Demographic studies of owned dogs in the Northern Peninsula Area, Australia, to inform population and disease management strategies

Objective To generate domestic dog demographic information to aid population and disease management in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities of the Northern Peninsula Area, Queensland, Australia. Methods Sight–resight surveys using standard and modified methods were conducted to estimate the free‐roaming dog population size. A cross‐sectional questionnaire of dog owners was used to gather dog demographic information and investigate owners’ dog management behaviours. A survey was also conducted to estimate the total dog population size. Results The mean total dog population size was estimated to be 813 (range, 770–868). The roaming dog population was 430 or 542 (95% confidence interval (CI) 254–608; 95% CI 405–680, standard and modified methods, respectively). Therefore, the roaming population represents 52.8% or 66.7% of the total population based on the sight–resight methodology. We surveyed 65 dog owners who owned 165 dogs (1 : 1 ratio of male : female dogs). Only 14% (95% CI 9–19) of dogs were sterilised and significantly more males were entire (P = 0.02). Although most dogs were pets (65%), hunting dogs were significantly more likely to be taken outside of the resident community (P