Ecological features of the spatial structure and population size of the domestic dog (Canis familiaris) in the conditions of multi-storey buildings in Penza

Background. Among pets, a special place is occupied by the domestic dog (Canis familiaris), which is one of the most common pets. The diversity of its ecological and social status is determined by the peculiarities of reproduction and reproduction in cities and rural settlements and the degree of socialization. The purpose of the study was to conduct research on the ecological features of the spatial structure and population size of a domestic dog in a multi-storey building in Penza. Materials and methods. The material for the work was the results of surveys of stray dogs in the central part of the Arbekovo microdistrict in Penza, conducted in the winter of 2025. Dogs were counted using the route method. Absolute abundance and density values were used as the main estimated indicators of animal distribution. The features of the placement of dogs were assessed by the facts of the concentration of animals near any socio-cultural object or building, as well as by the results of correlation analysis. When accounting for stray dogs, in addition to the meeting place, gender, age (adult, puppy) and breed were recorded. Results. The analysis of dog records in 6 quarters of the Arbekov residential area revealed certain patterns in the placement of dogs, and also showed some dependence of the density and number of dogs on the characteristics of the technogenic structure of the studied residential areas. An analysis of the absolute number of dogs indicates an uneven occurrence of animals in all the studied accounting quarters. The number of domestic dogs is positively correlated with the size (number of houses) of the private sector (r = 0.835, p = 0.04), and the number of semi-free (conditionally employed) dogs is positively correlated with the number of parking lots in the registered quarters (r = 0.894, p = 0.02). Conclusions. The conducted studies of 6 quarters of the Arbekov residential area in Penza (24 % of the area of the area) have shown that urban environmental factors have little effect on the number of stray dogs. To a greater extent, the number, sex and breed composition of the urban dog population depends on the autonomous demographic processes that occur in the established territorial groupings of stray dogs, as well as on the human factor (maintenance and breeding). Any reliable relationships are noted only for individual environmental factors and individual accounting categories of dogs.