Human-dog Bond Research Articles

The Welfare of Dogs as an Aspect of the Human-Dog Bond: A Scoping Review.

The close bond that can exist between humans and their dogs is an important aspect of the evolutionary, economic, and social connections between the two species. There is a need for a better understanding of the place of the dog within the human-dog bond and on ways the human-dog bond affects dog welfare. We conducted a scoping review to investigate to what extent and in what ways dog welfare is addressed in the research literature on the human-dog bond. We identified 706 publications on the human-dog bond from across the globe that were published from 2012 to 2023. We found that 246 of these 706 publications had a focus on dog welfare. Our review showed that the interplay of characteristics and backgrounds of owners/handlers and their dogs was linked to dog welfare in multiple, both positive and negative, ways. Our review is limited by the fact that most of the research that we reviewed involved pet dogs and in majority came from Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic (WEIRD) societies. There is a need for a better understanding of how the human-dog bond affects the welfare of working, assistance, and service dogs.

The Human-Dog Bond: The Internet's "dog mom" talks about the science of the connection between humans and their dogs and all the ways canines benefit people.

The Human-Dog Bond: The Internet's "dog mom" talks about the science of the connection between humans and their dogs and all the ways canines benefit people.

On the Role of Technology in Human–Dog Relationships: A Future of Nightmares or Dreams?

Digital technologies that help people take care of their dogs are becoming more widespread. Yet, little research explores what the role of technology in the human-dog relationship should be. We conducted a qualitative study incorporating quantitative and thematic analysis of 155 UK dog owners reflecting on their daily routines and technology's role in it, disentangling the what-where-why of interspecies routines and activities, technological desires, and rationales for technological support across common human-dog activities. We found that increasingly entangled daily routines lead to close multi-species households where dog owners conceptualize technology as having a role to support them in giving care to their dogs. When confronted with the role of technology across various activities, only chores like cleaning up after their dogs lead to largely positive considerations, while activities that benefit themselves like walking together lead to largely negative considerations. For other activities, whether playing, training, or feeding, attitudes remain diverse. In general, across all activities both a nightmare scenario of technology taking the human's role and in doing so disentangling the human-dog bond, as well as a dream scenario of technology augmenting human abilities arise. We argue that the current trajectory of digital technology for pets is increasingly focused on enabling remote interactions, an example of the nightmare scenario in our thematic analysis. It is important to redirect this trajectory to one of technology predominantly supporting us in becoming better and more informed caregivers.

Leveraging the Human–Dog Bond to Support Physical Activity across the Life Span

Apply It! • Do you work with clients or patients who love dogs? Learn about the unique benefits of physical activity in the company of dogs and ways to leverage the human–dog bond to increase physical activity in people of all ages. • Think through considerations to ensure dog walking and play are safe and enjoyable for both people and pets.

Returning a Shelter Dog: The Role of Owner Expectations and Dog Behavior

Simple SummaryMost dog adopters are typically highly satisfied with dog ownership, although a number of adopted dogs are returned to animal shelters following adoption, which can be stressful for the owner and the dog. In this study, we looked at adopters’ expectations for dog ownership prior to adoption and their experience with dog behavior in the first days, weeks, and months following adoption relative to the risk of return. We found owners who returned their dog to the shelter within three months of adoption had higher expectations for their dog to be healthy, exhibit desirable behavior, and for the human–dog bond compared with adopters who did not return their dogs. There were no differences in expectations for ownership responsibilities and challenges between returning and non-returning owners. We also found two-thirds of owners experienced some behavioral problems following adoption, although behaviors such as training difficulty and fear decreased over time. Our findings may be useful for animal shelters to reduce returns by ensuring adopters have realistic expectations about the human–dog relationship and the occurrence of behavioral problems.Millions of animals are adopted from animal shelters in the United States each year, although some are returned post-adoption, which can decrease both the animals’ chances of future adoptions and the owners’ willingness to adopt again. In this study, we investigated the impact of adopter expectations for ownership and animal behavioral problems on post-adoptive dog returns at a large animal shelter in South Carolina. Between June–September 2021, 132 dog adopters completed a survey about their expectations for ownership through Qualtrics. Twenty-nine adopters returned their dogs to the shelter within three months of adoption, with a median length of ownership of eight days. Owners completed follow-up questionnaires about their perceptions of adoption and dog behavior at two days, two weeks, and four months post-adoption. Categorical principal component analysis revealed three factors pertaining to adopters’ expectations for ownership. Independent t-tests showed returning owners had significantly higher expectations for dog behavior and health (t = −2.32, p = 0.02) and the human–dog bond compared with non-returning owners (t = −2.36, p = 0.02). Expectations for ownership responsibilities did not differ between the groups. Two-thirds of adopters experienced dog behavioral problems post-adoption, although training difficulty decreased significantly between two days and four months (F = 5.22, p = 0.01) and nonsocial fear decreased between two weeks and four months post-adoption (X2 = 10.17, p = 0.01). Shelters may benefit from utilizing adoption counselling to ensure adopters understand the potential for dog behavioral problems in the early stages of ownership and develop appropriate expectations for the human–dog relationship. Post-adoption behavioral support may also help some owners to overcome behavioral difficulties as their dogs adapt to the new environment.

Exploring and Developing the Questions Used to Measure the Human-Dog Bond: New and Existing Themes.

Simple SummaryHuman–animal interactions consist of many relationship types. The human–dog bond is one such example. This study reviewed how we measure the human–dog bond through questionnaires and found a lack of questions related to the dog’s investment in said bond. To rectify this, twelve semi-structured interviews were carried out with a variety of dog guardians to investigate their views on how their dogs showed that they shared a bond with them. The common themes that emerged included ‘affirmation’, ‘understanding of a dog’s preferences, likes, and dislikes’, and ‘adaptation’. These themes provide a useful foundation from which to design new questions within human–dog bond questionnaires. This would allow better representation of a dog’s investment in the bond and, therefore, help create tools that reflect the reciprocal nature of this relationship.Dogs play an important role in many western societies, providing companionship, emotional support, and assistance, as well as other more specialist roles. The literature reveals that many human–animal interaction (HAI) questionnaires exist to measure the human–dog bond (HDB). The first part of this study assessed how far existing questionnaires went in measuring HDB (defined as the unique, dynamic and reciprocated relationship between a person and dog, one in which each member can influence the other’s psychological and physiological state). A systematic literature review revealed that a common limitation in HDB questionnaires was a lack of questions based on the dog’s investment in the bond and, therefore, a failure to measure the two-way characteristic of the HDB. This led to the second part of the study: to identify novel themes relating to dog investment in the HDB from which new tool questions could be developed. This was investigated qualitatively using twelve semi-structured interviews on HDB, undertaken with participants from a variety of dog–guardian relationship types. HDB themes that emerged included ‘adaptation’, ‘understanding of a dog’s preferences, likes, and dislikes’, and ‘affirmation’. Subthemes included ‘boundaries’ and ‘expectations’ (within adaptation), ‘excitement’, ‘proximity’, ‘affection’, and ‘recall’ (within affirmation). The themes that arose provide a foundation from which to build new lines of questioning within HDB tools. Such questioning can better represent a dog’s investment in the HDB and, therefore, help create tools that reflect the reciprocal nature of a bond more accurately.

Military Dogs and Their Soldier Companions: The More-than-human Biopolitics of Leishmaniasis in Conflict-torn Colombia.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis is a vector‐borne disease that produces growing skin ulcers. In Colombia, the transmitting phlebotomine sandfly is native to the same jungles that have been the primary theater of war. Although combatants are the most affected by leishmaniasis, military landmine detection dogs are also significantly impacted. This article draws on ethnographic field research with human and canine members of the Colombian military. While their leishmaniasis ulcers constitute a shared expression of violence that makes evident the closeness of the human–dog bond, differences in their state‐provided health care reveal the production of shifting species hierarchies. I argue that war scrambles both human–dog affective relationships and biopolitically configured interspecies hierarchies in ways that produce suffering, not just for humans and dogs separately, but also for the bonds they forge together. Building peace through health care demands repairing the ways in which armed violence has rendered the bonds between humans and nonhumans pathological.

The Human-Dog Bond as a Mediator in the Relationship Between Loneliness and Emotional Well-Being

Abstract Loneliness is prevalent in contemporary Western society and although it is commonly believed that pets can buffer owners against the effects of loneliness on emotional well-being, empirical research is limited. This study addressed the question of whether loneliness positively predicts the strength of the human-dog bond, and whether the human-dog bond mitigates the deleterious effects of loneliness on emotional well-being. A community sample of Australian pet-dog owners ( N =639: 123 men, 516 women) aged 18-80 participated in the study. Loneliness was conceptualised as a tri-dimensional construct comprised of social-, family-, and romantic-loneliness, while emotional well-being was operationalised in terms of positive and negative affect. Higher social-loneliness and family-loneliness predicted higher negative affect, and higher levels of all three types of loneliness predicted lower positive affect. Higher levels of family-loneliness and romantic-loneliness predicted a stronger human-dog bond, which in turn predicted higher positive affect. No relationship was evident between the human-dog bond and either social-loneliness or negative affect. The human-dog bond mediated the relationship between family-loneliness and positive affect as well as the relationship between romantic-loneliness and positive affect. These mediating effects were of the suppressor-type, indicating that the human-dog bond mitigated the deleterious effects of family-loneliness and romantic-loneliness on positive affect. These findings demonstrate the importance of conceptualising loneliness as a multi-dimensional construct in future studies regarding loneliness and human-animal relationships.

Human-Dog Bond in the Contemporary Mayab: Social Perceptions and Benefits Associated with the Hunter-Milpa Dog in Maya Peasant-Hunter Life Strategies in Yucatan, Mexico

Human-dog interaction has been examined in various sociocultural contexts, but such relationships have not been well explored for contemporary subsistence practices in Neotropical areas. In this study, we document human-dog bonds in terms of their relevance for Maya peasant-hunters' life strategies in a rural community of the Northwest Yucatan Peninsula. To better understand social perceptions of dogs, we gathered ethnographic data through semi-structured and in-depth interviews with Maya peasant-hunters and participant observation in a Maya community. We paid particular attention to the sociocultural dimensions of subsistence hunting, agriculture, and the everyday activities of peasant-hunters and their families. We found that most peasant-hunters recognized the versatility of dogs in hunting and as sentinels for agricultural and home-gardening practices. We also found that dogs transcend their utilitarian value by granting prestige to their owners through hunting and by protecting them from harmful non-human entities of Maya cosmovision. Based on our results, we propose the “hunter-milpa dog” as a category encompassing the unique bond forged between Maya peasant-hunters and their dogs. Our definition contributes to a more substantive understanding of these canines as social actors linked to the subsistence life strategies in rural settings of Mesoamerica.

Therapies with animals in neurodiversity.

Since the beginning of our history, the dog (Canis familiaris) has been our most faithful companion being this the first species domesticated by man. As a result of an interaction process for thousands of years. Dogs, during this process, have acquired different skills, including communication skills, which have facilitated relationships with humans.Answering our initial question, why observe a dog makes us so happy? It is oxytocin, it is a hormone that has developed in different aspects of the human-dog bond, after several investigations and long processes. It was discovered that the hormone only develops and appears when we maintain a bond with an animal.Finally, I ask: If the look of a dog produces such happiness regardless of the diverse capacities of a human being, what are they capable of producing or stimulating in a person with neurodiversity? ¿Do we really know animal therapies (TAA)?

Effects of Human–Dog Interactions on Salivary Oxytocin Concentrations and Heart Rate Variability: A Four-Condition Cross-Over Trial

ABSTRACTDog ownership is often advocated for its potential benefits to human health, with changes to oxytocin and autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity proposed as possible underlying mechanisms. The aims of the current study were to a) examine the effect of two common types of human–dog interactions (dog-walking and affiliative interactions) on salivary oxytocin concentrations and heart rate variability (HRV, an indicator of ANS activity), and b) investigate any putative moderating role for the strength of human–dog attachment on such responses. Twenty-nine dog owners completed a four-condition random-order cross-over trial: dog-walking (DW); walking without the dog (W); affiliative human–dog interaction (H-DI); and resting without the dog (C). Each condition was performed for approximately 15 minutes. Saliva and HRV samples were collected before and after each condition. Linear mixed models were used to analyze data, with the participant considered a random effect; condition, order of conditions, and condition duration as fixed effects. Oxytocin concentrations were not significantly different following any of the four conditions. HRV was significantly reduced following DW (mean change HF HRV = –0.37, 95% CI = –0.70, –0.04) and W (mean change HF HRV = –0.49, 95% CI = –0.81, –0.17). Considering moderation by the strength of the human–dog bond, pairwise comparisons revealed that, compared with W, DW elicited an increase in oxytocin concentrations (mean change 9.32 pg/mL, 95% CI = 6.52, 12.12) and HRV (mean change SDRR = 0.41, 95% CI = 0.19, 0.63) in owners with lower levels of attachment. These owners also displayed increased oxytocin concentrations following H-DI (mean change 3.90 pg/mL, 95% CI = 1.48, 6.32), compared with C. Overall, we did not find a consistent pattern for positive oxytocin or HRV responses to human–dog interactions. The strength of owner–dog attachment was found to have a moderating effect, suggesting that human–dog interactions may elicit greater physiological responses in low-attachment individuals.

The Responsible Dog Owner: The Construction of Responsibility

ABSTRACTPolicy and campaigning messages related to dog ownership and welfare center on the concept of responsible ownership. However, the perspectives and experiences of pet owners and how they perceive and perform their responsibilities has not been studied in depth. This qualitative study used conversations about owning and walking dogs in order to elucidate beliefs and views about responsibility in dog ownership. Data comprised 12 in-depth interviews with dog-owning households, 14 short interviews with dog owners while walking their dogs or representing their breed at a dog show, and autoethnography of the first author’s experiences owning and walking dogs. All participants considered themselves responsible dog owners, yet there was great variation in key aspects of their dog-owning behavior. The feelings of responsibility were rooted in the valued unconditional and reciprocal love that owners believed underpinned their human–dog bond. Dogs were described as dependents, similar to, but different from, children. In deciding how to look after their dogs, owners sought to balance their views of dogs as kin, having individual needs to be met, with consideration of the needs of others. Four processes through which issues of irresponsible dog ownership may arise were suggested: owner–dog relationship being too weak or too strong; differences in interpretation of what is best for the dog; difficulties predicting and avoiding situations of conflict; and differences in tolerance of negative impacts of dog ownership. While “responsible dog ownership” has considerable appeal as a concept, how it is perceived and interpreted varies so extensively that simply telling owners that they should “be responsible” is of limited use as a message to promote behavior change. Facilitating “responsible dog ownership” and reducing “irresponsible dog owner” behaviors relies on a detailed understanding of the variables which influence how the dog’s role is constructed within the family and the wider society.

Turning up the Volume on Man’s Best Friend: Ethical Issues Associated with Commercial Dog Breeding

Abstract As the dog’s popularity as a human companion has grown, demand for purebred dogs has likewise escalated. Commercial breeding of dogs, which currently helps to meet such demands has become a point of social contention. The co-evolution of dogs and humans and the unique, familial relationships people have developed with them suggest that they are owed special consideration of their needs and interests that is independent of their utility to humans. Not surprisingly, opposition to commercial breeding enterprises has increased dramatically in the past decade in the US and abroad, spawning a growing number of legislative initiatives aimed at regulating such operations, which are widely believed to harm dogs. Among the most significant ethical problems embedded in commercial dog breeding are the potential for insults to the human-dog bond, failure to duly consider and meet duties of care to dogs, including dogs’ welfare needs and interests, and insufficient regulation of dog care standards. The shortage of published science on the actual conditions experienced by dogs in commercial breeding kennels complicates understanding of the nature and severity of problems as well as solutions. It is argued that despite the concerns associated with commercial dog breeding, abolishing the practice without identifying an ethically preferable alternative that meets demands could result in even worse consequences for dogs. Given this problem, commercial breeding could be ethically defensible under conditions that vastly reduce or eliminate potential for dog suffering, and with strict regulatory oversight of corresponding standards of care for dogs.

Dogs as Support and Motivation for Physical Activity.

Physical activity behavior change theorists are actively shifting the field to better align with the science of motivation and decision making. With this shift has come increasing interest in the role of affective judgments, habit, and identity in long-term physical activity maintenance, as well as the importance of framing physical activity in ways that protect autonomy and support personal values. This special communication makes the case for dog walking as a physical activity modality that fits well with the field's new focus. The authors provide an overview of dog walking research performed to date and discuss unanswered research questions. Given the large percentage of U.S. households that own a dog and the mainstream animal welfare movement to rehome adoptable shelter pets, there are innumerable opportunities to leverage the human-dog bond to increase physical activity levels.Dog walking interventions may be a highly practical approach to population-level physical activity promotion.

Canine Endogenous Oxytocin Responses to Dog-Walking and Affiliative Human⁻Dog Interactions.

Simple SummaryIt is widely recognized that humans and dogs share a unique relationship. However, the biological mechanisms that may contribute to this bond between owners and their pet dogs are still unclear. As such, we measured the concentration of oxytocin, a hormone that is important in social bonding, in dogs before and after two different activities: dog-walking and human–dog interactions. We also investigated whether the strength of an owner’s attachment to their dog affected the dog’s oxytocin concentration. Contradicting our suppositions, the experiment showed that the concentration of dog oxytocin was not substantially different following either dog-walking or human–dog interactions. Additionally, the strength of the human–dog bond did not affect oxytocin concentrations. We suggest that more research is needed to fully understand the role of oxytocin in human–dog bonding.Several studies suggest human–dog interactions elicit a positive effect on canine oxytocin concentrations. However, empirical investigations are scant and the joint influence of human–dog interaction and physical activity remains unexplored. The aims of the current study were to (a) examine the canine endogenous oxytocin response to owner-led dog-walking and affiliative human–dog interactions and (b) investigate the moderating effect of the owner-reported strength of the human–dog bond on such responses. Twenty-six dogs took part in a random order cross-over trial, involving dog-walking and human–dog interactions. Urinary samples were collected before and after each condition. The data were analyzed using linear mixed models with condition, order of conditions, condition duration, and latency from initiation of condition to urine sample collection considered as fixed effects, and the participant was considered a random effect. Canine urinary oxytocin concentrations did not differ significantly following dog-walking (mean change: −14.66 pg/mg Cr; 95% CI: −47.22, 17.90) or affiliative human–dog interactions (mean change: 6.94 pg/mg Cr; 95% CI: −26.99, 40.87). The reported strength of the human–dog bond did not significantly moderate the canine oxytocin response to either experimental condition. Contrary to our hypothesis, we did not observe evidence for a positive oxytocin response to dog-walking or human–dog interactions.

Identification of dysfunctional human-dog dyads through dog ownership histories.

The human–dog relationship is at least 16,000-years old and is mutually beneficial to both dyadic members. When the human–dog relationship becomes dysfunctional, however, there can be serious consequences for both parties and for society. Unfortunately, dysfunctional dyads are normally only identified after consequences have been felt (e.g., dog–human aggression) limiting the action that can be taken to prevent such occurrences. To evaluate whether these dysfunctional dyads can be preemptively identified, a questionnaire analyzing the owners’ dog health care histories was administered to an urban dog owning population. Multiple correspondence analysis (n = 1,385) was conducted and identified three clusters accounting for 37.1% of the total variance, while four moderate positive correlations were found: “unspecified trauma” with “vehicular trauma” (r = 0.303, p < 0.001), “bitten” with “bit other animal” (r = 0.345, p < 0.001), “bit a person” with “bit other animal” (r = 0.369, p < 0.001), and “chronic illness” with “hospitalized” (r = 0.297, p < 0.001). These results suggest that a simple questionnaire can identify potential characteristics of functional and dysfunctional dyads. In functional dyads, humans tend to be responsible for their dogs’ well-being, while dysfunctional dyads show the opposite characteristics, reporting experience with trauma and dog aggression.

Correction: Spatial and simultaneous representative seroprevalence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in owners and their domiciled dogs in a major city of southern Brazil.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0180906.].

Riding with dogs in cars: What can it teach us about transport practices and policy?

In low density cities shaped by the assumption of private car access and a relative paucity of public transport options, it is likely there are personal costs to not having a car. These subtle sacrifices contain vital clues as to why many people remain attached to car use, and their exposure can inform policy solutions that encourage car independence.This paper takes dog ownership asa case in point of an ostensibly health promoting and personally satisfying practice which, in many cities, either requires, or is enriched by, access to a private car. Drawing on empirical data from a convenience survey of over 1250 dog owners in Sydney, Australia, we explore the way cars augment and shape the human-dog bond and identify a high level of car use for dog-related trips. This suggests a distinct and previously unrecorded inclination for people to travel relatively long (that is, non-walkable) distances with their dog. It also reflects the fact dogs are prohibited on the public transport network in our case study city, leaving no legal alternative but to drive non-walkable dog-related trips. Enabling dogs to ride public transport with their owners is suggested as a potential way to reduce dog-related car trips, while fulfilling preferences for owners to travel with their dogs. Unsurprisingly, survey participants indicated nigh universal support for such policies, with many stating they would change their transport behaviour should such a policy be approved. Given the support and benefits of allowing dogs on public transport, the second part of the paper explores how such initiatives are regulated across the developed world and considers the practical and cultural implications of pursuit of such a policy in a car-dominated city. We conclude with reflections on lessons to be learned from differences in dogs-on-transport policy and practice from city to city. We explore whether such differences indicate the normalisation and acceptance of public dogs, or public transport.

Intranasal Oxytocin Treatment Increases Eye-Gaze Behavior toward the Owner in Ancient Japanese Dog Breeds.

Dogs acquired unique cognitive abilities during domestication, which is thought to have contributed to the formation of the human-dog bond. In European breeds, but not in wolves, a dog’s gazing behavior plays an important role in affiliative interactions with humans and stimulates oxytocin secretion in both humans and dogs, which suggests that this interspecies oxytocin and gaze-mediated bonding was also acquired during domestication. In this study, we investigated whether Japanese breeds, which are classified as ancient breeds and are relatively close to wolves genetically, establish a bond with their owners through gazing behavior. The subject dogs were treated with either oxytocin or saline before the starting of the behavioral testing. We also evaluated physiological changes in the owners during mutual gazing by analyzing their heart rate variability (HRV) and subsequent urinary oxytocin levels in both dogs and their owners. We found that oxytocin treatment enhanced the gazing behavior of Japanese dogs and increased their owners’ urinary oxytocin levels, as was seen with European breeds; however, the measured durations of skin contact and proximity to their owners were relatively low. In the owners’ HRV readings, inter-beat (R-R) intervals (RRI), the standard deviation of normal to normal inter-beat (R-R) intervals (SDNN), and the root mean square of successive heartbeat interval differences (RMSSD) were lower when the dogs were treated with oxytocin compared with saline. Furthermore, the owners of female dogs showed lower SDNN than the owners of male dogs. These results suggest that the owners of female Japanese dogs exhibit more tension during interactions, and apart from gazing behavior, the dogs may show sex differences in their interactions with humans as well. They also suggest that Japanese dogs use eye-gazing as an attachment behavior toward humans similar to European breeds; however, there is a disparity between the dog sexes when it comes to the owners’ oxytocin secretion. Japanese dogs also showed different attachment behaviors from both European breeds and wolves, and they likely use additional strategies to substitute gaze when forming the human–dog bond.

Spatial and simultaneous representative seroprevalence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in owners and their domiciled dogs in a major city of southern Brazil.

Toxoplasmosis, caused by Toxoplasma gondii, has traditionally been considered an important water and foodborne protozoonosis with important public health considerations. Although felids play a well-established role as definitive hosts, canine epidemiological involvement in the parasite’s life cycle remains questionable and controversial. The increasing closeness of the human-dog bond, particularly seen in urban settings, has been recognized as a historically unprecedented worldwide movement. Sharing daily lives in the same households, dogs may be exposed to similar associated risks of T. gondii infection as their owners. Thus, epidemiological assessment of the intra-domiciled environment, especially among socio-economically different human populations, may provide novel information regarding the actual role of dogs in animal and human toxoplasmosis. Despite spatial approaches being recently used for other water and foodborne diseases, no study has been conducted on the simultaneous spatial seroprevalence of both human and animal IgG anti-T. gondii antibodies in urban areas of major cities. Accordingly, the aim of the present study was to assess the seroprevalence and associated variables of Toxoplasma infection in owners and their domiciled dogs in Londrina, southern Brazil. Human and canine seroprevalence rates and variables associated with seroprevalence were investigated through representative random sampling among 564 households, which included 597 owners and 729 dogs. Overall, statistically significant differences between the seroprevalence of human and dog anti-T. gondii antibodies were found by Immunofluorescence Antibody Testing in 248/597 (41.54%) owners and 119/729 (16.32%) dogs. Through multiple analysis, significant concomitant variables for seropositivity of household individuals (people and dogs) were determined, including public sewer service, yard cleaning frequency, and having a dirty yard. Although no statistically significant multiple logistic model was observed among owners, univariate analysis detected associations with monthly income, soil contact, and occupation. Among dogs, the absence of other dogs and the absence of a dirty yard were concomitant significantly protective associated factors. Age differences between seropositive and seronegative individuals was significant only for human beings, with the median age of negative individuals significantly higher than positive individuals. Although no spatial clusters were identified for humans or residences, a significant cluster was identified for dogs. In conclusion, characteristics of urban toxoplasmosis may include significantly higher owner seroprevalence than their owned dogs, with canine seroprevalence directly associated with having more dogs and a dirty backyard, and spatial differences in both human and dog exposures. Although not a good indicator for human foodborne diseases, dogs may be a reliable sentinel for environmental infection. Moreover, such a holistic approach may provide crucial information for more focused prevention and monitoring programs, particularly in households with multiple pets and trash-filled backyards.