Living with Dogs: A Look at the Hidden Folds of Adaptation in the Human-Canine Relationship

While the positive aspects of dog guardianship receive frequent attention, realities of living with a dog and their agency in the household are less considered. This paper addresses the question: In what ways do people and their dogs adapt to each other in their daily lives, and how do they struggle to do so? Drawing from twenty qualitative, semi-structured interviews from a larger study, it focuses on participants’ experiences of everyday interactions with their dogs. Using a thematic analysis, four themes were discussed: (1) Learning Each Other, (2) Living in Response to one Another, (3) Shaping Each Other’s Worlds, and (4) Tensions in Dog Guardianship: Negotiating Autonomy and Control. The findings demonstrate that multispecies living is shaped through ongoing processes of adaptation and conflict between humans and dogs. This study has implications for supporting the wellbeing of guardians and dogs, aiming to reduce risks of canine relinquishment, abandonment, and euthanasia.

Grantor dc:publisher

University of Guelph

Author dc:creator

• Sader, Rayana

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Breen, Andrea

• adaptation
• human-canine relationship
• multispecies living

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10214/29318

OAI record oai:identifier

https://atrium.lib.uoguelph.ca/server/oai/request?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=dim&identifier=oai%3Aatrium.lib.uoguelph.ca%3A10214%2F29318