Costs and disadvantages of owning a dog, as told by 246 dog owners
While owning a dog has
Perceived costs and benefits of companion dog keeping based on a convenience sample of dog owners | Scientific Reports
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598－025-85254-1
Why You Shouldn't Get a Dog: Researchers Reveal Surprising Truth About Dog Ownership
https://scitechdaily.com/why-you-shouldnt-get-a-dog-researchers-reveal-surprising-truth-about-dog-ownership/
According to a research group at Eötvös Loránd University in Hungary, despite the often-held belief that owning a dog has positive effects on humans, previous studies looking at the physical and mental health of dog owners have had mixed results, and may not be universally applicable.
These studies use items about the advantages and disadvantages that the researchers have set in advance, and some of them are not necessarily objective. For example, the indicators used in one study included items that described dog ownership in negative terms, such as 'annoying' and 'troublesome,' which tended to make people aware of the burden of owning a dog.
This time, instead of asking about advantages and disadvantages individually, the research group took the approach of showing a list of 33 questions that were not categorized into either category and asking participants to rate them on a scale from -3 (big disadvantage) to +3 (big advantage). The participants in the study were adults aged 18 or older who own dogs, and there were 246 valid responses. The average age of the respondents was 41 years old, and the average age of the dogs was 5.8 years old.
The 'benefits' that received a positive average score in this survey, meaning that many pet owners rated them as positive, are as follows. The belief that 'dogs brighten up your life' was rated most positively, with an average score of 2.78. Following in second place were the belief that owning a dog makes you more active (average 2.7), that it helps you overcome life's difficulties (average 2.59), and that it loves you unconditionally (average 2.58).
| Positively rated items | Average score |
|---|---|
| Dogs can brighten people's lives | 2.78 |
| Owning a dog encourages physical activity | 2.70 |
| Dogs help their owners get through difficult situations in life | 2.59 |
| Dogs are loyal and provide unconditional love to their owners. | 2.58 |
| Share fun moments playing and laughing with your dog | 2.55 |
| Dogs give their owners a sense of security and stability | 2.37 |
| Owning a dog teaches you responsibility | 2.36 |
| Dogs need the love of their owners | 2.23 |
| Having a dog gives you a reason to get up in the morning | 2.10 |
| Rescuing and adopting dogs helps those in need and contributes to a better world | 2.05 |
| Owning a dog can be a spiritual experience that can lead to personal growth | 2.00 |
| Dogs strengthen family bonds | 2.00 |
| Owning a dog encourages interaction with other people (e.g. during walks and training) | 1.99 |
| Dogs are playmates for children | 1.96 |
| Owning a dog makes you feel part of the community | 1.91 |
| Owning a dog affects your daily routine | 1.90 |
| Dogs need discipline and training | 1.89 |
| Dogs need to be looked after by their owners | 1.80 |
| Owning a dog affects the quality of your sleep | 1.63 |
| Caring for a dog requires time every day | 1.59 |
| Mean score for positive items | 2.06 |
Next up were items with negative average scores, or 'disadvantages.' The biggest difficulty dog owners face is losing their dog (average -1.67), followed by the difficulty of finding pet-friendly properties (-0.7), having to leave their dog with someone when traveling (-0.66), and the stress of having a dog that doesn't listen to you (-0.64).
| Negatively rated items | Average score |
|---|---|
| Dogs can cause allergies | -0.31 |
| Dogs can bark loudly | -0.44 |
| Dogs can make the house dirty | -0.53 |
| Dog behavior problems can cause embarrassment for owners | -0.53 |
| Dogs can damage property | -0.57 |
| Caring for a dog is expensive (e.g. food, vets, toys, etc.) | -0.61 |
| Owning a dog can cause problems with other people (e.g., friction with neighbors) | -0.61 |
| Dogs can harm other animals | -0.63 |
| Dog training can be difficult and cause stress for owners | -0.64 |
| You will need to arrange for dog care when traveling. | -0.66 |
| Owning a dog makes it harder to find housing | -0.70 |
| Dogs live shorter lives than their owners | -1.67 |
| Mean score for negative items | -0.66 |
Overall, the average rating of the benefits of owning a dog was 2.06, which was significantly more positive than the average rating of the disadvantages, which was -0.66.
In addition to these quantitative measurements, the research group also analyzed free-form responses, which revealed that 60.8% of pet owners felt that they had a 'meaningful and meaningful relationship' with their dog. For example, one owner said, 'My dog makes me feel unconditional love every day,' while another said, 'I experience pure love, my heart opens, and I learn from it.'
On the other hand, the survey also found that 95.2% of dog owners were almost unanimous in citing financial costs as a burden. Medical costs in particular were a major burden, with 74.9% mentioning medical expenses for chronic illnesses, unexpected illnesses, parasite prevention, and other types of medical expenses. One owner commented, 'Veterinary consultation fees, especially procedures that require anesthesia, are all expensive. Also, if you have to take your dog to the vet during on-call hours, unfortunately the on-call fees also add up.'
Similarly, 31.7% of pet owners mentioned the daily cost of feeding them, and 12.3% mentioned training and grooming costs, while only 4% mentioned practical costs such as the effort of caring for a dog and travel restrictions, and 4.8% mentioned emotional disadvantages such as the inevitable sadness of parting.
In summarizing the study, the research team stated, 'Our results suggest that the experience of owning a dog is multifaceted and cannot be explained by universal costs and benefits that apply to all pet owners. Importantly, the commitment and responsibility associated with owning a dog was perceived as an emotional or practical burden in some cases, but also as beneficial in others.'
The research group is still conducting its research at the time of writing, and anyone who is a dog owner, is 18 years of age or older, and agrees to participate in the study can fill out the survey at the following link:
Dogs and Us: Understanding the pros and cons of dog ownership
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