Executive Summary
The aim of this report is to analyse the data provided by the Rockhampton Regional Council to uncover key trends within the data.
Further, we would like to analyse the relationships between the variables presented in the given dataset to provide a more insightful analysis.
As the data has been provided by the government, it is considered to be a reliable source. ## Limitations of the Data
- In 273 observations, the birth year was not provided. Limitations of the data provided is that in 273 cases, the birth year was not provided.
- In 23 instances, the colour of the dog was not provided.
- It includes data for the year of birth but not the data for the year of registration.
- It was last updated in 2016, so it does not fully encapsulate the current situation in Rockhampton. However, since we have data from 1991, we can predict trends.
Main Discoveries:
- The most common breed of dog in the data are Staffordshire Bull Terriers. There is an almost equal number of female and male dogs in this region.
- Only 66% of dogs in Rockhampton have been desexed. Female dogs are more likely to be desexed than male dogs.
- Owners who desex their dogs are more likely to microchip them as well. However, a small proportion of owners have microchipped dogs that have not been desexed.
- Registration numbers have drastically increased, especially so from 2001 despite steady population growth, possibly attributed to the Animal Management (Cats and Dogs) Act 2008 or increased dog ownership.
Full Report
Initial Data Analysis (IDA)
A quick glance at the data:
# Load Data direct from html
dog = read.csv("http://www.maths.usyd.edu.au/u/UG/OL/OLEO1631/r/livelabs/report/data/rockhampton_regional_council_registered_dogs_in_2016.csv")
# Quick look at data
head(dog)
## Breed Gender Desexed Colour Microchipped
## 1 Maltese F Y White Y
## 2 Dachshund F Y Black/Tan N
## 3 Great Dane Cross M Y Brindle N
## 4 Australian Cattle Dog Cross F N Black/Tan N
## 5 Staffordshire Bull Terrier F Y Tan Y
## 6 Australian Kelpie F Y Black/Tan Y
## Birth.Year Suburb PostCode
## 1 2011 Allenstown 4700
## 2 2013 Allenstown 4700
## 3 2008 Allenstown 4700
## 4 2007 Allenstown 4700
## 5 2007 Allenstown 4700
## 6 2010 Allenstown 4700
dim(dog)
## [1] 7156 8
str(dog)
## 'data.frame': 7156 obs. of 8 variables:
## $ Breed : Factor w/ 198 levels "Airedale Terrier",..: 112 70 95 13 173 14 121 121 173 72 ...
## $ Gender : Factor w/ 2 levels "F","M": 1 1 2 1 1 1 2 1 2 1 ...
## $ Desexed : Factor w/ 2 levels "N","Y": 2 2 2 1 2 2 1 1 1 2 ...
## $ Colour : Factor w/ 135 levels "Apricot","Apricot/White",..: 117 16 32 16 106 16 117 134 36 19 ...
## $ Microchipped: Factor w/ 2 levels "N","Y": 2 1 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 2 ...
## $ Birth.Year : Factor w/ 26 levels "1992","1993",..: 20 22 17 16 16 19 24 24 20 22 ...
## $ Suburb : Factor w/ 48 levels "Allenstown","Alton Downs",..: 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 ...
## $ PostCode : int 4700 4700 4700 4700 4700 4700 4700 4700 4700 4700 ...
The data is considered to be a dataframe. All variables are qualitative. There are 7156 observations in this dataset. There are 8 variables in this data set, as listed below:
names(dog)
## [1] "Breed" "Gender" "Desexed" "Colour"
## [5] "Microchipped" "Birth.Year" "Suburb" "PostCode"
Research Questions
- What is the most common breed of registered dog?
- Are most dogs desexed? Are male or female dogs more likely to be desexed?
- How has the number of dog registrations changed over time?
What is most common breed and sex of registered dogs?
table(dog$Breed)
##
## Airedale Terrier Airedale Terrier Cross
## 1 2
## Akita Inu Alaskan Malamute
## 1 26
## Alaskan Malamute Cross American Bulldog
## 14 28
## American Bulldog Cross American Staffordshire Terrier
## 13 78
## American Staffordshire Terrier Cross Australian Bull Dog
## 41 18
## Australian Bull Dog Cross Australian Cattle Dog
## 4 248
## Australian Cattle Dog Cross Australian Kelpie
## 188 64
## Australian Kelpie Cross Australian Koolie
## 156 4
## Australian Koolie Cross Australian Shepherd
## 5 4
## Australian Shepherd Cross Australian Silky Terrier
## 1 65
## Australian Silky Terrier Cross Australian Terrier
## 41 16
## Australian Terrier Cross Bandog
## 8 17
## Bandog Cross Basenji
## 9 1
## Basset Hound Beagle
## 1 45
## Beagle Cross Bearded Collie
## 11 2
## Bearded Collie Cross Belgian Shepherd Dog
## 1 4
## Belgian Shepherd Dog Cross Bichon Frise
## 1 17
## Bichon Frise Cross Border Collie
## 12 226
## Border Collie Cross Boston Terrier
## 130 1
## Boxer Boxer Cross
## 62 57
## Briard Cross British Bulldog
## 1 7
## British Bulldog Cross Bull Arab
## 2 71
## Bull Arab Cross Bull Dog
## 238 14
## Bull Dog Cross Bull Terrier
## 6 29
## Bull Terrier Cross Bullmastiff
## 13 31
## Bullmastiff Cross Cairn Terrier
## 70 2
## Cairn Terrier Cross Catahoula Leopard Dog
## 1 10
## Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Cross
## 59 18
## Cavoodle Chihuahua
## 14 166
## Chihuahua Cross Chinese Crested Dog
## 79 2
## Chinese Crested Dog (Powder Puff) Chow Chow
## 1 1
## Chow Chow Cross Cocker Spaniel
## 1 29
## Cocker Spaniel Cross Collie
## 7 9
## Collie Cross Corgi
## 18 13
## Corgi Cross Dachshund
## 8 49
## Dachshund Cross Dalmatian
## 21 24
## Dalmatian Cross Dingo Cross
## 7 1
## Doberman Doberman Cross
## 23 1
## Dogue De Bordeaux Dogue De Bordeaux Cross
## 3 2
## English Bull Terrier English Springer Spaniel
## 15 9
## Fox Terrier Fox Terrier Cross
## 113 140
## French Bull Dog German Coolie Cross
## 9 5
## German Shepherd Dog German Shepherd Dog Cross
## 225 54
## German Shorthair Pointer German Shorthair Pointer Cross
## 13 1
## German Spitz German Spitz Cross
## 3 1
## German Wire Haired Pointer Golden Retriever
## 1 54
## Golden Retriever Cross Great Dane
## 8 39
## Great Dane Cross Greyhound
## 85 41
## Greyhound Cross Irish Setter
## 2 2
## Irish Wolfhound Irish Wolfhound Cross
## 12 53
## Jack Russell Terrier Jack Russell Terrier Cross
## 129 86
## Keeshond King Charles Spaniel
## 1 9
## King Charles Spaniel Cross Labradoodle
## 4 7
## Labradoodle Cross Labrador Retriever
## 1 232
## Labrador Retriever Cross Lhasa Apso
## 154 12
## Lhasa Apso Cross Maltese
## 8 126
## Maltese Cross Maremma Sheepdog
## 308 15
## Maremma Sheepdog Cross Mastiff
## 3 21
## Mastiff Cross Miniature Bull Terrier
## 158 2
## Miniature Dachshund Miniature Dachshund Cross
## 51 6
## Miniature Fox Terrier Miniature Fox Terrier Cross
## 120 43
## Miniature Pinscher Miniature Poodle
## 2 22
## Miniature Poodle Cross Miniature Schnauzer
## 3 1
## Miniature Wirehair Dachshund Mixed Breed
## 2 125
## Moodle (Maltese/Poodle Cross) Neopolitan Mastiff
## 51 30
## Neopolitan Mastiff Cross Norwegian Elkhound
## 18 2
## Old English Sheepdog Old English Sheepdog Cross
## 1 1
## Papillon Papillon Cross
## 11 5
## Pekingese Pit Bull Terrier
## 3 1
## Pointer Pointer Cross
## 2 5
## Pomeranian Pomeranian Cross
## 38 47
## Poodle Poodle Cross
## 53 43
## Portuguese Water Dog Pug
## 2 25
## Pug Cross Rhodesian Ridgeback
## 14 13
## Rhodesian Ridgeback Cross Rottweiler
## 42 110
## Rottweiler Cross Rough Collie
## 56 2
## Samoyed Samoyed Cross
## 2 2
## Schnauzer Schnauzer Cross
## 7 1
## Schnoodle (Schnauzer/Poodle Cross) Scottish Terrier
## 1 1
## Shar Pei Shar Pei Cross
## 26 39
## Shepherd Shepherd Cross
## 6 3
## Shetland Sheepdog Shetland Sheepdog Cross
## 4 1
## Shih Tzu Shih Tzu Cross
## 79 138
## Siberian Husky Siberian Husky Cross
## 50 14
## Skye Terrier Cross Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier
## 1 1
## Spaniel Spoodle (Spaniel/Poodle Cross)
## 3 6
## Staffordshire Bull Terrier Staffordshire Bull Terrier Cross
## 425 278
## Staghound Staghound Cross
## 1 2
## Sydney Silky Terrier Sydney Silky Terrier Cross
## 1 1
## Tenterfield Terrier Tenterfield Terrier Cross
## 26 9
## Terrier Terrier Cross
## 38 55
## Tibetan Spaniel Tibetan Spaniel Cross
## 30 5
## Tibetan Terrier Tibetan Terrier Cross
## 2 1
## Toy Fox Terrier Toy Poodle
## 1 58
## Toy Poodle Cross Weimaraner
## 7 8
## Weimaraner Cross Welsh Springer Spaniel
## 1 3
## West Highland White Terrier West Highland White Terrier Cross
## 12 1
## Whippet Wire Haired Fox Terrier
## 13 5
## Yorkshire Terrier Yorkshire Terrier Cross
## 1 2
breed = dog$Breed
counts = table(breed)
par(las = 2)
par(mar=c(15,4,4,2))
barplot(counts[counts > 200], ylim = c(0,500), ylab = "Number of Dogs", main = "Most Common Dog Breeds in Rockhampton", col = rainbow(8))
The three most common breed of registered dogs are staffordshire bull terriers, maltese cross, and staffordshire bull terrier cross. However, the proportions of these breeds in the entire set are very small with 0.06% , 0.04% and 0.038% respectively. This plot is produced using the data of the eight most common dog breeds.
Next, we need to analyse the sexes of the dogs.
table(dog$Gender)
##
## F M
## 3595 3561
The data shows 3595 female and 3561 male dogs. This is an almost even split.
Are most dogs desexed? Are dog owners more likely to desex male or female dogs?
It is important for all pets to be desexed. We will analyse the these practices in Rockhampton.
table(dog$Desexed)
##
## N Y
## 2388 4768
t = table(dog$Desexed)
barplot(t, names.arg = c("Not Desexed","Desexed"), col = c("lightblue", "lavender"), main = "Desexing Status In Rockhampton Dogs", ylab = "Number of Dogs", ylim = c(0,5000))
4768 dogs in this region have been desexed whilst 2388 dogs have not been desexed. This equates to only 66% of dogs in Rockhampton being desexed. The total count is 7156 dogs.
Now, we must examine which sex is more likely to be desexed.
table(dog$Desexed, dog$Gender)
##
## F M
## N 995 1393
## Y 2600 2168
counts = table(dog$Desexed, dog$Gender)
barplot(counts, names.arg = c("Female", "Male"), col = cm.colors(2), legend = c("Entire", "Desexed"), ylim = c(0,4000), ylab ="Number of Desexed Dogs", xlab = "Sex", main = "Number of Desexed Dogs By Gender")
The data shows that more female dogs in Rockhampton have been desexed than male dogs. 2600 female dogs were desexed compared to 2168 male dogs. On the other hand, only 995 female dogs weren’t desexed yet 1393 male dogs were not desexed.
This may be because male dogs cannot become pregnant so it is seen as less important. However, this assumption cannot be confirmed without collecting more data in regard to public opinion.
According to Attitudes of Dog Owners to Neutering Pets: Demographic Data and Effects of Owner Attitudes, “Nearly twice as many male owners agreed that desexing male dogs removed maleness… More male than female dog owners were ignorant about whether desexing changed personality, made dogs frustrated, or if female dogs should have a season or a litter before desexing. The study showed a gender bias in owner attitudes to all the attitude questions.” (Blackshaw and Day, 1994)
This journal article provides us with context as to why so many dogs remain entire. Unfortunately, the data does not include the gender of the primary owner.
Microchipping is another important responsibility of pet ownership. The data shows that 5085 dogs have been microchipped out of 7156 observations. This leave 2071 dogs without microchips.
According to the journal article ‘Why Do Even Committed Dog Owners Fail to Comply with Some Responsible Ownership Practices?’, a study was conducted that found: “Participants in Queensland were less likely to microchip their dogs than participants in other states. Dog age was also associated with a decreased likeihood of microchipping.” (Rohlf et al., 2010)
table(dog$Microchipped)
##
## N Y
## 2071 5085
chip = table(dog$Microchipped, dog$Birth.Year)
barplot(chip, col = c(rainbow(9)), legend = c("Microchipped", "Not Microchipped"), args.legend = list(x="topleft"), main = "Microchipping by Dog Age", ylab = "Number of Dogs", xlab = "Year of Birth")
We need to acknowledge with this summary, however, that we do not know at what age the dogs had been microchipped. However, we can see that, generally, dogs with later birth years are more likely to be microchipped than older dogs. We know many dogs included in this dataset are no longer alive. On average, dogs live for 15 years, so we will only look at the data from 2001 onwards. As the data was finalised in 2016, younger dogs were more likely to be registered than a dog born the year before. However, we need to be tentative with this trend.
Are Desexed Dogs More Likely To Be Microchipped Than entire Dogs?
We would like to examine if owners who desex their dogs are more likely to also get them microchipped. The data is outlined in the table and mosaic plot below.
dm <- matrix(c(1140, 1248, 931, 3837), ncol =2, byrow = TRUE)
colnames(dm) <- c("Entire", "Desexed")
rownames(dm) <- c("Not Microchipped", "Microchipped")
dm <- as.table(dm)
dm
## Entire Desexed
## Not Microchipped 1140 1248
## Microchipped 931 3837
mosaicplot(dm, main = "Desexing Status of Rockhampton Pets by Microchipping Status", col = c("lightblue", "lavender"))
The dataset shows that those who desex their dogs are significantly more likely to also get them microchipped. Desexed and microchipped dogs make up a large proportion of the data.
It also showed that a small number, 931 dogs, are not desexed yet are microchipped. This could possibly be accounted for by registered and backyard breeders but without further sampling, we cannot know for certain.
How has the number of dog registrations changed over time?
table(dog$Desexed, dog$Birth.Year)
##
## 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
## N 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 2 6 18 22 17 33
## Y 2 1 1 3 2 5 7 10 34 63 78 99 124 169
##
## 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Null
## N 59 82 105 104 161 172 216 251 391 545 53 147
## Y 210 260 310 341 380 403 386 481 664 579 27 129
age <- table(dog$Desexed, dog$Birth.Year)
barplot(age, col= c("green", "yellow"), ylim = c(0,1200), legend = c("Desexed", "Entire"), main = "Number of Desexed Dogs by Age", ylab = "Number of Dogs", xlab = "Birth Year", args.legend = list(x="top"))
We know the data for the year of birth but not for year of registration. If we knew the registration year, we could see at what age registration mostly occurs throughout time.
Firstly, this graph shows us that the number of dogs registered in Rockhampton has drastically increased, especially since 2001. We must ask ourselves why this occurs.
Has Population Size in Rockhampton Increased?
In 1991, the population of Rockhamptom was 70,463 and in 2016 it was 76,985 as reported by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. This is minimal growth.
Therefore, population growth would have no impact on the drastic increase of dog registration.
Has Registration Become More Popular?
When the Animal Management (Cats and Dogs) Act 2008 came into law, you can see the drastic increase of registered dogs in the data. However, it was becoming increasingly popular since 2003. A lot of public education as well as legislation has made registration become more popular.
Additionally, dog ownership in Australian families has increased in the past 30 years.
Summary:
According to the “Animal Registrations” datset provided by the Rockhampton Regional Council, the three most common breeds in the region are staffordshire bull terriers, maltese cross and staffordshire bull terrier cross.
34% of dogs that have been registered with the council since 1991 have not been desexed. When broken down into sex, 72% of female dogs had been desexed whilst 60% of male dogs were desexed. Further, desexed dogs were more likely to be microchipped than entire dogs.
The number of registrations has skyrocketed since around 2001 which might be attributed to public education around responsible pet ownership, and changes in legislation that occured in 2008.
References
References Animal Management (Cats and Dogs) Act 2008.Chapter 2A.
Blackshaw, J. and Day, C. (1994). Attitudes of dog owners to neutering pets: demographic data and effects of owner attitudes. Australian Veterinary Journal, 71(4), pp.113-116.
Data.gov.au. (2019). Search. [online] Available at: https://data.gov.au/dataset/ds-dga-b8686856-0309-4fd8-a0bc-9b5740229e16/details [Accessed 30 Jul. 2019].
Rohlf, V., Bennett, P., Toukhsati, S. and Coleman, G. (2010). Why Do Even Committed Dog Owners Fail to Comply with Some Responsible Ownership Practices?. Anthrozoös, 23(2), pp.143-155.