Pets and their owners during the first COVID-19 lockdown period: Perceived changes in routines and emotions - An exploratory study

Ana Martos Martinez-Caja; Veerle De Herdt; Marie-Jose Enders Slegers; Christel Palmyre Henri Moons

doi:10.1016/j.jveb.2021.09.009

Pets and their owners during the first COVID-19 lockdown period: Perceived changes in routines and emotions - An exploratory study

J Vet Behav. 2022 Feb:48:86-91. doi: 10.1016/j.jveb.2021.09.009. Epub 2021 Oct 20.

Authors

Ana Martos Martinez-Caja¹, Veerle De Herdt², Marie-Jose Enders Slegers³, Christel Palmyre Henri Moons¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Nutrition, Genetics and Ethology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.
² Department of Neurology, Ghent University Hospital, Belgium.
³ Faculty of Psychology, Open University, Heerlen, Netherlands.

Abstract

An international online questionnaire Pets in Lockdown was conducted during the first COVID-19 lockdown during the months of April and May 2020 to assess how pet owners perceived some aspects of their relationship with their pets, including time spent together and how much they enjoyed it, difficulties taking care of their pets, the amount of comfort they obtained from interacting with their pets, and whether they had observed any changes in their pets' resting time and behavior. Most pet owners did not describe any changes in the relationship with their pets or in their pets' behaviour. Horse owners expressed more difficulties taking care of their animals than owners of other species. Approximately 20% of the animals had less time available to rest undisturbed. Of the animals that displayed behavioral changes, remaining closer to the owner was the most frequently described change followed by descriptions of higher arousal and increased negative affective states.

Keywords: COVID-19; Companion Animals; Human-Animal Relationship; Lockdown.