Abstract
<p>A variety of campaign and policy messages in the field of dog ownership and canine welfare centre upon the fundamental concept of ‘responsible’ ownership. However, what this is perceived to entail is unstudied, and important if the design of interventions to promote it are to be effective. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the meaning and stipulations of ‘Responsible Dog Ownership’ (RDO) within UK stakeholder literature focused on education of dog owners and the animal professionals who manage them. Primary literature concerning RDO and canine codes of practice in the UK was collected (10 documents), along with a google search for UK hits for ‘responsible dog ownership’ (16 documents). An inductive thematic analysis was performed on the 26 documents. Owners were described as having a duty, requiring commitment, to provide personalised care for the dog, by seeking out the advice of qualified professionals. Actions were required to keep the dog under control, healthy (physically and behaviourally), in a suitable environment, with appropriate identification, and not allowing the dog to foul. Perceived responsibility of the owner extended to carefully considering where and how they source a dog. Clarity of current guidance on RDO is challenging due to the advice to do different things depending on the dog and context. Owners and the professionals they seek advice from are also failing to meet the clear stipulation to use reward-based training techniques and not use aversive, punishment-based methods. This study for the first time distils multiple varied guidance into one clear set of recommendations, including a suggested ‘Are you a responsible dog owner?’ checklist. This can be used as a framework by policymakers and educators to construct more detailed localised guidance around the duties and expected behaviours of dog owners in regard to UK law and wider societal perceptions.</p>