Wellbeing Perceptions of Humans Who “Borrow” and “Loan” Dogs in the Context of a Dog-Walk

Abstract

Dog-walking contributes positively to the wellbeing of humans; however, there is little evidence about any wellbeing benefits of dog-walking for “non-guardians.” We use the terminology “borrowers” to refer to non-guardians who borrow dogs to walk and “loaners” to refer to guardians who loan their dogs. In this qualitatively driven, mixed-methods study, we explored dog-walking and wellbeing for a sample of nine borrowers and four loaners. Data were collected from dog-walk-along interviews and participatory analysis sessions with borrowers, seated interviews with loaners, and supplementary questionnaires. Wellbeing of borrowers and loaners was analyzed using an existing theoretical model, Therapeutic Dog-walking Spaces, which led to two themes: “Balancing Wellbeing and Responsibility” and “Wellbeing and Trust.” Two novel theoretical spaces were identified: a “dog-space” and a “shaper space,” to further account for the role of borrowers and illustrate the active role that dogs and “shapers” like policymakers might play in enhancing therapeutic dog-walking spaces.