Pages 2021-2.cdr INTRODUCTION Mobile communica�on technology has become an omnipresent feature in all sectors of our lives. This tool has been used f o r q u i t e s o m e � m e t o e n h a n c e communica�on between people and, in recent �mes, for monitoring remote events as well as human health and performance. While the emphasis of research has been on communica�on between people, trials on the use of this technology to enhance interac�on between veterinarians and animal owners have of late gained importance. With an increase from 14.5 6653 Research Article Journal of Extension Educa�on Vol. 33 No.2, 2021 DOI: h�ps://doi.org/10.26725/ 1 2 3 653JEE.202 . .3 .6 -6661 Demographic and Percep�on Studies of a Mobile Applica�on among Dog Breeders and Owners Demian C Johnson ¹ P. Reeja George ² and Mahesh Chander ¹ ABSTRACT Informa�on and Communica�on Technology is, today, an integral part of our daily world. However, despite the wide use of this technology elsewhere, it has only recently been adopted for engagement in veterinary services, especially in India. It was in this context that an applica�on for dog breeders and owners was developed, and their percep�ons about various aspects of the applica�on were assessed, as well as the possible use and impact that veterinary applica�ons could have in improving veterinarian client management. The present inves�ga�on was exploratory in nature and conducted with dog breeders and owners from four districts of Kerala. A�er due consulta�on with prominent veterinarians and scien�sts, priori�sa�on of the contents was followed. The contents were ve�ed, compiled, and the data was fed to a na�ve mobile applica�on. A sample (n = 40) of dog breeders/owners was chosen from the four districts. Along with telephonic follow-ups, APK (Android Package) and Google form ques�onnaires were mailed to the dog owners/ breeders. The breeders/owners were mostly young, educated males who had access to and were comfortable using a smartphone. The 'VetCan' mobile applica�on was mainly reported to have an average engagement, was highly func�onal, possessed pleasant aesthe�cs, and contained highly informa�onal content. Keywords: Dog breeder; Mobile phone; Android Package file; percep�on study; Kerala 1. ICAR-IVRI, Izatnagar, Bareilly-243122, 2. Department of Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Extension, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Mannuthy, Kerala Received : 19-03-2022; Accepted: 13-05-2022 6654 million pets in 2014 to 22.1 million in 2018, India's pet count has grown at a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 11.0 per cent. The pet popula�on is projected to increase at a 9.6 per cent CAGR for the period 2019 to 2023. Pet dogs represented 88.0 per cent of the pet popula�on in 2018, with a CAGR of 11.4 per cent between 2014 and 2018 and this is expected to grow at a CAGR of 10.0 per cent, a�aining 31.4 million by 2023 (Government of Canada, 2019). The pet industry in Kerala has also witnessed significant expansion over the last few decades, as evidenced by the report of the Twen�eth Livestock Census that reported that there were 8,36,270 pet dogs in Kerala (The Hindu, 2021). However, there are compara�vely few full-�me professional dog breeders in the state, and most of the dog owners/breeders are not fully into the business of dog breeding. There has also been a concurrent growth in various pet accessories and many mobile applica�ons have also been combined with wearables, e.g. WagTag. All these developments have improved the overall management and handling of our canine companions (Weiss et al., 2013). There is a demand from dog breeders to have access to correct and �mely informa�on. However, use of smartphone applica�ons can help in assis�ng breeders and dog owners with s c h e d u l i n g a p p o i n t m e n t s w i t h veterinarians, making the owners aware of first aid to be adhered to in an emergency, as well as general guidelines for the upkeep of the animal. It is in this context that the development of mobile applica�ons for canine management and health care a s s u m e s s i g n i fi c a n c e . S u c h m o b i l e applica�ons are important in that they can serve as a repository of informa�on for breeders, thus saving �me, money, and effort. In light of the concerns men�oned, the present study was undertaken to design a m o b i l e a p p l i c a � o n ,' Ve t C a n '. T h e applica�on was also tested among dog breeders, and this paper discusses their percep�ons of the applica�on as well. METHODOLOGY ‘VetCan' was prepared along the lines of the Mobile Applica�on "Best Prac�ces Model" (Flora et al. 2014) with slight modifica�ons. Content development was ini�ated by iden�fying the poten�al b ro a d d o m a i n s fo r i n c l u s i o n i n t h e applica�on. The broad areas to be included in the applica�on were arrived at through d i s c u s s i o n s w i t h v e t e r i n a r i a n s , d o g breeders and scien�sts. The three broad areas iden�fied were diseases, management and other important features of the applica�on that the respondents would like to be included in the applica�on. A list of commonly occurring canine diseases, areas of management of canines, and broad features that should be included in the Journal of Extension Educa�on 6655 applica�on were prepared and sent for ve�ng to five veterinarians and scien�sts. These domains were carefully ve�ed by five scien�sts and five veterinarians who rated the contents on a three point con�nuum viz., marginally important, moderately important, and extremely important with scores of 1, 2, and 3 respec�vely based on which the domains were priori�sed based on their importance and relevance in day- to-day prac�ses (Wentling, 1993). The mean of means for each category was calculated, and from among the categories, those items which had a higher score than the average were selected to be included in the mobile applica�on. Content for the mobile applica�on was developed a�er a thorough review of relevant literature and discussion with experts in the areas, a�er which the developed content was sent to five scien�sts and five veterinarians for assessment in order to ensure that the mobile applica�on was valid (Bernard, 2017; Seidler, 1974). A�er redressing the issues, the applica�on was developed with the help of so�ware experts, incorpora�ng t h e t e c h n i c a l i n f o r m a � o n . T h e a p p encompassed a user interface that was rela�vely user friendly. The quality of the applica�on, also referred to as 'App quality", was assessed across four domains, viz., engagement, func�onality, aesthe�cs, and informa�on u s i n g t h e M o b i l e A p p R a � n g S c a l e (Stoyanov et al. 2015). Once the mobile applica�on was rolled out as an Android Package (APK) file, it was sent to a non- sample group comprising ten veterinarians f o r p r e - t e s � n g t h e s c a l e . T h e fi n a l ques�onnaire that included demographic details of the respondents and the scale to assess the quality of the applica�on, was then sent to an accidental sample of ten dog breeders each from four districts of Kerala viz., Thrissur, Kollam, Ernakulam, and Thiruvananthapuram, that had the highest canine popula�on (Source: Department of Animal Husbandry, Kerala). FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION Demographic profile of dog breeders and owners A notable male dominant presence in the dog breeding / dog owners scene was evident from the fact that eight out of ten breeders studied were male and just two out of ten were women. This finding was in stark contrast to the figure recorded in China, that 65 per cent of dog owners were women (Huang and Chueh, 2020). Similarly, it was also reported that dog owners in the studied areas of Italy were most likely to be women (Carvelli et al. 2020). Also, 40 per cent of the dog owners surveyed were males, in New Zealand (Flint et al. 2010). It was realised that 65 per cent of the breeders fell into the category designated as young, while just over one-fi�h (22.5 per cent) were middle-aged, and older breeders comprised 5 per cent of the studied sample. These findings were consistent with those Demographic and percep�on studies of a mobile applica�on among dog breeders and owners 6656 found among Brazilian dog owners, where the age category of 20 years or more was significantly associated with the number of dogs owned (Mar�ns et al., 2013).The conclusions of the present study were further endorsed by reports that pet owners in New Zealand were most likely to be younger (Fraser et al., 2020) and studies from China reported that over 57 per cent of pet owners were in the age groups of 11 to 20, 21 to 30, and 31 to 40 years of age (Huang and Chueh, 2020). It was also clear from the results of this study that 50 per cent of the breeders were married and 50 per cent were unmarried. Findings comparable to those observed in this study were seen in New Zealand where dog owners were most likely to be parents (Fraser et al., 2020) and also in the findings from Italy, where dog breeders were most likely to be married or in long term commi�ed rela�onships (Carvelli et al., 2020). Similar findings of dogs being more likely to be associated with family se�ngs were endorsed by the report from the United States, where it was observed that family households remained more likely to own dogs than non-families and this tendency was higher in larger families as well (A.V.M.A, 2018). Regarding the educa�onal qualifica�ons of dog breeders in this study, it was observed that forty-five per cent of dog breeders had completed gradua�on while, 22.5 per cent had a qualifica�on of plus two or its equivalent and 22.5 per cent had an educa�onal status of j u s t c l e a r i n g t h e S c h o o l Le av i n g Cer�ficate Examina�on. None of the respondents had educa�onal qualifica�ons lower than a pass at the School Leaving Cer�ficate level. These conclusions were fairly similar to dog owners in America, where it was observed that 38 per cent of pet owners had a college educa�on that comprised four-year programmes and 18 per cent were graduates (Logan & Vet2Pet, 2018). The findings of the study were like those observed among Chinese pet owners, among whom 44 per cent had college educa�on and 21.72 percent had senior high school educa�on, while 28.29 per cent were graduates (Huang and Chueh, 2020). The results of this study also implied that 70 per cent of the dog breeders studied had an experience of less than ten years in rearing dogs, while 25 per cent had an experience of between 11 to 20 years, and a mere five per cent had been engaged in this ac�vity for over 20 years. This data is similar to that reported among dog breeders in Nigeria, where most dog breeders surveyed had less than 6 years of experience in dog breeding (Abiola et al., 2018). Regarding the variable training experience related to computers, the results of this study revealed that a significant n u m b e r ( 7 2 . 5 p e r c e n t ) o f d o g breeders/owners reported that they had a�ended no trainings related to computer whereas 27.5 per cent reported having Journal of Extension Educa�on Demographic and percep�on studies of a mobile applica�on among dog breeders and owners Table 1. Percep�on of Dog Breeders and Owners towards the Various Dimensions of the Quality of the Applica�on Scores Frequency (f) Percentage Less engaging (1 - 2.33) 1 2.50 Average engagement (2.33 - 3.66) 37 92.50 Highly engaging (3.66 - 5) 2 5.00 Total 40 100.00 Quality of the mobile applica�on Engagement Func�onality Nonfunc�onal / Less func�onal (1 - 2.33) 0 0.00 6657 a�ended up to five trainings. None of the dog breeders had a�ended more than five trainings. All the dog owners had access to smart phones, 50 per cent of them reported they could use a smartphone confidently w h i l e 4 5 p e r c e n t c o u l d o p e r a t e a smartphone but they were not confident about using it. Very few dog owners(5 per cent) needed assistance to operate a smartphone. In Tamil Nadu, mobile phones were being used by livestock owners to contact service providers (Tamizhkumaran and Natchimuthu, 2016). Mobile phones were being used by pastoralists of Tanzania to support livestock produc�on; the authors further reported that just 7.2 per cent of livestock owners owned smart phones (Karimuribo et al., 2016). Apart from u n d e rs t a n d i n g t h e co ntex t i n s m a r t phone,the availability of mobile phone service could also be a major impediment for farmers. Nevertheless, in many low- resource na�ons, the recent surge in mobile phone usage, greater signal penetra�on, and development of cheap handsets has opened prospects for growth in the fl e d g l i n g m o b i l e h e a l t h c a r e s e c t o r (Bhatnagar, 2015).The results of the present study on usage of the smartphone to access informa�on related to animal health and managment suggested that 22.5 per cent of the dog breeders/owners never used their smartphone for this purpose while another 22.5 per cent used their smart phones once a week, 27.5 per cent of breeders/owners reported a lesser frequency of usage of once in two weeks while 27.5 per cent reported a smartphone usage frequency of once a month to access applica�ons related to health and management. According to other research findings, 91 per cent of dairy farmers in Germany own a smartphone, and 61 per cent have already downloaded a herd management app. Furthermore, 38 per cent of early adopters use such an applica�on daily, which was converse from our observa�ons (Michels et al., 2019). Scores Frequency (f) PercentageQuality of the mobile applica�on Func�onality Aesthe�cs Inadequate aesthe�cs (1 - 2.33) 0 0.00 Medium aesthe�cs (2.33 - 3.66) 12 30.00 Pleasant aesthe�cs (3.66 - 5) 28 70.00 Total 40 100.00 Informa�on Li�le/No informa�on (3.66 - 5) 0 0.00 Adequate informa�on (2.33 - 3.66) 10 25.00 Highly informa�onal (1 - 2.33) 30 75.00 Total 40 100.00 Substan�ally func�onal (2.33 - 3.66) 16 40.00 Highly func�onal (3.66 - 5) 24 60.00 Total 40 100.00 6658 Journal of Extension Educa�on It is no�ceable from the data in the table that very few (2.5 per cent) of the breeders studied perceived the applica�on to be less engaging, while most of them (92.5 per cent) realised that the applica�on had an average level of engagement. It was also clear that 60 per cent of the breeders found the mobile applica�on to be highly func�onal, whereas 40 per cent reported the app to be substan�ally func�onal and none found it to be non/less func�onal. A significant majority of the breeders/dog owners reported that the mobile app has pleasant aesthe�cs, whereas for 30 per cent of the owners, the applica�on had a medium aesthe�c level. Data on the informa�on content of the applica�on r e v e a l e d t h a t 7 5 p e r c e n t o f t h e breeders/dog owners felt that the mobile app was highly informa�onal, whereas 25 per cent felt that the informa�on content of the applica�on was sa�sfactory. The outcomes of the present study shed light on the fact that nearly all the respondents perceived the informa�on contained in the applica�on to be on a con�nuum, from adequate to highly informa�onal, which could be important in increasing their sa�sfac�on with using the applica�on, since it has also been reported that increased levels of perceived accuracy of informa�on could increase sa�sfac�on of the user, which would translate into a greater perceived behavioural inten�on to use the applica�on (Huang and Chueh, 2020). In the smart phone app market, a developer may help iden�fy his or her mobile app's quality and enhance it by crea�ng a good publicity campaign for the applica�on, considering user feedback, giving bug/crash repor�ng methods, and reviewing the app's usefulness (Zahra et al. 2013). Thus, we can imply that, despite differences in demographic parameters and in the ability to use a smartphone, the 'VetCan' app was well approved by the sample popula�on of dog breeders and owners. It also underlines the need to develop such ICT tools and other expert systems to provide authen�c informa�on to enhance knowledge and ap�tude with regard to canine management and health care. CONCLUSION We can conclude that the dog breeders/owners inves�gated in Kerala were predominantly young married males w h o h a d a cq u i re d va r y i n g l eve l s of educa�onal qualifica�ons with no formal training in computers. The dog breeders had less than ten years of experience. Despite this, a substan�al number of dog breeders possessed a smartphone, though many were not confident in using it. Among the dog breeders and owners, the frequency of smartphone use varied.The 'VetCan' mobile applica�on was mostly reported to have an average engagement, was highly func�onal, p o s s e s s e d p l e a s a n t a e s t h e � c s , a n d contained highly informa�onal content. In the coming years, policy makers can also help enforce laws with regard to canine welfare by enlis�ng guidelines and rules, in such applica�on, to regulate dog breeding ethically. Thus, new applica�ons that cater to dog breeders and dog owners w i l l s u p p o r t c a n i n e h e a l t h c a re a n d management by enhancing access and availability of crucial informa�on. REFERENCES American Veterinary Medical Associa�on. AVMA. (2018). U.S. pet ownership s t a � s � c s [ O n l i n e ] . h � p s : // w w w. a v m a . o r g /re s o u rc e s - t o o l s / reports-sta�s�cs/us-pet-ownership- sta�s�cs Retrieved June 4 2021. American Veterinary Medical Associa- �on. Abiola, O. J., Babatunde, O. D., & Adebiyi, A. I . ( 2 0 1 8 ) . S o c i o d e m o g r a p h i c characteris�cs of dog breeders in some s e l e c t e d s t at e s i n s o u t h we s t e r n Nigeria. Nigerian Veterinary Journal, 39(3),194–198.h�ps://doi.org/10.431 4/nvj.v39i3.2 Bernard, H. R. (2017). Res. Methods in a n t h r o p o l o g y : Q u a l i t a � v e a n d quan�ta�ve approaches. Rowman & Li�lefield Publishing Group. Bhatnagar, S. (2015). Using ICT to improve governance and service delivery to the poor. Governance in developing Asia. Edward Elgar Publishing. Carvelli, A., Scaramozzino, P., Iacoponi, F., Condoleo, R., & Della Marta, U. J. P. O. (2020). Size, demography, ownership profiles, and iden�fica�on rate of the owned dog popula�on in central Italy. P L O S O N E , 1 5 ( 1 0 ) , e 0 2 4 0 5 5 1 . h�ps://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone. 0240551 Flint, E. L., Minot, E. O., Perry, P. E., & Stafford, K. J. (2010). Characteris�cs of adult dog owners in New Zealand. New Zea l a n d Veter i n a r y Jo ur n a l , 5 8(2), 69–73.h�ps://doi.org/10.1080/00480 169.2010.65261 Flora, H., Wang, X., & Chande, S. (2014). An inves�ga�on into mobile applica�on development processes: Challenges and best prac�ces. Interna�onal Journal of Modern Educa�on and Computer S c i e n c e , 6 ( 6 ) , 1 – 9 . h� p s : //d o i . o rg / 10.5815/ijmecs.2014.06.01 Fraser, G., Huang, Y., Robinson, K., Wilson, M. S., Bulbulia, J., & Sibley, C. G. J. A. Demographic and percep�on studies of a mobile applica�on among dog breeders and owners 6659 https://doi.org/10.4314/nvj.v39i3.2 https://doi.org/10.4314/nvj.v39i3.2 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0240551 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0240551 https://doi.org/10.1080/00480169.2010.65261 https://doi.org/10.1080/00480169.2010.65261 https://doi.org/10.5815/ijmecs.2014.06.01 https://doi.org/10.5815/ijmecs.2014.06.01 https://doi.org/10.5815/ijmecs.2014.06.01 (2020). New Zealand pet owners' d e m o g r a p h i c c h a r a c t e r i s � c s , personality, and health and wellbeing: More than just a fluff piece. Anthrozoös, 3 3 ( 4 ) , 5 6 1 – 5 7 8 . h� p s : //d o i . o rg / 10.1080/08927936.2020.1771060 Government of Canada. (2022, May 5). Sector Analysis – Pet food trends trend in I n d i a . R e t r i e v e d M a y 6 , 2 0 2 2 . h�p://www.agr.gc.ca/eng/industry- markets-and-trade/interna�onal-agri- f o o d - m a r k e t - i n t e l l i g e n c e / reports/sector-trend-analysis-pet- f o o d - t r e n d s - i n - i n d i a / ? i d = 1563808207157#a. Agriculture and Agri-food Canada. Huang, D.H., & Chueh, H. E. (2021). Chatbot usage inten�on analysis: Veterinary consulta�on. Journal of Innova�on and K n o w l e d g e , 6 ( 3 ) , 135–144.h�ps://doi.org/10.1016/j.jik. 2020.09.002 Karimuribo, E. D., Batamuzi, E. K., Massawe, L. B., Silayo, R. S., Mgongo, F. O., Kimbita, E., & Wambura, R. M. (2016). Poten�al use of mobile phones in i m p rov i n g a n i m a l h e a l t h s e r v i ce delivery in underserved rural areas: Experience from Kilosa and Gairo districts in Tanzania. BMC Veterinary R e s e a r c h , 1 2 ( 1 ) , 2 1 9 . h � p s : // doi.org/10.1186/s12917-016-0860-z Logan, K. & VET2PET. (2018). Vet2Pet and Colorado State University release pet owner's percep�ons and use of vet. Mobile applica�ons study [Online]. h � p : / / v e t 2 p e t . c o m / w p - content/uploads/2017/02/For-print- Pet-Owner-Percep�ons-Mobile-Apps- copy-1.pdf. Retrieved June 6 2021 Mar�ns, C. M., Mohamed, A., Guimarães, A. M., de Barros, Cda C., Pampuch, Rdos S., Svoboda, W., Garcia, Rde C., Ferreira, F., & Biondo, A. W. (2013). Impact of demographic characteris�cs in pet ownership: Modeling animal count according to owners income and age. P r e v e n � v e Ve t e r i n a r y M e d i c i n e , 109(3–4), 213–218. h�ps://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2012.10.006 Michels, M., Bonke, V., & Musshoff, O. (2019). Understanding the adop�on of s m a r t p h o n e a p p s i n d a i r y h e r d management. Journal of Dairy Science, 1 0 2 ( 1 0 ) , 9 4 2 2 – 9 4 3 4 . h � p s : // doi.org/10.3168/jds.2019-16489 Seidler, J. (1974). On using informants: A technique for collec�ng quan�ta�ve data and controlling measurement error in organiza�on analysis. American S o c i o l o g i c a l R e v i e w , 3 9 ( 6 ) . h�ps://doi.org/10.2307/2094155 Stoyanov, S. R., Hides, L., Kavanagh, D. J., Zelenko, O., Tjondronegoro, D., & Mani, M. (2015). Mobile app ra�ng scale: A new tool for assessing the quality of health mobile apps. JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 3(1), e27. h�ps://doi.org/ 10.2196/mhealth.3422 Tamizhkumaran, J., & Natchimuthu, K. (2016). Effec�ve usage of cell phone for availing livestock services. Indian Journal of Science and Research, 34, 23–29. The Hindu. (2021). % Rise in State's livestock count [Online]. h�ps://www.thehindu .com/news/na�onal/kerala/634-rise- i n - s t a t e s - l i v e s t o c k c o u n t /a r � c l e 33882112. ece.Retrieved June 4 2021, 6(34) p. 6.34. Weiss, G. M., Nathan, A., Kropp, J., & Lockhart, J. W. (2013). WagTag: A dog Journal of Extension Educa�on6660 https://doi.org/10.1080/08927936.2020.1771060 https://doi.org/10.1080/08927936.2020.1771060 https://doi.org/10.1080/08927936.2020.1771060 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jik.2020.09.002 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jik.2020.09.002 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-016-0860-z https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-016-0860-z https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-016-0860-z https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2012.10.006 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2012.10.006 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2012.10.006 https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2019-16489 https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2019-16489 https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2019-16489 https://doi.org/10.2307/2094155 https://doi.org/10.2196/mhealth.3422 https://doi.org/10.2196/mhealth.3422 https://doi.org/10.2196/mhealth.3422 6661 collar accessory for monitoring canine ac�vity levels. Proceedings of the 2013 ACM Conference on Pervasive and U b i q u i t o u s C o m p u � n g A d j u n c t Publica�on (pp. 405–414). Wentling, T. L. (1993). Planning for effec�ve t r a i n i n g : A g u i d e t o c u r r i c u l u m development. Ro e: FAOm Zahra, S., Khalid, A., & Javed, A. (2013). An efficient and effec�ve new genera�on objec�ve quality model for mobile applica�ons. Interna�onal Journal of M o d e r n E d u c a � o n a n d C o m p u t e r Science, 5(4), 36–42. h�ps://doi.org/ 10.5815/ijmecs.2013.04.05 Demographic and percep�on studies of a mobile applica�on among dog breeders and owners https://doi.org/10.5815/ijmecs.2013.04.05 https://doi.org/10.5815/ijmecs.2013.04.05 https://doi.org/10.5815/ijmecs.2013.04.05 Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56