Not All Puppies and Sunshine: How Dog Keepers Cope with Dog-Related Problems in Dutch Society
Zoonoses, biting incidents, hereditary problems, and other issues can threaten the welfare of both humans and dogs. The Dutch government and animal welfare organizations seem to have little effect in their campaigns to influence the behavior of (potential) dog keepers, who can experience dissonance...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-03-01
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| Series: | Animals |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/6/1038 |
| _version_ | 1797613961657450496 |
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| author | Susan Ophorst Noelle Aarts Bernice Bovenkerk Hans Hopster |
| author_facet | Susan Ophorst Noelle Aarts Bernice Bovenkerk Hans Hopster |
| author_sort | Susan Ophorst |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Zoonoses, biting incidents, hereditary problems, and other issues can threaten the welfare of both humans and dogs. The Dutch government and animal welfare organizations seem to have little effect in their campaigns to influence the behavior of (potential) dog keepers, who can experience dissonance when faced with these campaigns and use coping strategies to relieve the dissonance instead of changing their behavior. In this study, in focus group discussions, dog keepers with pedigree dogs, high-risk dogs, foreign shelter dogs, and dogs purchased at puppy farms shared their experiences with opinions on dogs and were confronted with negative opinions on their dogs. The data were analyzed using a coping strategies framework. Most coping strategies were found in all groups, but were used in response to different dilemmas, with different manifestations. These differences should be kept in mind when behavior change in dog keepers is opportune. Special attention should be given to differentiating target groups, as use of the detachment coping strategy suggests that boundaries might be set differently than expected. Broad attention on problems with and for dogs can address perceived dissonance and prompt behavior change. In dialogue with dog keepers, in influential campaigns and in policy formulation, the chances of success are greater if initiators are aware of the strategies that they may encounter. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T07:01:57Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d3e208273f6446a5b926c843ee84e54e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T07:01:57Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-d3e208273f6446a5b926c843ee84e54e2023-11-17T09:11:27ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152023-03-01136103810.3390/ani13061038Not All Puppies and Sunshine: How Dog Keepers Cope with Dog-Related Problems in Dutch SocietySusan Ophorst0Noelle Aarts1Bernice Bovenkerk2Hans Hopster3Institute for Science in Society, Radboud University, 6500 GL Nijmegen, The NetherlandsInstitute for Science in Society, Radboud University, 6500 GL Nijmegen, The NetherlandsDepartment of Social Sciences, Wageningen University & Research, 6700 EW Wageningen, The NetherlandsAnimal Management, Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences, Agora 1, 8934 CJ Leeuwarden, The NetherlandsZoonoses, biting incidents, hereditary problems, and other issues can threaten the welfare of both humans and dogs. The Dutch government and animal welfare organizations seem to have little effect in their campaigns to influence the behavior of (potential) dog keepers, who can experience dissonance when faced with these campaigns and use coping strategies to relieve the dissonance instead of changing their behavior. In this study, in focus group discussions, dog keepers with pedigree dogs, high-risk dogs, foreign shelter dogs, and dogs purchased at puppy farms shared their experiences with opinions on dogs and were confronted with negative opinions on their dogs. The data were analyzed using a coping strategies framework. Most coping strategies were found in all groups, but were used in response to different dilemmas, with different manifestations. These differences should be kept in mind when behavior change in dog keepers is opportune. Special attention should be given to differentiating target groups, as use of the detachment coping strategy suggests that boundaries might be set differently than expected. Broad attention on problems with and for dogs can address perceived dissonance and prompt behavior change. In dialogue with dog keepers, in influential campaigns and in policy formulation, the chances of success are greater if initiators are aware of the strategies that they may encounter.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/6/1038human–animal relationshipbehavior changecoping strategies |
| spellingShingle | Susan Ophorst Noelle Aarts Bernice Bovenkerk Hans Hopster Not All Puppies and Sunshine: How Dog Keepers Cope with Dog-Related Problems in Dutch Society Animals human–animal relationship behavior change coping strategies |
| title | Not All Puppies and Sunshine: How Dog Keepers Cope with Dog-Related Problems in Dutch Society |
| title_full | Not All Puppies and Sunshine: How Dog Keepers Cope with Dog-Related Problems in Dutch Society |
| title_fullStr | Not All Puppies and Sunshine: How Dog Keepers Cope with Dog-Related Problems in Dutch Society |
| title_full_unstemmed | Not All Puppies and Sunshine: How Dog Keepers Cope with Dog-Related Problems in Dutch Society |
| title_short | Not All Puppies and Sunshine: How Dog Keepers Cope with Dog-Related Problems in Dutch Society |
| title_sort | not all puppies and sunshine how dog keepers cope with dog related problems in dutch society |
| topic | human–animal relationship behavior change coping strategies |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/6/1038 |
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