The COVID-19 pandemic declared by the World Health Organization in March 2020 caused many uncertainties. Threatening the wellbeing of both people and their companion animals, the pandemic raised many questions about the role of the interactions and relationships between humans and companion animals in the context of social distancing and all the restrictions it imposes. It was in this setting that an online questionnaire about the behaviors and attitudes toward companion animals during the first…
Read moreThe COVID-19 pandemic declared by the World Health Organization in March 2020 caused many uncertainties. Threatening the wellbeing of both people and their companion animals, the pandemic raised many questions about the role of the interactions and relationships between humans and companion animals in the context of social distancing and all the restrictions it imposes. It was in this setting that an online questionnaire about the behaviors and attitudes toward companion animals during the first lockdown of the coronavirus pandemic in Portugal was developed. The questionnaire received 2,198 validated responses. Four main behaviors and attitudes toward companion animals were identified, comparing the periods before and during the first lockdown: 1) a greater human-animal proximity; 2) a greater confinement of humans and companion animals; 3) the “other” as a threat and the depletion of the support network/system; and 4) increased hygiene practices/decreased healthcare.
