Emotional Wellbeing and Dogs

Responsible dog ownership has been identified as a point of intervention to promote physical activity, based upon an expectation of dog walking in public space. Nevertheless, quantitative research has found variability among owners in their dog walking. In this study, we explore the implications for health promotion of such variability. We do so by drawing on the concepts of habitus and social capital to analyse qualitative interviews. Participants were recruited from a social network in a cosmopolitan city with a policy framework intended to ensure equitable access to public space for dog walkers. The analysis confirms dog ownership can promote both physical activity and social capital, to the extent of mutual reinforcement. Yet we identified patterns of care in which dogs could influence people’s emotional well-being without promoting physical activity. In particular, some owners were not capable of extensive dog walking but still benefited emotionally from dog ownership and from interpersonal interactions facilitated by dog ownership. Some participants’ dogs, however, could not be walked in public without risking public safety and social sanctions. Responsible dog ownership can therefore also entail not exercising dogs. Contra to the emerging ideal in health promotion, a ‘dog-shaped hole’ in someone’s life does not always take the form of a walking companion.

Caregivers of intellectually disabled children often experience high levels of anxiety and this study examines the potential emotional benefits of pet dog ownership in reducing anxiety among these caregivers. Therefore, it is of interest to examine the impact of pet dog ownership on the emotional well-being of caregivers of intellectually disabled children. Conducted in Amritsar, India, with 112 participants, it divided caregivers into two groups: those who owned a dog and those who did not. Anxiety levels were measured using the Hamilton Anxiety Scale before and after 3-6 months of pet ownership. Results showed a significant reduction in anxiety among dog-owning caregivers compared to non-dog owners. Thus, we show the significant reduction in anxiety levels among caregivers who own dogs, offering new insights into how pet ownership can positively affect caregivers' emotional well-being.