Human-Dog Relationship during the First COVID-19 Lockdown in Italy

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The SARS-CoV2 pandemic forced an abrupt interruption of social contacts and interpersonal affective relationships all over the world, according to national directives. The SARS-CoV2 pandemic imposed an abrupt termination of social contacts and interpersonal affective relationships around the world for a period whose duration depended on national directives This situation caused considerable inconvenience with important repercussions also on the emotional state of people. The dog-human coevolutionary process has led to the development of common cognitive abilities and a marked sociability. In this study, performed through a national survey, we investigated the influence of the first lockdown in the human-dog relationship and to what extent the owners were able to perceive the discomfort of their dog. How much could the lockdown affect our dogs’ emotional states? How do owners rate their dogs’ quality of life during restrictions? How much did the affectivity and the perception of one’s dog as demanding or expensive before and during the lockdown vary in the human-dog relationship? These and other questions were proposed in the survey. The survey analysis highlighted a stability in the interaction and a decrease in the dogs’ costs perceived by the owners, considering the human-dog relationship. Furthermore, the evaluation of symptoms revealed a moderate percentage increase in anxious behavior in the dog, probably due to the change of routine. Overall, the human sample did not seem particularly worried about any discomfort experienced by their dog during quarantine. ABSTRACT: The SARS-CoV2 pandemic forced an abrupt interruption of social contacts and interpersonal affective relationships all over the world, according to national directives. Many considerable inconveniences occurred with important repercussions also on the emotional state of people and their pets. We carried out a national survey to evaluate the human-dog relationship in a social isolation context using an adapted version of Monash Dog Owner Relationship Scale, the perception of the dogs’ discomfort by their human owners, and the resilience of the dog through the quantification of symptoms, in time of the first lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic. The results highlighted that the human-dog interaction was similar during quarantine; however, there was lower owner’s perception of a dog’s cost during the quarantine than before it.