Living together in the city : dog welfare and biodiversity in urban environments

Sammanfattning

Dogs have been very close to humans for generations and are today seen as family members. Their welfare is, therefore, considered important. Despite this and the existence of laws meant to ensure their welfare, cities are not always dog friendly. They can instead be very stressful for dogs and negatively affect their well-being. In addition, cities not only affect dogs but also negatively impact biodiversity, as urbanisation has generally made cities warmer than the countryside and reduced many green areas within cities, which negatively affect many species. Therefore, this study investigated, through an online survey, what dog owners believe promotes dogs' welfare and how cities can become more dog friendly. The responses were then linked to existing literature on biodiversity to determine whether dog-friendly cities could also increase biodiversity. The survey yielded 736 responses, of which 242 were complete. Most responses came from Uppsala County, and most dog owners had 1 dog. The results also showed that 90.91% of dog owners believe that green areas, such as parks, dog parks, meadows, and forests, are the most important factor for improving dogs' welfare in cities. Additionally, 57% of dog owners valued blue areas, such as ponds, harbours, lakes, and beaches. Both green and blue areas reduce the number of areas with cars and other factors that can be stressful for dogs, while also providing greater opportunities for dogs to perform important behaviours such as running, smelling, playing, and socialising with other dogs. Green and blue areas also cool down cities, which can be important for dogs on hot days. These areas also play an important role in supporting biodiversity, but the extent to which they contribute depends on their design and connectivity. Variation is important; for example, varied vegetation that mimics nature, together with green and blue areas which are close to each other to form a connectivity, allowing species to move between them. In the study, it was also found that 66.94% of dog owners value wider and/or separate bike and pedestrian paths to promote dogs' well-being, as these can lead to safer dog encounters. In addition, 75.62% respectively 69.01% of dog owners, consider waste bins and streetlights to be important factors in creating a dog friendly city. Waste bins help keep the environment clean, reduce the risk of dogs stepping into hazards such as broken glass, and support biodiversity. Streetlights create a sense of safety for dog owners and dogs, but can disturb moths and bats. The study also showed that dog owners consider it important to allow dogs inside cafés, restaurants, and shopping centres, as they believe it promotes dogs' welfare. Whether this actually improves dogs' well-being can be discussed, as well as whether it is ethically correct. A deeper discussion is also needed on whether the factors considered dog-friendly positively affect biodiversity. Many of these factors appear to support biodiversity and could help us achieve environmental goals, but it is important to remember that biodiversity is complex. The relationship between dog friendly cities and biodiversity, therefore, needs to be further examined.