Not All Puppies and Sunshine: How Dog Keepers Cope with Dog-Related Problems in Dutch Society

Author:

Ophorst Susan12,Aarts Noelle1ORCID,Bovenkerk Bernice3ORCID,Hopster Hans2

Affiliation:

1. Institute for Science in Society, Radboud University, 6500 GL Nijmegen, The Netherlands

2. Animal Management, Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences, Agora 1, 8934 CJ Leeuwarden, The Netherlands

3. Department of Social Sciences, Wageningen University & Research, 6700 EW Wageningen, The Netherlands

Abstract

Zoonoses, biting incidents, hereditary problems, and other issues can threaten the welfare of both humans and dogs. The Dutch government and animal welfare organizations seem to have little effect in their campaigns to influence the behavior of (potential) dog keepers, who can experience dissonance when faced with these campaigns and use coping strategies to relieve the dissonance instead of changing their behavior. In this study, in focus group discussions, dog keepers with pedigree dogs, high-risk dogs, foreign shelter dogs, and dogs purchased at puppy farms shared their experiences with opinions on dogs and were confronted with negative opinions on their dogs. The data were analyzed using a coping strategies framework. Most coping strategies were found in all groups, but were used in response to different dilemmas, with different manifestations. These differences should be kept in mind when behavior change in dog keepers is opportune. Special attention should be given to differentiating target groups, as use of the detachment coping strategy suggests that boundaries might be set differently than expected. Broad attention on problems with and for dogs can address perceived dissonance and prompt behavior change. In dialogue with dog keepers, in influential campaigns and in policy formulation, the chances of success are greater if initiators are aware of the strategies that they may encounter.

Funder

Dutch Research Council

Publisher

MDPI AG

Subject

General Veterinary,Animal Science and Zoology

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