Canines, COVID and Connections: Human Canine interactions during the pandemic

Abstract

Anxiety, depression, and mental health challenges reported by college students were on the rise well before the COVID pandemic. Those challenges were exacerbated by the pandemic, and statistics continued to climb. The isolating experience of COVID created instances where the Human-Canine bond was critical for mental health and wellbeing. This paper explores the experience of college students who were dog owners and the impact of COVID on the human canine relationship. In 2020, respondents in a study (N=352) answered questionnaires related to physical and mental well-being, and in particular the role that canine companions played during the pandemic. Dog owners also completed a series of exercises with their dog to evaluate the dog’s cognition and personality profile, utilizing the “Dognition”™ assessment tool. Qualitative responses revealed that dogs were critically important to the mental health of their owners, and further played a role in physical activity. Implications of these results are discussed with respect to the interaction of humans and canines in private and public spaces, and the effects canine companionship can have on mental health.