Dogs and Their Owners Have Frequent and Intensive Contact

Abstract

Contact and interactions between owners and their pets may have beneficial physical and social effects on people, but may also facilitate the transmission of zoonotic agents and resistant bacteria. To estimate the risk of these contacts, more information regarding the frequency and intensity of this physical contact is required. Therefore, an online survey was conducted among pet owners resulting in 701 completed questionnaires. Questions regarding the interactions between dogs and owners were linked with a score from 1 (limited interactions) to 3 (highly intense interactions). After scoring these self-reported interactions, a contact intensity score was calculated for each respondent by summing up the different allocated scores from all questions. This contact intensity score was used to identify predictors of more intense contact based on a multivariable linear regression model. Interactions between dogs and their owners were widespread (e.g., 85.3% of the dogs licked their owner's hand) and intense (e.g., 49.3% of owners reported being licked in the face). The gender, age, and place of residence (city, village, or countryside) of the respondent, together with the size and age of the dog, were significantly associated with the contact intensity score in the multivariable model. On average, female respondents younger than 65 years who lived in the city and had a small young dog had the most intense contact with it. Further research is necessary to evaluate the risk of these interactions in light of zoonotic and antimicrobial resistance transfer.

Keywords: antimicrobial resistance; companion animals; dog ownership; pet–owner interaction; public health; zoonoses.

Figure 1

Distribution of dog–owner contact intensity scores. The authors classified different interactions according to intensity. “Highly intense” interactions were those where the transmission of secretions, e.g., saliva, between a dog and its owner may occur. “Intense interactions” were defined as interactions where direct contact between a dog and its owner takes place. The nature of “less intense interactions” was indirect contact. Each category was assigned a score: 1 for less intense interactions (number of interactions (n = 5), 2 for intense interactions (n = 13), and 3 for highly intense interactions (n = 7) (Table 1). Hygiene measures taken by a respondent were assigned a negative score (−1, n = 2). By summing up the different scores per respondent, an individual contact intensity score (maximum of 52 points) was obtained. A more intense contact resulted in a higher score.