“<i>More Attention than Usual</i>”: A Thematic Analysis of Dog Ownership Experiences in the UK during the First COVID-19 Lockdown
On 23 March 2020, the UK Government imposed a nationwide lockdown as part of efforts to mitigate the impact of COVID-19. This study aimed to explore how the experience of dog ownership in the UK was impacted during this lockdown. Data for this research came from open-ended survey questions and an el...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Animals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/1/240 |
| _version_ | 1797409894668697600 |
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| author | Katrina E. Holland Sara C. Owczarczak-Garstecka Katharine L. Anderson Rachel A. Casey Robert M. Christley Lauren Harris Kirsten M. McMillan Rebecca Mead Jane K. Murray Lauren Samet Melissa M. Upjohn |
| author_facet | Katrina E. Holland Sara C. Owczarczak-Garstecka Katharine L. Anderson Rachel A. Casey Robert M. Christley Lauren Harris Kirsten M. McMillan Rebecca Mead Jane K. Murray Lauren Samet Melissa M. Upjohn |
| author_sort | Katrina E. Holland |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | On 23 March 2020, the UK Government imposed a nationwide lockdown as part of efforts to mitigate the impact of COVID-19. This study aimed to explore how the experience of dog ownership in the UK was impacted during this lockdown. Data for this research came from open-ended survey questions and an electronic diary completed by members of the general public and participants involved in “Generation Pup”, an ongoing longitudinal cohort study of dogs. A total of 10,510 free-text entries were analysed. Three major themes emerged: spending time at home with dog(s), walking practices, and behaviour and training. Owners valued having more time than usual with their dog(s) but also recognised that spending extra time with their dog(s) may negatively impact on the dog’s future ability to cope when left alone. However, very few owners provided alone time for their dog(s) during the lockdown. The opportunity to walk their dog(s) as part of their permitted daily exercise was regarded positively, but walks under the lockdown guidelines were not always felt to be adequate with respect to providing sufficient exercise and opportunities for interaction with other dogs. Owners reported observing new undesirable behaviours in their dog(s) during the lockdown, including barking and dogs being “clingy” or vocalising when briefly left alone. Based on these findings, we suggest intervention strategies to best support dog welfare that include helping dog owners to teach dogs to cope with being alone, even if owners do not need to leave their dogs alone. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T04:21:08Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a128301ebdfc42b59744d0da39f9999b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T04:21:08Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-a128301ebdfc42b59744d0da39f9999b2023-12-03T13:47:22ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152021-01-0111124010.3390/ani11010240“<i>More Attention than Usual</i>”: A Thematic Analysis of Dog Ownership Experiences in the UK during the First COVID-19 LockdownKatrina E. Holland0Sara C. Owczarczak-Garstecka1Katharine L. Anderson2Rachel A. Casey3Robert M. Christley4Lauren Harris5Kirsten M. McMillan6Rebecca Mead7Jane K. Murray8Lauren Samet9Melissa M. Upjohn10Dogs Trust, London EC1V 7RQ, UKDogs Trust, London EC1V 7RQ, UKDogs Trust, London EC1V 7RQ, UKDogs Trust, London EC1V 7RQ, UKDogs Trust, London EC1V 7RQ, UKDogs Trust, London EC1V 7RQ, UKDogs Trust, London EC1V 7RQ, UKDogs Trust, London EC1V 7RQ, UKDogs Trust, London EC1V 7RQ, UKDogs Trust, London EC1V 7RQ, UKDogs Trust, London EC1V 7RQ, UKOn 23 March 2020, the UK Government imposed a nationwide lockdown as part of efforts to mitigate the impact of COVID-19. This study aimed to explore how the experience of dog ownership in the UK was impacted during this lockdown. Data for this research came from open-ended survey questions and an electronic diary completed by members of the general public and participants involved in “Generation Pup”, an ongoing longitudinal cohort study of dogs. A total of 10,510 free-text entries were analysed. Three major themes emerged: spending time at home with dog(s), walking practices, and behaviour and training. Owners valued having more time than usual with their dog(s) but also recognised that spending extra time with their dog(s) may negatively impact on the dog’s future ability to cope when left alone. However, very few owners provided alone time for their dog(s) during the lockdown. The opportunity to walk their dog(s) as part of their permitted daily exercise was regarded positively, but walks under the lockdown guidelines were not always felt to be adequate with respect to providing sufficient exercise and opportunities for interaction with other dogs. Owners reported observing new undesirable behaviours in their dog(s) during the lockdown, including barking and dogs being “clingy” or vocalising when briefly left alone. Based on these findings, we suggest intervention strategies to best support dog welfare that include helping dog owners to teach dogs to cope with being alone, even if owners do not need to leave their dogs alone.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/1/240animal welfarecompanion animalCOVID-19dogsdog walkingpet owner |
| spellingShingle | Katrina E. Holland Sara C. Owczarczak-Garstecka Katharine L. Anderson Rachel A. Casey Robert M. Christley Lauren Harris Kirsten M. McMillan Rebecca Mead Jane K. Murray Lauren Samet Melissa M. Upjohn “<i>More Attention than Usual</i>”: A Thematic Analysis of Dog Ownership Experiences in the UK during the First COVID-19 Lockdown Animals animal welfare companion animal COVID-19 dogs dog walking pet owner |
| title | “<i>More Attention than Usual</i>”: A Thematic Analysis of Dog Ownership Experiences in the UK during the First COVID-19 Lockdown |
| title_full | “<i>More Attention than Usual</i>”: A Thematic Analysis of Dog Ownership Experiences in the UK during the First COVID-19 Lockdown |
| title_fullStr | “<i>More Attention than Usual</i>”: A Thematic Analysis of Dog Ownership Experiences in the UK during the First COVID-19 Lockdown |
| title_full_unstemmed | “<i>More Attention than Usual</i>”: A Thematic Analysis of Dog Ownership Experiences in the UK during the First COVID-19 Lockdown |
| title_short | “<i>More Attention than Usual</i>”: A Thematic Analysis of Dog Ownership Experiences in the UK during the First COVID-19 Lockdown |
| title_sort | i more attention than usual i a thematic analysis of dog ownership experiences in the uk during the first covid 19 lockdown |
| topic | animal welfare companion animal COVID-19 dogs dog walking pet owner |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/1/240 |
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