Insights into Canadians' Perceptions of Service Dogs in Public Spaces.

Maryellen Gibson, Linzi Williamson, Colleen Anne Dell

Open access · goldAbstract read

In one paragraph

Article in Animals : an open access journal from MDPI, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it

0cells of the map it votes in

1citing papers in PubMed

0.9field-weighted citation impact, top 19% of its field

1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 3 citations in OpenAlex.

Obstacles to inclusion and threats to civil rights: An integrative review of the social experiences of service dog partners in the United States.PloS one · 2025
Review

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Maryellen GibsonDepartment of Sociology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A2, Canada.

Linzi WilliamsonDepartment of Psychology and Health Studies, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A2, Canada.

Colleen Anne DellDepartment of Sociology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A2, Canada.ORCID 0000-0003-4216-1606

University of Saskatchewan · CA

Funding

CIHR Patient-Oriented Research (POR) Transition to Leadership Phase 1 Fellowship award

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Service Dogs (SDs) are an increasingly common type of working dog supporting people with disabilities in Canada. One of the groups being paired with SDs is Veterans diagnosed with posttraumatic stress injuries (PTSIs). In past research, Veterans have expressed stress over negative interactions with people in public spaces because an SD brings attention to their disability. There is a dearth of research exploring perceptions of SDs in public settings.

methodsA total of 485 Canadians were surveyed via an online questionnaire about their demographic information and beliefs about SDs in public spaces. Data were analyzed using robust ordinary least squares (OLS) regression to determine which demographic features, if any, contribute to perceptions.

resultsGenerally, the Canadian public holds highly positive perceptions of SDs being in public spaces. Our analysis found that women, people who currently have pets, and Indigenous people were more supportive of SDs in public spaces than others. People with certain cultural heritages were less receptive.

conclusionThese findings are an important beginning contribution to the growing SD and Veteran health field.

Indexed as

assistance animalspublic perceptionsService DogsVeterans’ wellness

Identifiers

PMID37835697

DOI10.3390/ani13193091

PMCPMC10572006

OpenAlexW4387343509

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata

LicenceCC BY

Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.