The DOI matches its Crossref record; 43 of the 43 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better quarantine partner!”: experiences with companion dogs during Covid-19.
Open accessAbstract
The Covid-19 pandemic has been found to negatively impact the psychological well-being of significant numbers of people globally. Many individuals have been challenged by social distancing mandates and the resultant social isolation. Humans, in our modern world, have rarely been as isolated and socially restricted. Social connectedness and support are critical protective factors for human survival and well-being. Social isolation can lead to loneliness, boredom, and can become a risk factor for physical and mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. The attachments formed with dogs, however, can be as strong or even stronger than human connections, and has been shown to relate to fewer physical health and mental health problems, as well as decrease isolation and loneliness. The purpose of this qualitative research was to examine the thoughts, experiences and concerns of 4105 adults regarding their companion dog during the initial months of Covid-19. Data were collected between March 31st-April 19th, 2020 via online survey and themes were coded by the researchers using directed content analysis. Results highlighted a strong human-animal appreciation, and that dog ownership during this pandemic diminished participants' sense of isolation and loneliness, as well as supported their mental/physical health.
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“Because walking a dog and being a dog owner have been associated with lower depression, these were categorized as protective factors (37–39).”
From The Evolution of Psychological and Behavioral Consequences of Self-Isolation During Lockdown: A Longitudinal Study Across United Kingdom and Italy (2022) · cites this paper as [37]
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“Studies conducted in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic found that many pet owners, while enjoying the additional time they were able to spend with their pets, were concerned how their pets would handle the transition when they had to return to work outside the home [70,71,72].”
From Disenfranchised Guilt-Pet Owners' Burden. (2022) · cites this paper as [70]
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“Dog ownership and dog walking can therefore be considered protective factors during lockdown (37–39).”
From The Evolution of Psychological and Behavioral Consequences of Self-Isolation During Lockdown: A Longitudinal Study Across United Kingdom and Italy (2022) · cites this paper as [37]
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Cites
Three Approaches to Qualitative Content Analysis
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Code Saturation Versus Meaning Saturation: How Many Interviews Are Enough?
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“prolonged cases, can become a risk factor for physical [5,6] and mental health issues such as anxiety and depression [3,7].”
BackgroundValtorta, N. K., Kanaan, M., Gilbody, S., Ronzi, S., & Hanratty, B. (2016) · Heart · doi:10.1136/heartjnl-2015-308790 · Cited by 1,971
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Rethinking validity and reliability in content analysis
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Loneliness: human nature and the need for social connection
(2008) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.46-1765 · Cited by 1,572
Flagged first, then by citations
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- Duncan, 1995, Loneliness: A health hazard of modern times, Interactions, 13, 5
- Frankel, R. (2014). War Dogs: Tales of Canine Heroism, History, and Love, Palgrave Macmillan.
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Cited by
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Items 101–112 of 112
Animal Video Lovers Always Have Company: The Role of Cyber-Mediated Animal Attachment in Loneliness
Zhang, J., Tao, S., & Du, W. (2025) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani15172593
Woolley, C. S. C., Handel, I. G., de Bronsvoort, B. M. C., Schoenebeck, J. J., & Clements, D. N. (2022) · Figshare · doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.20156813
Woolley, C. S. C., Handel, I. G., de Bronsvoort, B. M. C., Schoenebeck, J. J., & Clements, D. N. (2022) · Figshare · doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.20156807
Woolley, C. S. C., Handel, I. G., de Bronsvoort, B. M. C., Schoenebeck, J. J., & Clements, D. N. (2022) · Figshare · doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.20156810
The Impacts of Human-Animal Interaction (HAI) on COVID-19 Recovery in Communities: A Scoping Review
Breen, K., Wu, H., & Neal, J. (2025) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-032-00313-3_21
The role of veterinary nurses in the support of pet-owning cancer survivors
Kogan, L. R., & Currin-McCulloch, J. A. (2026) · The Veterinary Nurse · doi:10.12968/vetn.2025.0026
Steuer-Jurek, A. (2026) · Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning · doi:10.1080/1523908x.2026.2683853
Ehrlich, N., & Peled‐Avron, L. (2026) · Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.cpnec.2026.100367
Marti, R., Hediger, K., Pauli, E., & Hattendorf, J. (2026) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0352778
Pet attachment and psychological well-being among South African pet owners
Khalfe, F., & Tucker, L. A. (2026) · Human-Animal Interactions · doi:10.1079/hai.2026.0035
Silva, A. J. (2026) · Frontiers in Organizational Psychology · doi:10.3389/forgp.2026.1903354
Metadata
- Authors
- Bussolari, C., Currin-McCulloch, J., Packman, W., Kogan, L., & Erdman, P.
- Affiliations
- University of San Francisco (US)
- Colorado State University (US)
- Palo Alto University (US)
- Washington State University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Bussolari, Cori
- Venue
- Animals
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Published
- 2021-01-28
- Volume
- 11
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 330
- ISSN
- 2076-2615 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC7911354
- OpenAlex
- W3125012309
- Cited by
- 113
- References
- 41
- Citations by year
- 2026: 8 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 19 · 2023: 22 · 2022: 36 · 2021: 17
- FWCI
- 13.29
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Animals (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Animal Science and Zoology › Human-Animal Interaction Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › COVID-19 and Mental Health
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Animal Science and Zoology › Animal Behavior and Welfare Studies
- Keywords
- pet dogs, COVID-19 pandemic, quarantine, social isolation, loneliness, human-animal bond, dog ownership, mental health, physical health, social distancing
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