Not All Puppies and Sunshine: How Dog Keepers Cope with Dog-Related Problems in Dutch Society

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The relationship between humans and dogs is not all puppies and sunshine. Biting incidents, hereditary problems, and other issues can threaten the welfare of humans and dogs. The Dutch government and animal welfare organizations struggle with ways to influence the behavior of (potential) dog keepers. As campaigns tend to focus on risks, it is possible that people will react adversely, because such campaigns evoke negative feelings. People react in different ways to negative feelings, and therefore the focus of this research was to determine the strategies used by dog keepers to cope with negative opinions on (their) dogs. Most coping strategies were found in all groups, but with different manifestations. These differences should be kept in mind when a behavior change in dog keepers is desirable. Attention should be given to communicating with dog keepers in groups, as this research shows that these groups’ boundaries might be far more specific than simply dog keepers. Broad attention on problems with and for dogs can address perceived conflict between beliefs and actions and prompt behavior change. In dialogue with dog keepers, in influential campaigns and in policy formulation, the chances of success are greater if initiators are aware of the strategies that they may encounter. ABSTRACT: Zoonoses, biting incidents, hereditary problems, and other issues can threaten the welfare of both humans and dogs. The Dutch government and animal welfare organizations seem to have little effect in their campaigns to influence the behavior of (potential) dog keepers, who can experience dissonance when faced with these campaigns and use coping strategies to relieve the dissonance instead of changing their behavior. In this study, in focus group discussions, dog keepers with pedigree dogs, high-risk dogs, foreign shelter dogs, and dogs purchased at puppy farms shared their experiences with opinions on dogs and were confronted with negative opinions on their dogs. The data were analyzed using a coping strategies framework. Most coping strategies were found in all groups, but were used in response to different dilemmas, with different manifestations. These differences should be kept in mind when behavior change in dog keepers is opportune. Special attention should be given to differentiating target groups, as use of the detachment coping strategy suggests that boundaries might be set differently than expected. Broad attention on problems with and for dogs can address perceived dissonance and prompt behavior change. In dialogue with dog keepers, in influential campaigns and in policy formulation, the chances of success are greater if initiators are aware of the strategies that they may encounter.