A recent poll* of U.S. adults** who have or are about to head back to work (post-pandemic lock-down) revealed some surprising facts about family relationships: When asked what they would miss most from a list of options (dog, house, spouse, kids, avoiding commute, or other), 42 percent said they would miss their dog the most. The deep bond between humans and dogs is a sentiment that is overwhelmingly reflected throughout the survey.
Other findings revealed include:
-Among those who are returning to in-person work, 76 percent are nervous about “pet care challenges” ahead.
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-Many new dog owner-guardians are surprised by the responsibilities of having a dog. A majority reported being surprised by the “amount of time, money, and effort required for eight different aspects of care,” the highest being medical care and food/nutrition.
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-According to the survey, 75 percent of new dog owner-guardians said they would have valued more information about food and nutrition, dog training, and pet wellness prior to their first experience care-taking for a dog.
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-The survey also revealed that 87 percent of dog caretakers believed they would have benefited from “better education” about the monetary cost of dog parenting.
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-Results showed that 88 percent of people who adopted dogs said they are “satisfied with their last adoption experience”.
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-Nearly half of respondents (48%) said the dog in their life has “decreased their level of anxiety”.
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-And perhaps not surprising for long-term caretakers of dogs, 93 percent of respondents say their dog has provided them with “mental health support”.
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*The survey was conducted by DKC Analytics for dog walking app Wag! It consisted of 1,001 adults from the U.S. who have adopted, purchased, or been given at least one dog within the past two years. Participants were asked questions related to their experience as new dog caretakers, particularly as many return to in-person work. Data for this survey was procured using the Pollfish survey delivery platform.
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**Sixty percent of participants switching to an in-office or hybrid work environment are also parents.
KW
FIREPAW, Inc. 