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A majority of American dog owners believe that their 4-legged companions know them better than they know themselves. This is one of the lessons learned in a recently published study conducted with thousands of owners on the impact dogs have on their lives.
2,000 dog owners were interviewed as part of a study conducted by OnePoll on behalf of DOGTV , as People reported. The questions focused on different aspects of their lives impacted by their pets .
Dogs are an essential support during difficult times
64% of these owners confided that their dogs had constituted a real support during tests or in key moments : change of job, move , romantic breakup… Other answers provided by the people polled show to what extent the presence of their dogs was psychologically and emotionally important .
Thus, 68% of them assure that their canine friends had helped them preserve their mental health during the confinement imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic. 61% say they believe dogs are much better than them when it comes to judging people’s characters. Importantly, nearly 7 in 10 American dog owners believe their pets know them better than they know themselves .
Dog welfare at the top of owners’ priorities
In addition, the study reveals that Americans spent , on average, 122.32 US dollars (approximately 100 euros) to prepare the arrival of their new dogs at home. They also report having devoted 11 hours per week to their education .
Also, the first months of the life of these dogs with their new families were punctuated by some inconvenience . They caused damage to 4 pieces of furniture and escaped their leash on average 6 times during the first year , according to their owners.
Read also: A Great Dane does everything to comfort his companion suffering from separation anxiety (video)
The people interviewed also expressed their concern for the well-being of their companions. 64% said they were worried about returning to a normal pace of life after the health crisis, mainly fearing repercussions on their dogs’ psychology, such as seeing them suffer from separation anxiety .
Of the 2,000 teachers surveyed, 1,800 were employed at the time of the study. Of these, 60% said they wanted their workplace to be “dog friendly” so that they could continue to spend time with their dogs. </p
