[Truncated abstract] The Dogs and Physical Activity (DAPA) study sought to examine the relationship between dog ownership and physical activity, in particular walking. It used an ecological model to examine the socio-demographic, intrapersonal, social environmental, physical environmental and policy-related factors affecting dog owners walking with their dog. Results from this study are presented as a series of papers four which are published, in press or accepted for publication. A review of the dog ownership, health and physical activity literature and results from qualitative research of the potential barriers and motivators to dog owners being physically active with their dogs were used to develop and test an instrument for measuring dog walking behaviour. The DAPA tool was designed to measure the amount of physical activity people undertake with their dog and dog-specific individual and environmental factors affecting people walking with their dog. It was developed as a supplementary tool for the second RESIDential Environments (RESIDE) survey. RESIDE is a 5-year longitudinal study of the physical activity levels of people building homes in new housing estates in Western Australia. Findings from the baseline survey of 1813 RESIDE participants (44% dog owners) showed that dog owners were 60% more likely than non-owners to achieve sufficient physical activity and sufficient walking and almost 80% more likely than non-owners to achieve sufficient walking for recreation in the neighbourhood after controlling for demographic, intrapersonal and environmental differences. ... Findings from the DAPA study highlight the importance of the local policy and physical environment in encouraging dog walking behaviour. Perceived lack of accessible public open space (POS) and dogspecific exercise areas were identified by focus group participants as major barriers to dog owners walking with their dog. Objective measurement of the local physical environment of dog owners supported their concerns; no dog owners in this study had access to a sign-posted off-leash park [greater than or equal to] 2 acres within their neighbourhood. Furthermore, access to local POS with dog-supportive infrastructure was associated with being a regular dog walker. Overall, the results of this study draw attention to the needs of dog owners in the allocation and design of POS. The prospective component of the DAPA study enabled examination of the causal relationship between dog ownership and physical activity. After adjusting for baseline variables, dog acquisition significantly increased minutes of recreational walking within the neighbourhood by 37 minutes. However, after further adjustment for changes in baseline variables, the increase in minutes of recreational walking within the neighbourhood from dog acquisition reduced to 21 minutes and was no longer statistically significant. Increase in intention to walk appeared to mediate the relationship between dog acquisition and increased recreational walking. This study highlights a number of important physical activity benefits associated with dog ownership and provides evidence to suggest that dog walking has the potential to positively affect the proportion of the community who are sufficiently active.

Dog ownership is highly common in the United States and has a large impact on the U.S. economy due to dogs' required expenses. Thus, it is important to assess dog owners' method of dog obtainment, as it is the first step to canine companionship. Dog owner personality traits and their relationship with where dogs are obtained has not yet been studied. To assess this relationship, we reached current dog owners through an online survey containing the Donnellan et al. (2006) Mini-International Personality Item Pool (IPIP) scale and asked participants where they obtained their dog. Results indicated 90% of participants were female (N = 411); consequently, we limited our analysis to only female dog owners. Female dog owners' personality scores were related to their dog obtainment location (i.e., Breeder, Pet Store or Online, Rescue or Shelter, and Informal). Female dog owners who obtained their dog from a Rescue or Shelter had significantly higher scores of Agreeableness than female dog owners who obtained their dog from a Breeder. Female dog owners who obtained their dog from a Breeder had significantly higher scores of Conscientiousness than those who obtained their dog Informally or from a Rescue or Shelter. Additional exploratory Likert scale questions were posed to participants, asking why they chose their obtainment location and why they chose their dog specifically. Our study revealed there is a relationship between dog owner personality and method of dog obtainment. This information is useful for rescues and shelters looking to increase adoption because they can develop methods to attract less Agreeable and highly Conscientious women. We hope our findings can make future and current dog owners aware of how their personality relates to their choice of dog obtainment location and that they will take all methods of dog obtainment into consideration.

Djur är allmänt kända för att ha en positiv inverkan på sjukvårdspatienters hälsa. Huruvida hundägande kan bibehålla god hälsa för pensionärer är dock inte lika studerat. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka om husdjursägande påverkar äldre personers hälsa och välbefinnande, med avstamp i teorierna aktivitetsperspektivet, biofilihypotesen och KASAM. Åtta hundägare mellan 68-76 år har intervjuats om sin hälsa, livsstil och sociala vanor. Materialet analyserades och placerades i allmänna teman, som visar de återkommande svaren. Av resultatet framkommer att deltagarna tyckte att deras hundar var av stor betydelse när det gällde att upprätthålla en aktiv livsstil, vilket i sin tur hade en positiv effekt på deras fysiska hälsa. Vissa deltagare fann också att deras mentala hälsa hade förbättrats på grund av deras hund. Mer specifikt beskrevs den ömsesidiga kopplingen mellan hund och ägare och den övergripande känslan av att deras hund förstår dem och deras humör. Dessutom bidrog hundarna till ett förbättrat socialt liv. Både som sällskap, men även som en anledning till att träffa nya människor och upprätthålla relationer med andra hundägare. Några utmaningar med hundägande presenterades också. Ekonomiska belastningar och begränsningar i deltagarnas vardag visade sig vara mest utbredd. Hundägandet förklarades dock ha en i första hand positiv inverkan på deltagarnas hälsa och välbefinnande och majoriteten av deltagarna ansåg hundar som användbara i socialt arbete. / Therapy animals are widely known for serving a positive impact on patients’ health. However, whether dog ownership can perpetuate good health for senior citizens, is not as widely explored. The purpose of this study is to research if pet ownership influence seniors’ health and well-being, with the theoretical standpoint of three theories or concepts: Activity Theory of Aging, The Biophilia hypothesis, and Sense of Coherence. Eight dog owners between the ages of 68-76 has been interviewed about their health, lifestyle and social habits.The material was analyzed and put into general themes, which displays the recurring responses. The results showed that the participants found their dogs to be of great importance when it came to maintaining an active lifestyle, which in turn had a positive effect on their physical health. Some participants also found their mental health to have improved because of their dog. More specifically, the mutual connection between dog and owner and the overall feeling that their dog understands them and their moods. Moreover, their dogs contributed to an enhanced social life. Both at home as company, as well as a contributing factor in meeting new people and maintaining relationships with other dog owners. Some challenges with dog ownership were also presented. Financial burdens and limitations in the participants everydaylife showed to be most prevalent. However, dog ownership was declared to have a primarilypositive impact on the participants health and well-being and the majority of participants considered dogs to be useful in social work.

Diploma thesis deals with the question of the possible benefit of a pet - a dog for the quality of life of its owner. In the introduction of the thesis, the individual approaches to the concept of quality of life are first presented, which are subsequently given in connection with the possibilities of how the dog can contribute to the individual areas of life of its owner. In this regard, the possible benefits of the dog for the quality of life of different age groups of dog owners are especially described. Significant researches, which contributed to understanding the mechanism of action that a dog exerts influence on its owner are described. The aim of the work was to find out how the dog affects the different aspects of its owner's life and how the dog owners themselves perceive and evaluate this contribution in terms of influencing the quality of their life and subjective well-being. For this purpose, qualitative research was carried out. It was performed by the method of interviews, in which it was possible to determine how the specific life situation and individual preferences were involved in the perceived contribution of the dog to life. In qualitative research, the contribution of dog ownership to owners was examined in more detail, especially in the physical, psychological and social spheres of...

Pets are a common aspect of life for many Americans. In 2012, 36.5% of American household owned dogs and 30.4% owned cats (American Veterinary Medical Foundation, 2012). The purpose on this study was to explore the influence of dog ownership on romantic relationships. Specifically, this thesis investigates how dog ownership acts as a catalyst of relational maintenance and conflict behavior in interactions about the couple's dog. No prior research has been conducted on the role dogs' play in enacting relational maintenance or conflict in romantic relationships, so it is unclear if there is an influence to the these behaviors. This study asks how dog ownership might act as a centripetal force pulling the relationship together (e.g. relational maintenance) and/or as a centrifugal force pushing the partners apart (e.g. conflict). A total of 379 participants were recruited through social media to complete a short online survey. The survey asked questions on the romantic relationship, dog ownership, conflict regarding the dog, relational maintenance activities regarding the dog, and demographics. The majority of participants reported engaging in 8 of the 24 relational maintenance activities "often" or "always" and 3 of the 30 conflict topics occurred at least one or more times. Satisfaction with the romantic relationship associated positively with partial weak and negligible correlations to the relational maintenance activities and one negligible association with a conflict topic. A thematic analysis provides details on the short answers participants provided. The results shows that dogs do provide couples opportunities for relational maintenance but also are the source of conflict. This research is the start to understanding the role of dog ownership within romantic relationship. While each couple and dog may produce different influences on the relationship, this study is the start for the investigation and provides guidance for future research.

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