 25. 13 Rachel Orritt, Harriet Gross and Todd Hogue, 'His Bark is Worse than His Bite: Perceptions and Rationalization of Canine Aggressive Behavior' (2015) 3(2) Human-Animal Bulletin 1, 2-3.
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and respondents were given the opportunity to expand on any of the questions. There was also the opportunity for the interviewer to ask further questions as necessary. The issues in dog breeding are complex and this technique allowed for a depth of probing and flexibility that a phone interview or another method could not achieve.14
Having identified the stakeholder groups and emailed the representatives it was felt appropriate to trial the interview data collection stage of this research through a pilot interview. This took place in Tasmania with a conformation dog show judge who was also the President of one of the National Breed Councils. The purpose of the pilot survey interview was to determine the
appropriateness of the questions and the time required for the interviews.15
The aim was to obtain at least ten interviews.16 Ultimately, 11 interviews were conducted. Of the 11 interviews, five participants were from industry related groups and 6 from animal welfare groups. A sample set of interview questions is contained in Appendix 4. All but two interviews were conducted face to face and all interviews were recorded by a voice recorder.17 Eleven interviews were undertaken. The shortest interview took 55 minutes and the longest just over two hours. Interviews took place in Melbourne, Hobart and Brisbane. Most interviews took place at the work place of the participants or at a café or other location suggested by them.
A number of interview techniques were used that allowed the participant to know they could answer the questions in any way that they felt appropriate. These included pauses, using encouraging non-verbal cues and the use of phrases and words such as ‘go on’ or ‘yes’ to encourage the respondent to answer the questions in as much depth as they wished. Minimal
14 Joseph F Jr Hair et al, Essentials of Business Research Methods (M E Sharpe Inc, 2nd ed, 2011), 90. 15 Gioia, Corley and Hamilton, above n 12, 19.
16 Sarah Elsie Baker and Rosalind Edwards, 'How Many Qualitative Interviews is Enough? Expert Voices and Early Career Reflections on Sampling and Cases in Qualitative Research' (2012) National Centre for Research Methods Review Paper , 10.
17 Bob Dick, 'Rigour Without Numbers - The Potential of Dialetical Processes as Qualitative Tools' (Paper presented at XVIIIth Annual Meeting of the Social Pshchologists, Greenmount Queensland, 1989 page 17 and Michael Healy and Mike Rawlinson, in V J Wass and P E Wells (eds), Principles and Practice in Business and Management Research
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notes were taken during the process, but the researcher made notes immediately after the interview recording time and date. At the beginning of each interview the interviewer confirmed with the respondent that he or she understood that: the interview would be recorded; they would be given the opportunity to review the transcript of the interview; no confidential information was being sought; and they had the right not to answer any question should they chose not to.18
5.2 Library and Archival Industry Data (Data Set 2)
Information currently held in the Tasmanian canine associations’ library was accessed to determine whether there was useful information that would assist in answering the first research component which focuses on the major issues facing dog breeding.
Two days were spent at the Tasmanian canine association library. The library stores
approximately 700 books on dog showing, dog breeding, dog genetics, specific breeds of dogs, dog training, dog management, and the history of a number of breeds. It also stores a number of industry and association gazettes. The gazettes published by the State and Territory canine associations and the national publication Dog News Australia were reviewed. This review took place by the researcher reading each index searching for the key words that are set out in Section 3 of Part IV of this Chapter. Articles that included any of these key words were photographed. Coding and analysis took place in the manner set forward in Part IV of this Chapter.
5.3 State and Territory Canine Association Survey (Data Set 3)
A survey was designed individually for the eight different State and Territory canine associations. Each survey sent to the canine associations was designed specifically for the State or Territory it was sent to and referred to that State or Territory’s specific code in relation to breeding. It sought written answers in relation to:
➢ Complaints/ enforcement and inspections around breeding and the codes of ethics;
18 Healy and Rawlinson, above n 17, 137.
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➢ The existence and roles of committees such as legislative and investigatory panels, including the procedures for recruiting members and the experience and skill set of such members responsible for drafting the regulations;
➢ The principal objects of the association; and
➢ The steps taken to ensure compliance by members with the codes of ethics.
A copy of the survey as sent to Dogs NSW is set out in Appendix 4. The intention was to gather information around the establishment, monitoring and enforcement of the breeding codes used by the State and Territory canine associations. It was hoped that the ANKC and the State and Territory canine associations would provide data on their enforcement and compliance.
Although only one survey was ultimately returned it did provide useful data that is considered in this research.
5.4 Dog Owner Survey (Data Set 4)
An online survey was designed to collect data in relation to dog acquisition choices, dog health and knowledge about the regulation that exists in Australia around dog ownership. A survey was appropriate as it is a mechanism that allows a larger sample of stakeholders to have a voice. A survey also provides a flexible and affordable data collection method for documenting attitudes and beliefs of dog owners.19 Dog owners are a substantial stakeholder group that should have a voice in this research, in particular around the way dogs are bred and in relation to what owners want when it comes to acquiring a dog. Surveys have a recognised place in qualitative research, in animal welfare and have been used in Australian research that has examined aspects of dog ownership previously.20 A copy of the survey questions is contained in Appendix 4.
19 James F Anderson, Kelley Reinsmith-Jones and Nancie J Mangels, 'Need for Triangulated Methodologies in Criminal Justice and Criminological Research: Exploring Legal Techniques as an Additional Method' (2011) 24(1)
Criminal Justice Studies 83, 85 & 88.
20 Lynden Griggs, 'A Consumer Based Regulatory Pyramid to Improve Animal Welfare' (2009) (3) Australian Animal
Protection Law Journal 7324, 11 and ER Arnott et al, 'Estimating the Economic Value of Australian Stock Herding Dogs' (2014) 23 Animal Welfare 189.
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Ideally, the participants would have been representative of the general population of all dog owners in Australia.21 However given the ethical requirement for voluntary participation and the reality that some dog owners will be more likely to volunteer to complete a survey than others, it is recognised that the sample obtained may not be truly representative. In an effort to ensure that the survey participants are representative of the general Australian population some of the statistics that emerged from the survey data are compared to survey data obtained by the Australian Companion Animal Council in 2010 about pet ownership in Australia. In both the Australian Companion Animal Council survey of 2010 and the survey of dog owners undertaken as part of this research 91% of owners indicate that to them, their dog is a member of the family.22 This provides some indication that the data obtained in this research is a representative sample.
There were two stages to the generation of questions for the survey questionnaire. The first stage was the comprehensive literature review that provided the basis for the questions around dog acquisition and dog health. The literature review, case law analysis and an initial analysis of the interview data provided the basis for the questions around the issues in dog breeding. Before the survey was activated it was tested a number of times by sending it to a number of colleagues and other academics. Two dog owners were asked to complete it and provide feedback to ensure the questions were clear and easy to answer.23
The survey was open for eight weeks and was promoted in a number of ways. Five hundred post cards were printed for distribution and two web links created for distribution on social media Facebook groups. A copy of the post cards is set out in Appendix 5. The post cards were
21 Vanessa Ilse Rohlf, Beliefs Underlying Dog Owner's Management Practices (Doctor of Philosophy Thesis, PhD Thesis, Monash University 2013), 64.
22 91% in both the Australian Companion Animal Council 2010 survey and the dog owner survey conducted as part of this research. Australian Companion Animal Council, 'Contribution of the Pet Care Industry to the Australian Economy - 7th Edition' (Animal Health Alliance 2010).
23 Fritz Scheuren, 'What is a Survey' (2004) <http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/20054592?q&versionId=23620207>, 31.
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distributed at a number of dog events, such as at dog walking meetings, the Million Paws Walk.24 These cards were also posted to a number of veterinary practices and dog grooming businesses randomly chosen in four States. The link to the survey was posted on not less than 20 Facebook group pages.
The sample ultimately consisted of 2841 dog owners who filled out a self-administered online survey.25 The data obtained was transferred from Survey Monkey into excel spreadsheets and analysed in the ways that are set out in Part IV of this Chapter.
5.5 Dog Breeder Survey (Data Set 5)
A similar approach was implemented with the development of the breeder survey. An online survey was developed to collect data around such things as: breeding practices; breeders’ perceptions around their responsibility for the dogs they produce; the health testing they do; what they provide to purchasers; and the perceptions of the type of breeding establishment they operate. This survey contained 43 questions, eight of which were prepared to collect data for this research. A copy of the survey questions is set out in Appendix 4.
Ideally, the participants would have been representative of all dog breeders in Australia.26 Links to the survey were distributed as widely as possible, including emails to the State and Territory canine associations, veterinary schools at a number of Australian Universities and social media dog breeding and dog health forums and groups. The sample ultimately consisted of 275 dog breeders who filled out a self-administered online survey. The survey did not ask breeders to self-select what type of breeder they believed they were. They were asked to disclose how many litters that they breed in 2014. Appendix 15 sets out the data obtained in relation to number of litters bred. This discloses that the majority of breeders that undertook the breeder survey bred less than 5 litters in the year disclosed, confirming that most would be classed as hobby or
24 The Million Paws Walk is an annual fundraising even undertaken by the RSPCA across Australia. http://www.eventlist.com.au/event/rspca-million-paws-walk-hobart/.
25 Michael J Dotson and Eva M Hyatt, 'Understanding Dog–Human Companionship' (2008) 61(5) Journal of Business
Research 457 page 460. 26 Rohlf, above n 21, 64.
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recreational breeders. The survey was open for a 16-week period. The data obtained was transferred from Survey Monkey into excel spreadsheets and analysed as set out in Part IV of this Chapter.