They took the hair during admittance to the shelter, after 6 weeks in the shelter, 6 weeks after adoption, and 6 months after adoption.
The researchers applied a shave/re-shave protocol, which is where a bald spot is shaved or cut to let a re-shave of newly grown hair once they are no longer needed for the study.
They did also take urine samples five times while the dogs were at the shelter and after they got adopted.
A single hair sample was also taken from a control group of 20 non-shelter pet dogs.
The researchers found that there were not any major differences in HCC levels between shelter dogs and the control group.
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Article source: https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/1599296/dog-news-shocking-study-cortisol-hcc-dog-shelter-blue-cross