The Concerns, Difficulties, and Stressors of Caring for Pets during COVID-19: Results from a Large Survey of U.S. Pet Owners
Pets may be a positive presence for their owners during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. However, it is pertinent to identify the hardships associated with pet ownership. We conducted a large-scale survey of U.S. pet owners (<i>n</i> = 2254) in spring and summer 2020 to...
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doaj-5b21ec574eb44a30b3410205537d5dfc2020-11-25T03:57:32ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152020-10-01101882188210.3390/ani10101882The Concerns, Difficulties, and Stressors of Caring for Pets during COVID-19: Results from a Large Survey of U.S. Pet OwnersJennifer W. Applebaum0Camie A. Tomlinson1Angela Matijczak2Shelby E. McDonald3Barbara A. Zsembik4Department of Sociology and Criminology & Law, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USASchool of Social Work, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284, USASchool of Social Work, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284, USASchool of Social Work, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284, USADepartment of Sociology and Criminology & Law, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USAPets may be a positive presence for their owners during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. However, it is pertinent to identify the hardships associated with pet ownership. We conducted a large-scale survey of U.S. pet owners (<i>n</i> = 2254) in spring and summer 2020 to assess the ways that relationships with pets impacted life during COVID-19. We used thematic analysis to analyze 3671 open-ended responses to three prompts. Reported concerns fell into three major categories: (1) pet-focused (meeting needs of pets; procuring supplies; accessing veterinary care; new and emerging behavioral issues; fate of the pet if owner becomes ill; general safety and well-being), (2) human-focused (issues with working from home; well-being and mental health; balancing responsibilities), and (3) household-focused (disease spread; economic issues). Quantitative analyses showed that the owner’s strength of attachment to their pet, economic resources, and relationship status were associated with the types of concerns expressed. Results from this study indicate that pet owners experienced unique hardships related to changes in everyday life from the COVID-19 pandemic. These hardships should be considered alongside the potential benefits found in other studies in order to manage pet owner expectations, prevent pet relinquishment, and more fully understand multifaceted human-companion animal relationships.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/10/1882COVID-19coronavirusanimal welfarepet ownershuman-animal interactioncompanion animals |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Jennifer W. Applebaum Camie A. Tomlinson Angela Matijczak Shelby E. McDonald Barbara A. Zsembik |
spellingShingle |
Jennifer W. Applebaum Camie A. Tomlinson Angela Matijczak Shelby E. McDonald Barbara A. Zsembik The Concerns, Difficulties, and Stressors of Caring for Pets during COVID-19: Results from a Large Survey of U.S. Pet Owners Animals COVID-19 coronavirus animal welfare pet owners human-animal interaction companion animals |
author_facet |
Jennifer W. Applebaum Camie A. Tomlinson Angela Matijczak Shelby E. McDonald Barbara A. Zsembik |
author_sort |
Jennifer W. Applebaum |
title |
The Concerns, Difficulties, and Stressors of Caring for Pets during COVID-19: Results from a Large Survey of U.S. Pet Owners |
title_short |
The Concerns, Difficulties, and Stressors of Caring for Pets during COVID-19: Results from a Large Survey of U.S. Pet Owners |
title_full |
The Concerns, Difficulties, and Stressors of Caring for Pets during COVID-19: Results from a Large Survey of U.S. Pet Owners |
title_fullStr |
The Concerns, Difficulties, and Stressors of Caring for Pets during COVID-19: Results from a Large Survey of U.S. Pet Owners |
title_full_unstemmed |
The Concerns, Difficulties, and Stressors of Caring for Pets during COVID-19: Results from a Large Survey of U.S. Pet Owners |
title_sort |
concerns, difficulties, and stressors of caring for pets during covid-19: results from a large survey of u.s. pet owners |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
series |
Animals |
issn |
2076-2615 |
publishDate |
2020-10-01 |
description |
Pets may be a positive presence for their owners during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. However, it is pertinent to identify the hardships associated with pet ownership. We conducted a large-scale survey of U.S. pet owners (<i>n</i> = 2254) in spring and summer 2020 to assess the ways that relationships with pets impacted life during COVID-19. We used thematic analysis to analyze 3671 open-ended responses to three prompts. Reported concerns fell into three major categories: (1) pet-focused (meeting needs of pets; procuring supplies; accessing veterinary care; new and emerging behavioral issues; fate of the pet if owner becomes ill; general safety and well-being), (2) human-focused (issues with working from home; well-being and mental health; balancing responsibilities), and (3) household-focused (disease spread; economic issues). Quantitative analyses showed that the owner’s strength of attachment to their pet, economic resources, and relationship status were associated with the types of concerns expressed. Results from this study indicate that pet owners experienced unique hardships related to changes in everyday life from the COVID-19 pandemic. These hardships should be considered alongside the potential benefits found in other studies in order to manage pet owner expectations, prevent pet relinquishment, and more fully understand multifaceted human-companion animal relationships. |
topic |
COVID-19 coronavirus animal welfare pet owners human-animal interaction companion animals |
url |
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/10/1882 |
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