ArticleInternational journal of environmental research and public health2017
I Walk My Dog Because It Makes Me Happy: A Qualitative Study to Understand Why Dogs Motivate Walking and Improved Health.
Article in International journal of environmental research and public health, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 35 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
35 citing papers in PubMed, 112 citations in OpenAlex.
- (Self-)caring with companion animals: a qualitative exploration of how companion animals shape everyday practices of rest and relaxation.International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being · 2026Article
- "She's loved me at all sizes": the role of the human-animal bond in eating disorder experiences and treatment.Journal of eating disorders · 2026Article
- The relation between household dogs and cats during childhood/adolescence with social role outcomes and loneliness among youth with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2026Article
- Effects of a joint outdoor exercise program for dog owners and dogs on physical activity, sedentary time and sleep-related behaviors.PloS one · 2026Article
- 'he's not just a dog… he's something bigger… my family.' A Qualitative Study on Dog Ownership and Emotional Well-Being.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Were young men picking pets over people? Association between social network and pet ownership: A population-based study.One health (Amsterdam, Netherlands) · 2025Article
- Telomere Tales: Exploring the Impact of Stress, Sociality, and Exercise on Dogs' Cellular Aging.Veterinary sciences · 2025Article
- "I want them to live their best lives:" A qualitative exploration of owner experiences with walking their cats.Animal welfare (South Mimms, England) · 2025Article
- A qualitative exploration of owner experiences following dog adoption.Animal welfare (South Mimms, England) · 2025Article
- The Link between the Nature of the Human-Companion Animal Relationship and Well-Being Outcomes in Companion Animal Owners.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2024Article
- Article
- Dog owner mental health is associated with dog behavioural problems, dog care and dog-facilitated social interaction: a prospective cohort study.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- Paws on the Street: Neighborhood-Level Concentration of Households with Dogs and Urban Crime.Social forces; a scientific medium of social study and interpretation · 2023Article
- The Impact of the Social Determinants of Human Health on Companion Animal Welfare.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2023Review
- The Role of Human-Animal Bonds for People Experiencing Crisis Situations.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2023Article
- Relationship between pet ownership and risk of high depressive symptoms in adolescence and young adulthood.Journal of affective disorders · 2023Article
- Dog ownership, glycaemic control and all-cause death in patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes: a national cohort study.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
- Disenfranchised Guilt-Pet Owners' Burden.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2022Article
- A cross-sectional study of factors associated with regular dog walking and intention to walk the dog.BMC public health · 2022Article
- The COVID-19 pandemic affects owners walking with their dogs.Journal of veterinary behavior : clinical applications and research : official journal of : Australian Veterinary Behaviour Interest Group, International Working Dog Breeding Association · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Dog walking is a popular everyday physical activity. Dog owners are generally more active than non-owners, but some rarely walk with their dog. The strength of the dog-owner relationship is known to be correlated with dog walking, and this qualitative study investigates why. Twenty-six interviews were combined with autoethnography of dog walking experiences. Dog walking was constructed as "for the dog", however, owners represented their dog's needs in a way which aligned with their own. Central to the construction of need was perceptions of dog personality and behaviour. Owners reported deriving positive outcomes from dog walking, most notably, feelings of "happiness", but these were "contingent" on the perception that their dogs were enjoying the experience. Owner physical activity and social interaction were secondary bonuses but rarely motivating. Perceptions and beliefs of owners about dog walking were continually negotiated, depending on how the needs of the owner and dog were constructed at that time. Complex social interactions with the "significant other" of a pet can strongly motivate human health behaviour. Potential interventions to promote dog walking need to account for this complexity and the effect of the dog-owner relationship on owner mental wellbeing.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.