People love and value dogs for their unconditional love, loyalty and companionship.
Companion dogs are not just beloved pets; they contribute to domestic economies by driving pet
food, accessory, and pet health care industries that employ millions of people all over the world.
Companion dogs are valuable personal property that should be protected under the private
property laws that are reflected by the companion animal and stray dog control legislations. I
argue that comprehensive laws regulating companion animals’ ownership produce a reducing
effect on the stray dog population size within a country. Higher values of a dog under the law
leads to less stray dogs. My argument is motivated by the fact that some societies are better at
addressing stray dog problems than others. The variation in the stray dog population sizes across
45
countries is the main target of my research. I found that the level of property rights protection is
the driving force behind the stray dog population size.
Property rights guarantee the exclusiveness of the ownership. In the case of dog
ownership, secure property rights protect dog owners from property damages, but also implies
the owners’ full control over their property. Therefore, dog registration and licensing, humane
dog control practices and animal shelters are established to protect dog owners rights. These
regulations play a key role in the stray dog population management and reduction of its size. The
stray dog population is a relatively new topic in political science and economics. For the most
part, current academic research focuses the development of effective policies and regulation and
fails to establish the origin of the problem. Nonetheless, there are some research that investigates
the causes of the variation in the stray dog population across countries. These studies examine
economic development and socioeconomic differences as potential explanation for the issue.
None of the sources develop a theoretical foundation. Generally, there is not enough reliable
data and academic literature for the undergraduate level research.In spite of obvious limitations,
my research opens new research opportunities in two areas, private property and public policy
management. It reiterates recent findings that stray dogs are the problem in the developing and
developed countries. It contributes to the debate on the animal rights and offers a radically new
approach for animal welfare improvement.