Female Dog Owners Research Articles

Four’s a Crowd? Attachment Styles in Childless Women and First-Time Mothers Toward Their Pet Dog

ABSTRACT The transition to parenthood is a time of change and challenge, where new attachments are developed and old ones are re-appraised to fit the needs of the new family. Research on how this transition affects parental attachment to the family pet dog is scarce. This study explored attachment orientation differences among female dog owners without children and female dog owners who had recently become new mothers. Factors that may underpin these differences were also explored. New mothers (n = 98) and childless women (n = 93) completed an online survey that measured the degree to which they were anxiously and avoidantly attached to their pet dog. Significant differences in attachment orientations were found: the parent group had more avoidant, and less anxious, attachment styles toward their pet dogs, compared with the childless group. Qualitative insights revealed new mothers suffer from a lack of time, energy, and attention to afford their dog and that the role of the dog in the family may be re-appraised to accommodate the new family member. These outcomes provide insight into how Australian women experience their attachment relationships to their pet dogs. This study has implications for both pet and maternal welfare.

Associations between canine hookworm infection and dog owners' awareness, perception, and behaviour: A cross-sectional study in Brisbane, Queensland, 2019-2020.

Canine hookworms are found globally, and infections have been recorded in domestic dogs visiting dog parks in Queensland, Australia. Some canine hookworms also present a risk of zoonotic transmission to humans. Potential transmission of hookworms can occur in the household and at public places because of lack of owner awareness and poor coverage of canine deworming. Between April 2019 and March 2020, faecal samples from owned dogs were collected from 39 dog parks in metropolitan Brisbane, Queensland, and tested for the presence of hookworm eggs using faecal floatation technique. Dog owners who provided samples were requested to complete a survey on their awareness, perceptions and behaviour regarding the risks and consequences of canine parasitic infection. Associations between dog owner demographics and responses to the survey were measured using Goodman and Kruskal's gamma. Statistical associations between canine hookworm infection in dogs and their owner's responses were quantified using a two-sample Wilcoxon rank-sum test. A total of five canine faecal samples from 175 respondents were found positive for hookworm eggs, corresponding to a sample- and park-level prevalence of 2.86% and 12.82%, respectively. Female dog owners were found to be more aware of the importance of regular deworming of their dogs (|γ| = 0.405). Our results indicate that hookworm infection was associated with a lower awareness of the importance of deworming (p = 0.007), less diligence in administration of deworming (p = 0.004), lower awareness of the risk of acquiring parasites from raw meat (p = 0.010), less likelihood of cooking meat before feeding it to their dogs (p = 0.028), and less likelihood to properly dispose their dog's faeces (p = 0.027). This study not only indicates a need for improving owner education towards the importance of deworming but also a need for changing owner's behaviours to reduce potential environmental contamination with infective hookworms. The latter in particular indicates a broader public health risk of disease transmission in public places due to improper disposal of dog faeces, especially in areas with higher canine hookworm infections.

Development of the Dog Attachment Insecurity Screening Inventory (D-AISI): A Pilot Study on a Sample of Female Owners.

Simple SummaryThe Strange Situation Procedure is a laboratory test originally designed to assess the quality of a child’s attachment bond to their mother and is widely used in dogs to assess their attachment bond towards the owner. However, the SSP is time consuming and limits the amount and variety of obtainable data. In order to overcome these limitations, we adapted a three-dimensional parent-report scale, named the Attachment Insecurity Screening Inventory (AISI) 6–12, originally developed to assess 6- to 12-year-old children’s attachment insecurity, to dog–owner dyads, and we assessed scale consistency and validity. A first statistical analysis performed on the responses provided by 524 female owners to the online questionnaire revealed five scale dimensions named “physical contact”, “control”, separation anxiety”, “owner as emotional support”, and “owner as a source of positive emotion”. However, a further forced extraction of three components resulted in subscales that mirrored the ones reported for the original AISI in terms of item composition (i.e., ambivalent, avoidant, and disorganized). The three subscales also had satisfactory to good measures of internal reliability. The final scale was named the Dog Attachment Insecurity Screening Inventory (D-AISI). Although promising, it needs to be refined and tested for more validity measures.To date, the Strange Situation Procedure is the only tool available to investigate the quality of the dog’s attachment bond towards the owner. This study aimed to adapt a parent-report scale, named the Attachment Insecurity Screening Inventory (AISI) 6–12, originally designed to assess 6- to 12-year-old children’s attachment insecurity, to dog–owner dyads and assess measures of consistency and validity. The online questionnaire was completed by 524 female dog owners. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed five components named, respectively, “physical contact”, “control”, “separation anxiety”, “owner as emotional support”, and “owner as a source of positive emotion”. Because of the three-factor structure of the original AISI, a PCA with a pre-fixed set of three factors was also performed. The resulting subscales mirrored the ones found for the original scale (i.e., ambivalent, avoidant, and disorganized), although four items did not fit the model. Internal reliability appeared to be satisfying for the ambivalent and the disorganized subscales, and good for the avoidant subscale. The theoretical background and the results of this study suggest that the three-dimensional model represents a better solution for the interpretation of the Dog Attachment Insecurity Screening Inventory (D-AISI). Although promising, this scale requires refinement and assessment of additional validity measures.

Perceptions of dog owners towards canine gastrointestinal parasitism and associated human health risk in Southeast Queensland

Canine companion animals can carry a number of zoonotic parasites which can adversely impact both human and animal health. Previous studies in Australia indicated that while parasitic infections in dogs are still common and there is variability in the awareness and perception of zoonotic risks among pet owners, the likely contribution of sociodemographic factors to the variation in awareness and perception needs to be further explored. The primary objective of this study is to quantify the relationship between dog owners' knowledge and beliefs about dog parasites and their sociodemographic characteristics. In this study, we surveyed a total of 281 dog owners in SE Queensland between April 2019 to March 2020 and the relationship between dog owners' perception of gastrointestinal parasite infection was assessed using an adaptation of the Health Belief Model, social cognitive framework for health protection. The model looked into the role of dog owners' demography on their perceived severity and susceptibility to zoonotic canine parasites and their likelihood of performing actions associated with worm control of their pets. Our results indicate that owners perceptions about parasitic disease severity in their pets was 26% higher in female dog owners compared to males, in respondents owning dogs over 10 years (27% higher than those owning a dog <3 years) and those owners that regularly deworm their pets and report faeces disposal. Our study indicates that the perceptions of pet owners towards zoonotic canine parasites varies demographically and owner education is important to prevent infection among dogs and control the zoonotic transmission to owners and the community. Finally, there was evidence that increased frequency of visits to veterinary clinics can increase the likelihood of owners performing worm treatment, proper faecal disposal, and cooking meat before feeding it to dogs.

Dog Owners' Knowledge about Rabies and Other Factors That Influence Canine Anti-Rabies Vaccination in the Upper East Region of Ghana.

Background: Human rabies, often contracted through dog bites, is a serious but neglected public health problem in the tropics, including Ghana. Due to its high fatality rate, adequate knowledge and vaccination of domestic dogs against the disease are very crucial in reducing its burden. We examined dog owners’ knowledge level on rabies and factors that influenced anti-rabies vaccination of dogs in the Upper East Region of Ghana. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 260 randomly sampled dog owners in six communities from six Districts using a multistage sampling technique, in the Upper East Region of Ghana. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from the respondents. Descriptive and inferential analyses were done using STATA 14.1. Results: While knowledge about rabies was 199 (76.5%), that about anti-rabies vaccination was 137 (52.7%). District of residence (χ2 = 112.59, p < 0.001), sex (χ2 = 6.14, p = 0.013), education (χ2 = 20.45, p < 0.001) as well as occupation (χ2 = 11.97, p = 0.007) were significantly associated with rabies knowledge. District of residence (χ2 = 57.61, p < 0.001), Educational level (χ2 = 15.37, p = 0.004), occupation (χ2 = 11.66, p = 0.009), religion (χ2 = 8.25, p = 0.016) and knowledge on rabies (χ2 = 42.13, p < 0.001) were also statistically associated with dog vaccination against rabies. Dog owners with good knowledge on rabies for instance, were more likely to vaccinate their dogs against rabies compared to those with poor knowledge [AOR = 1.99 (95% CI: 0.68, 5.86), p = 0.210]. Dog owners with tertiary level of education were also 76.31 times more likely (95% CI: 6.20, 938.49, p = 0.001) to have good knowledge about rabies compared to those with no formal education. Conclusions: Dog owners in the Upper East Region of Ghana had good knowledge about rabies. This, however, did not translate into correspondingly high levels of dog vaccination against the disease. Rabies awareness and vaccination campaigns should, therefore, be intensified in the region, especially among the least educated and female dog owners.

How do cat owners, dog owners and individuals without pets differ in terms of psychosocial outcomes among individuals in old age without a partner?

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to identify whether cat owners, dog owners and individuals without pets differ in terms of depressive symptoms, loneliness and social isolation among individuals in old age without a partner.Method: For this study, data were used from a nationally representative sample of non-institutionalized older individuals (German Ageing Survey). We focused on older adults (>65 years) who did not have a partner. The outcome measures were quantified using validated scales. Multiple linear regressions were used.Results: Among the n = 1,160 individuals aged 65 years and over without a partner, 952 individuals (82.1%) did not own a pet. Moreover, 145 individuals (12.5%) owned one or more cat/s and 63 individuals (5.4%) owned one or more dog/s. Multiple linear regressions showed that dog owners were less socially isolated than individuals without pets. There were no differences between cat owners and individuals without pets in the outcome measures. While there were no differences observed in men, female dog owners were less socially isolated and less lonely than women without pets.Conclusion: Our study revealed an association between owning a dog and social isolation (total sample) as well as loneliness (total sample and women). Future research should focus on elucidating the underlying mechanisms. In addition, longitudinal studies are required to deepen our understanding of this association.

Diferencias de Género en Distintas Dimensiones del Vínculo Humano-Perro: Estudio Descriptivo en Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires

Las mujeres parecen presentar más respuestas de afecto positivo hacia los animales. Sin embargo, hombres y mujeres refieren tener un vínculo intenso con sus mascotas. Los estudios sobre el tema han recibido diversos cuestionamientos. Considerando esto, se realizó un estudio descriptivo que comparó hombres y mujeres adultos custodios de perros (n=425) en tres grupos etarios (i.e., jóvenes, mediana edad y mayores), en seis dimensiones relacionales (i.e., interacción, cercanía emocional, costos, antropomorfismo, voluntad de adaptación y beneficios). Las mujeres mostraron mayores puntajes de cercanía emocional y antropomorfismo. Además, solo los hombres jóvenes mostraron mayor percepción de costos que las mujeres jóvenes. No se observaron diferencias en las demás dimensiones de acuerdo con el sexo del custodio. Se discute la significancia de los resultados considerando algunos aspectos sociocognitivos potencialmente implicados.

Development of the cat-owner relationship scale (CORS)

Characteristics of the human-animal bond can be influenced by both owner-related and pet-related factors, which likely differ between species. Three studies adapted the Monash Dog-Owner Relationship Scale (MDORS) to permit assessment of human-cat interactions as perceived by the cat’s owner. In Study 1293 female cat owners completed a modified version of the MDORS, where ‘dog’ was replaced with ‘cat’ for all items. Responses were compared with a matched sample of female dog owners. A partial least squares discriminant analysis revealed systematic differences between cat and dog owners in the Dog (Cat)-Owner Interaction subscale (MDORS subscale 1), but not for Perceived Emotional Closeness or Perceived Costs (Subscales 2 and 3). Study 2 involved analysis of free-text descriptions of cat-owner interactions provided by 61 female cat owners. Text mining identified key words which were used to create additional questions for a new Cat-Owner Interaction subscale. In Study 3, the resulting cat-owner relationship scale (CORS) was tested in a group of 570 cat owners. The main psychometric properties of the scale, including internal consistency and factor structure, were evaluated. We propose that this scale can be used to accurately assess owner perceptions of their relationship with their cat. A modified scale, combining items from the CORS and MDORS (a C/DORS), is also provided for when researchers would find it desirable to compare human-cat and human-dog interactions.

Effect of interaction type on the characteristics of pet-directed speech in female dog owners.

Recent studies focusing on the interspecific communicative interactions between humans and dogs show that owners use a special speech register when addressing their dog. This register, called pet-directed speech (PDS), has prosodic and syntactic features similar to that of infant-directed speech (IDS). While IDS prosody is known to vary according to the context of the communication with babies, we still know little about the way owners adjust acoustic and verbal PDS features according to the type of interaction with their dog. The aim of the study was therefore to explore whether the characteristics of women's speech depend on the nature of interaction with their dog. We recorded 34 adult women interacting with their dog in four conditions: before a brief separation, after reuniting, during play and while giving commands. Our results show that before separation women used a low pitch, few modulations, high intensity variations and very few affective sentences. In contrast, the reunion interactions were characterized by a very high pitch, few imperatives and a high frequency of affectionate nicknames. During play, women used mainly questions and attention-getting devices. Finally when commanding, women mainly used imperatives as well as attention-getting devices. Thus, like mothers using IDS, female owners adapt the verbal as well as the non-verbal characteristics of their PDS to the nature of the interaction with their dog, suggesting that the intended function of these vocal utterances remains to provide dogs with information about their intentions and emotions.

Physiological effects of interactions between female dog owners with neuroticism and their dogs

The aim of this study was to investigate the physiological effects of the relationship between dog owners with neuroticism and their dogs using noninvasive procedures to measure urinary cortisol and heart rate variability (HRV). Owner personalities were tested via the NEO Five-Factor Inventory and this study focused only on the dimension of neuroticism with 12-item scales. The 24 participating owners and their dogs were randomly divided into experimental and control groups. Each participant and their dog stayed in the test room for 80 minutes. The behavioral test included 2 resting times (R1 and R2, respectively), 2 command-communication times, a separation time, and a free time. In the control group, the command-communication times were changed to noncommunication times. Each participant wore a chest heart rate transmitter and a wrist watch monitor (RS800CX; Polar Electro) during the experiment. HRV is a quantitative parameter of autonomic activity. The spectral analysis of HRV is divided into 2 major oscillatory components: the high-frequency (HF) domain, which reflects parasympathetic activity and the low-frequency (LF) domain, which reflects both sympathetic and parasympathetic activities. The LF to HF ratio reflects sympathetic activity. In the experimental group, the neuroticism scores showed a positive significant correlation with a change in the HF power and a negative correlation with the ratio of the change in the LF to HF ratio. No correlations were found in the control group. Next, all participants were divided into 2 groups according to the HRV in R1 and R2. One group included participants whose HF increased in R2, and the other included participants whose HF decreased in R2. The neuroticism scores were significantly higher in the experimental subjects whose HF increased in R2 than in those whose HF decreased in R2. High neuroticism scores indicate individuals that may be sensitive to daily stresses. Our results showed that a parasympathetic activation occurred in owners with high neuroticism scores 10 minutes after a command-communication interaction with their dogs. This suggests that daily command communication–based interactions with their dogs could improve the owner's health for the better.

Does definition of self predict adopter dog breed choice?

Motivated by the fact that each year 6 to 8 million lost and unwanted dogs and cats end up at animal shelters across the U.S. and half of those animals must be euthanized, the objective of this research is to determine the influence of dog owner's definition of self on dog breed choice. The regression analyses findings assert that dog owner's behavior (temperament) has significant influence on dog owner's dog categorization and dog breed choice. Moreover, male dog owners found gender of the dog to be less important in categorizing and choosing a dog than did female dog owners. Overwhelmingly, the dog owner is found to be the primary decision maker in acquiring a dog and choosing a dog breed. The dog owner's prior experience with dogs is found to be the primary influence on decisions about whether to acquire a dog and which dog breed to choose. Practical and theoretical implications of the findings are discussed extensively.

A Survey of Pet-and Non-Pet-Owning Swedish Adolescents: Demographic Differences and Health Issues

ABSTRACTThe aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of pet ownership in adolescents in Sweden and establish whether any gender, age or health-related differences exist between those who own pets and those who do not. In addition, the study aimed to explore the relationships between species of pet, age, gender, and other socio-demographic variables and the perceived importance of pets. Three age groups (13–14 years-old, 15–16 years-old, and 17–18 years-old) of adolescents, resident in a single county in Sweden, were surveyed using the questionnaire “Liv och Hälsa Ung” (“Youth Life and Health”). A total of 8,709 respondents were included in the analysis (pet owners = 5,793; non-pet owners = 2,916). Associations between importance of the pet and demographic variables and general self-rated health were investigated using logistic regression analysis. The prevalence of pet owners in the sample was 65%, and the most common types of pets were, in descending order of popularity, cats, dogs, rodents, fish/reptiles, and horses. Most of the pet owners said their pets were very or quite important to them, for the three age groups (73.1–88.6%). In general, pets were more important for the female respondents. Importance was dependent on type of pet, with male and female dog owners and female horse owners rating their pets as more important than the owners of other species of pet. Respondents who did not own a pet were more physically active than their pet- owning peers. Pet owners with the best self-rated health also attributed the greatest importance to their pet. However, adolescents with pets reported more psychological problems and somatic health aspects than those who did not own pets. This finding calls for further studies to be conducted, with designs allowing causal conclusions to be drawn.

Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) Of Canine Rabies among Inhabitants of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

To determine the degree of KAP and awareness of animal-human transmission of rabies, a survey was designed among dog owners and inhabitants of Addis Ababa. A cross-sectional study was undertaken on 315 inhabitants of the Addis Ababa city at house-hold level. A simple random sampling was used to select the study subject and accordingly the eligible individuals were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed to observe the frequency of Focal Group Discussion (FGD) at house-hold level. A total of 315 study subjects were interviewed. Out of which, 73.3% were male and the rest are female dog owners. Majorities of the household (91%) have the knowledge of rabies and only 26.9% dog owner’s exercise regular dog vaccination. Among all interviewed house-holds, 71% were considered themselves at risk of rabies. There is no significant difference of knowledge of rabies by sex, age and education (p>0.05). Even though the majority of the communities have good KAP about rabies, very few have got their dog vaccinated keeping the community at the verge of risk. It is hoped that findings of this study improves our understanding of the problem of the disease and can serve as an important input in the design of education campaign that targets at alleviating the problem of rabies in the city

Attitudes of dog owners to neutering pets: demographic data and effects of owner attitudes.

A survey of the attitudes of dog owners to desexing male and female dogs was conducted in the Brisbane area. Over 15,800 replies (35% response) were returned for analyses and included both demographic and attitude data. The most common reasons given by owners for not having the dog desexed were that it was unnecessary or they wanted to breed from it or could not afford it or did not agree with it or that the dog was too old or it might get fat. Nearly twice as many male owners agreed that desexing male dogs removed maleness and also more males agreed with the question "Do you equate dog sexuality with human sexuality?" Female owners were more aware than males that their female dogs did not need to have a season (oestrus) or a litter before being desexed. More male owners thought that desexing changed a male or female dog's personality. A disturbing fact was that 61.1% of male owners and 47.3% of female owners would now not have their dog desexed if it had not already been done. More male than female dog owners were ignorant about whether desexing changed personality, made dogs frustrated, or if female dogs should have a season or a litter before desexing. The study showed a gender bias in owner attitudes to all the attitude questions.