Purina Petcare is raising awareness of its recent survey, which found that dog ownership helped to support dog owners during the covid-19 pandemic.

The online survey questioned 1,535 current and potential dog owners using validated scales assessing depression, anxiety, happiness, attitude and commitment toward their pet, and perceived social support. It was found that dog owners had higher perceived level of social support and lower depression scores.

The survey also identified that those who owned a dog had a more positive attitude to pets compared to potential dog owners who aspired to pet ownership in the future. The results suggest that the bond between dogs and their owners has helped to buffer against some of the negative psychological impacts caused by the pandemic.

The Purina survey results underscored the psychological and physiological effects of covid on individuals, with 67% of participants reporting they felt that covid had had an emotional impact on them. One-third of participants also felt that their health had been impacted by the pandemic, while 45% had experienced a financial impact. 

Francois Martin, behaviour and welfare research section leader at Purina, said “Our research showed that dog owners fared better from a social support and emotional standpoint during COVID than people who like dogs but didn’t own one during the pandemic. Our work adds to a growing body of evidence demonstrating the power of the human pet bond, especially in times of stress.”

Libby Sheridan, Purina scientific affairs manager for the UK and Ireland, sais that the changes brought about by the pandemic were significant.

“It’s clear that all individuals have found it stressful coping with the effects of the pandemic. This study shows that dogs played an important role in people’s lives by offering comfort and companionship throughout these difficult times.

“The survey provided a unique opportunity to shed light on whether dog ownership would help to reduce or buffer the negative psychological effects of COVID-19. The research aimed to build on prior evidence that suggests that dogs can contribute to their owner’s positive affective state - a psychological term describing when people are in generally positive frame of mind like excited, enthusiastic, and inspired. Purina also set out to gain a better understanding of whether the power of the pet-owner bond continued to persist during the pandemic. Not only was the effect of dogs shown to be positive, it was also measurable and statistically significant.”

These results show the positive psychological impact of dog ownership during uncertain times and the important role played by dogs in reducing the negative impact of adverse circumstances on people. 

For full results, visit: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0260676