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An antidote to “armageddon and potential doom”: accounts of canine-human companionship during Covid-19.
- Source :
-
Qualitative Research in Psychology . Jun2024, p1-25. 25p. 3 Charts. - Publication Year :
- 2024
-
Abstract
- Though the anthropause of Covid-19 was peculiarly human-centric, it also brought into sharp relief our more-than-human world. Canine-human companionship can support human mental and physical wellbeing in ‘normal’ times, but this article explores the pandemic as a unique context for animal/human relations. I interrogate the pandemic component of the <italic>Dog Talking and Walking Project</italic> online survey (<italic>n</italic> = 673), and subsequent interviews (<italic>n</italic> = 41). A novel two-step qualitative data analysis comprised, firstly, examining participants’ written qualitative survey accounts about how Covid catalysed canine companionship, and descriptions of how canine closeness attenuated losses. Secondly, I explore key interview themes: ‘closeness’ of canine companionship; dogs as ‘mediator’ in families; and dogs as ‘moderator’ of the impacts of the pandemic. The analysis offers an important counter to the speciesism and anthropocentrism embedded in our recollections of Covid times. Methodologically, I suggest that qualitative surveys alongside the traditional interview can yield richer understandings of more-than-human relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 14780887
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Qualitative Research in Psychology
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 177735559
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1080/14780887.2024.2364321