Service Dogs and Persons with Disabilities: When COVID-19 Lockdown Changes Their Relationship

Area of Science:

• Human-Animal Interaction
• Disability Studies
• Psychology

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic significantly altered social interactions and human relationships.
• Service dogs play a crucial role in the lives of individuals with disabilities.
• The pandemic's impact on the human-animal bond, particularly for service dog owners, was unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the influence of the COVID-19 lockdown on the relationship between people with disabilities and their service dogs.
• To compare the human-service dog relationship dynamics before and during the lockdown.

Main Methods:

• An online survey was administered to 70 service dog owners with disabilities in France during the first COVID-19 lockdown.
• The survey collected data on the human-service dog relationship, including perceived emotional closeness, costs, and interaction, comparing pre-lockdown and during-lockdown periods.
• The MONASH score was among the data points collected.

Main Results:

• During the COVID-19 lockdown, owners reported significantly higher perceived emotional closeness and perceived costs in their relationship with service dogs compared to the general context.
• Conversely, the Dog-Owner Interaction subscale scores were significantly lower during the lockdown.
• Service dogs provided emotional support, but the relationship was perceived as more costly.

Conclusions:

• Service dogs continued to be a vital source of emotional support for people with disabilities during the COVID-19 lockdown.
• The lockdown experience exacerbated both positive (emotional closeness) and negative (perceived costs) aspects of the human-service dog relationship.
• Extreme situations can intensify the characteristics of human-animal relationships.