Authors: Elena Ganacheva
My role: Visualization Consultant
Target audience: Potential Dog Owners
The dog ownership is growing and it is important for potential dog owners to make educated decisions about the type fo dog they adopt. According to the American Veterinary Medical Associsation, 38.4% of households owned a dog in 2018. After the pandemic, this percentage is only growing. According to the ASPCA’s National Rehoming Survey, pet problems are the most common reason that owners rehome their pet, accounting for 47% of rehomed dogs. These are defined as problematic behaviors, aggressive behaviors, grew larger than expected, or health problems the owner couldn’t handle. With appropriate education on the traits of different dog breeds, potential dog owners can make an informed decision about the right dog for their family.
I am using the Tidy Tuesday Dog Breeds Dataset which comes from the American Kennel Club (AKC). This dataset is licensed under the Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal License.
It includes data about 194 dog breeds ranking their expression of 14 traits on a scale of 1 to 5, as well as the Coat Type and Length for each breed. The dataset also includes a written description of all the traits along with the ranking of the dogs by popularity between 2013 and 2020. Links to images of each breed as well as the AKC website page is also included in the dataset.
This data only covers purebred dog breeds recognized by the AKC and may not fully reflect the range of options available to potential dog owners, but they can still learn about the dominant traits of the breeds that make up hybrid breeds such as Goldendoodles or mixed breeds found in shelters.
Jacob is interested in adopting a dog to join his growing family. He has young children and another dog already and doesn't have time to take the dog on long walks. He has done a little bit of research, but is overwhelmed by the wide variety of dog breeds available. He wants to explore a limited list of dogs that are good with children, good with other dogs, and has a low energy level. First, he sees three dropdown lists where he can input his priorities. He can change the trait to be low/high and he see a list of dog breeds that match his preferences. He can then go to the Explore the Breeds tab to learn more about the top breeds by looking at a bar chart of all the traits and a picture of what the dog breed looks like. If he is interested, he can click on the Learn More about the Breed link to go to the detailed AKC website page about the breed to fully investigate if this the dog breed for him. If he is confused about what the traits mean, he can go to the Traits Description tab to read about each trait and what that might look like in his future dog. He learns that a Basset Hound might be the best choice for his needs and is excited to start looking for his new best friend.