As for most environmental management efforts, attitudes are one of the key concepts that should be considered in the context of conservation projects regarding animals because they are influential for the level of commitment and support that people provide for the related legislations and other management strategies (Lindsey, du Toit, & Mills, 2005). Moreover, positive environmental attitudes are listed among the most frequently stated learning outcomes that environmental education programs aim to achieve in order to contribute to the protection of natural resources and the diversity of life forms (Barney, Mintzes, & Yen, 2005). Therefore, it can be inferred that investigating attitudes of people toward animals together with the factors underlying those attitudes would contribute to the success of corresponding environmental conservation efforts and educational programs. Correspondingly, when the related literature is examined it will be noticed that ‘fear’ is frequently referred to explain differences in people’s attitudes toward animals. For instance, one of the attitudinal dimensions in Kellert’s (1996) scale regarding attitudes toward wildlife and the environment was named as ‘negativistic’ attitude dimension and was characterized as an active avoidance of animals as a result of dislike or fear.

At this point, the present study is believed to provide a suitable context to investigate the relationship between fear of and attitudes toward animals. That is to say, the study is carried out in a university which is located on a natural area where many species of wild animals and a large number of stray dogs inhabit. Management of these stray dogs is such a controversial environmental issue that no consensus has been reached among the members of the university. While some state their desire to live in harmony with the dogs of the campus, some others exhibit negative attitudes arguing that they do not feel themselves safe in the campus due to the stray dog attacks. Actually, research shows that experience with animals are influential in fear patterns of people regarding those animals (Røskaft, Bjerke, Kaltenborn, Linnell, & Andersen, 2003). Accordingly, in the present study having witnessed a dog attack was taken as an indicator of higher fear towards dogs and was used to test the relationship between fear of and attitudes toward dogs. Based on research findings revealing the effects of negative experiences on people’s attitudes towards animals, a statistically significant difference in the attitudes of the participants towards dogs was hypothesized in favor of the ones who had not witnessed any dog attack in the campus.

The reason for studying attitudes toward dogs and testing its relationship with fear in a local context is mostly based on suggestions of previous researchers. For instance, Kortenkamp and Moore (2001) stated that using environmental issues that respondents are more familiar, more likely to encounter and more likely to make decisions about would reveal more accurate information. Therefore, respondents of the present study are believed to reflect their actual attitudes towards dogs since they are very familiar with the environmental issue regarding the stray dogs in the campus.

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