Talk to any pet owner and you are required to invoke stories about the joy and companionship of having a pet. But evidence is mounting that the effect of domestic animals extends beyond their owners and can help to consolidate the social fabric of local neighborhoods. Now, a transnational study involving Perth, Australia, and three US cities has lent weight to the observation that pets help build social capital.
This is not a frivolous notion, given the erosion of the sense of community often laments. As Hugh Mackay noted recently, the ignorance of our neighbors has become a sad cliché of contemporary urban life.
I stumbled upon pet research about 15 years ago when embarking on a doctorate in the neighborhoods and the sense of community. I was curious about the elements of a neighborhood that could help people connect with each other, so I threw some on some questions from the survey on pets.
In what has become my most quoted academic article, we find that pet owners were more likely to have greater social capital. This is a concept that captures trust between people (including those we do not know personally), social support networks, exchange of favors with neighbors and civic engagement.
Advance a decade to a much larger study to see the relationship between pets and social capital. Pet owners and non-owners were randomly surveyed in four cities (Perth, San Diego, Portland and Nashville – four cities reasonably comparable in size, urban density and climate).
In all four cities, we found that owning a pet was significantly associated with greater social capital compared to not owning a pet. This remained true after adjusting for a number of demographic factors that could influence the connections of people in your neighborhood.
How do pets help build social bonds?
It is often assumed that the social benefits of pets are limited to the social interactions that occur when people are walking their dogs. A lot of dog owner anecdotes support this. However, in this large sample study, social capital levels were higher among pet owners in general.
However, we found that social capital was greater between dog owners and those who walked with their dogs in particular. Dog owners were five times more likely to meet people in their neighborhood. This makes sense, as dogs are the most likely to get you out of the house.
However, our survey data and qualitative responses show that a variety of pets can act as a social lubricant. Pets are a great level in society, owned and loved by people through social, age and racial strata. Maybe it’s having something in common with other people that strikes a chord, regardless of the type of pet.
What does this mean for our lives?
That pets can help build social capital is not just a novelty social or peculiar sociological observation. Hundreds of international studies show that social capital is a positive predictor for a number of important social indicators, including mental health, education, crime deterrence and community safety.
Given pets are entrenched in the lives and homes of many Australians, it makes sense to take this as a way to strengthen the social fabric of local communities.
Not everyone can or wants to own a pet. But two-thirds of the population do, so our cities and neighborhoods should be “pet friendly”.
Australian suburbs are usually pretty good for parks and walkable streets. In this study, we also found that having dog walkers out contributes to perceptions of community safety.
However, in Australia, pets have traditionally belonged to people living on separate deck with backyards. Many rental properties, apartment complexes, and retirement villages remain by default a policy of “no pets”.
Other countries, where renting and increased life density is more the norm, seem more accepting of pets across the spectrum of housing.
Given the aging population, affordable housing and the need to curb urban sprawl are crucial social trends in many countries (including Australia), we may need to recalibrate our notions of who owns a pet and
Google Translate for Business:Translator ToolkitWebsite Translator Where they can live. This does not mean that pets have to be allowed everywhere, but the default “no pets allowed” is questionable. My 80-year-old father, for example, could not reduce his size to a retirement complex because his Extremely docile rescue greyhound exceeded the “10kg pet” rule. He could not bear to part with Moby, a faithful companion by whom he met many local residents every day in the nearby park. Constant companions in times of changeMany of my current researches are about homelessness. Speaking recently with a man who was homeless with his dog in the streets of Melbourne, he told me how his dog raises him in the morning, keeps him safe at night, and makes them walk every day. His dog was one of The few things stable in his life, so he needed a public housing option that allowed pets. Homeless people also need crisis accommodation opti
