title: 'It was not just a walking experience': reflections on the role of care in dog-walking.
abstract: Research into physical activity and human health has recently begun to attend to dog-walking. This study extends the literature on dog-walking as a health behaviour by conceptualizing dog-walking as a caring practice. It centres on qualitative interviews with 11 Canadian dog-owners. All participants resided in urban neighbourhoods identified through previous quantitative research as conducive to dog-walking. Canine characteristics, including breed and age, were found to influence people's physical activity. The health of the dog and its position in the life-course influenced patterns of dog-walking. Frequency, duration and spatial patterns of dog-walking all depended on relationships and people's capacity to tap into resources. In foregrounding networks of care, inclusive of pets and public spaces, a relational conceptualization of dog-walking as a practice of caring helps to make sense of heterogeneity in patterns of physical activity among dog-owners.
authors: Centre for Values, Ethics and the Law in Medicine, Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney, K25 Level 1, Medical Foundation Building, 94-96 Parramatta Rd, 2006 Sydney, Australia. chris.degeling@sydney.edu.au
authors: Chris
authors: C
authors: Degeling
authors: Melanie
authors: M
authors: Rock
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology; D003625:Data Collection; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D001841:Human-Animal Bond; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity; D057805:Pets / Q000523:psychology; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D016138:Walking / Q000523:psychology*