Key points

Dogs can boost human well-being.

Dogs often connect owners to others.

Dogs require responsibility and effort—but owners report that it's worth it.

A new study out of the University of Brighton asked pet owners about their relationship with their dog and different dimensions of dog ownership (e.g., "What aspect of the relationship with your dog do you enjoy most?"; "How does greeting your dog make you feel?"). An interview approach was used to delve into the lived experiences of dog owners, as studies in the field of human-animal interactions can report inconsistent findings, findings from laboratory or manufactured interactions that fail to represent the experience of dog ownership within a home context, and a lack of research capturing the voices of dog owners. Interviews

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