University Wants to Know, What are the Down Sides to Owning a Dog?

Doggy Diaries - What is a Dog’s Life?

Dogs are considered by those who love them to be ‘man’s best friend!’ They greet us with an unsurpassed welcome wag, love us seemingly without condition and provide companionship & protection when we need it most.  In return we feed, exercise and nurture them providing training to keep them on the straight and narrow- hopefully! The resultant bond has endured many thousands of years and the success of this relationship has in the main part been attributed to by the phenomenal adaptability of the domestic dog, fitting in with changes in both our lifestyles and culture.

At the University of Lincoln we are particularly interested in the ways in which 21st century dogs have adapted to live in the multitude of differing homes and lifestyles that occur in the UK today. We want to know about their eating habits, their exercise routines, sleeping schedules and time spent with both their canine and human friends.

Currently information on these activities, which are so important for ensuring you have a healthy, happy dog, is surprisingly lacking! In order to gauge the factors that are most important for dogs and look at the potential consequences if they spend too much or too little time on each of them we are launching a new internet based survey which will tell us how the UK pet dog population spend their time.

Ultimately we hope to use this information to advise new or potential dog owners so that they have a better understanding of what dogs need and the time commitment involved in owning a dog. They can then make an informed decision as to whether owning a dog will fit in with their current lifestyle.

How can you help?

We are looking for as many dog owners as possible to complete our ‘doggy diaries’ surveys which will provide us with the information we need on how dogs currently living in the UK spend their time.

If you would like to take part, you will need:

·        To live in the UK
·        To be a current dog owner and have owned your dog for at least 6 months.
·        To have acquired your dog primarily as a pet or companion (not for working/ showing/ breeding etc.)
·        A computer with internet access
·        The survey can be accessed from:  http://doggydiaries.co.uk/

Thank you! Your contribution is very much appreciated and will be used to help future generations of dogs and their owners to enjoy the benefits of this very special and unique human: animal bond.

Author Details
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