Exploring the role of pets in social work research: Enhancing qualitative methods through the researcher-participant-pet dynamic
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11157/anzswj-vol37iss1id1166Keywords:
Social work research, Researcher-participant-pet dynamic, Human-animal connection, Inclusive research practices, qualitative methodsAbstract
INTRODUCTION: Social work researchers engage with a diverse range of participants, stakeholders, and clients, many of whom share a deep bond with animals, particularly household pets. For example, in 2022, statistics revealed that 61% of Australian households and 64% of households in Aotearoa New Zealand owned a pet. To enhance their research, social workers are encouraged to adapt their skills in building rapport, demonstrating empathy, and employing critical questioning techniques to effectively connect with research participants. However, despite qualitative research training provided to emerging social workers, this training often overlooks the significance and opportunity of participants’ relationships with their pets. This gap is significant as the context of research interactions is rapidly changing, with online and digital methods of data collection becoming more common in qualitative research. Connecting with pets can help social work researchers foster connection in challenging, and often disconnected, environments.
METHODS: Reflecting on research experiences and interview transcripts that involved interactions with pets, we explore how the researcher-participant-pet dynamic influences the research process and can be used to facilitate deeper connections with research participants.
FINDINGS: Through examining these specific examples, including in-person and online interviews, as well as Zoom focus groups, we emphasise the importance of recognising and incorporating pets as part of the research process.
CONCLUSIONS: If social work researchers aim to adopt a more inclusive approach encompassing the human-animal connection in their practice it is essential to integrate such perspectives in traditional research methods.
References
Animal Medicines Australia. (2022). Pets in Australia: A national survey of pets and people. https://animalmedicinesaustralia.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/AMAU008-Pet-Ownership22-Report_v1.6_WEB.pdf
Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers. (2019). Code of ethics. https://anzasw.nz/wp-content/uploads/Code-ofEthics-Adopted-30-Aug-2019.pdf
Arkow, P. (2015). Animal-assisted therapy & activities: A study and research resource guide for the use of companion animals in animal-assisted interventions (11th ed.). Animaltherapy.net.
Arkow, P. (2020). Human–animal relationships and social work: Opportunities beyond the veterinary environment. Child & Adolescent Social Work Journal, 37(6), 573–588. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-020-00697-x
Australian Association of Social Workers. (2020). Code of ethics. https://www.aasw.asn.au/document/item/1201
Betts, D., & Herb, A. (2023). Queer connections and fostering inclusion: Refl ections on qualitative focus group design. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 22. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069231205180
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2019). Refl ecting on refl exive thematic analysis. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, 11(4), 589–597. https://doi.org/10.1080/2159676X.2019.1628806
Chalmers, D., Dell, C., Rohr, B., Dixon, J., Dowling, T., & Hanrahan, C. (2020). Recognizing animals as an important part of helping: A survey exploring knowledge and practice among Canadian social workers. Critical Social Work, 21(1), 2–29. https://doi.org/10.22329/csw.v21i1.6224
Darroch, J., & Adamson, C. (2016). Companion animals and disasters: The role of Human Services Organisations. Aotearoa New Zealand Social Work, 28(4), 100–108. https://doi.org/10.11157/anzswj-vol28iss4id189
Duvnjak, A., & Dent, A. (2023) The consideration of animals within Australian social work curriculum. Australian Social Work. https://doi.org/10.1080/0312407X.2023.2238697
Fawcett, N., & Gullone, E. (2001). Cute and cuddly and a whole lot more? A call for empirical investigation into the therapeutic benefi ts of human–animal interaction for children. Behaviour Change, 18(2), 124–133. https://doi.org/10.1375/bech.18.2.124
Forrest, R., Awawdeh, L., Pearson, M., & Waran, N. (2023). Pet ownership in Aotearoa New Zealand: A national survey of cat and dog owner practices. Animals (Basel), 13(4). https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13040631
Fraser, H., & Taylor, N. (2024). Intersectionality, feminist social work, animals and the politics of meat. In The Routledge international handbook of feminisms in social work (1st ed., pp. 573–586). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003317371-
Gant, L., & Meadows, L. (2023). Embedding animal-inclusive content into social work education. Advances in Social Work & Welfare Education, 24(2), 113–118.
Garrity, T., & Stallones, L. (1998). Effects of pet contact on human well-being. In C. C. Wilson & D. C. Turner (Eds.), Companion animals in human health (pp. 3–22). Sage Publications.
Hoffer, T., Hargreaves-Cormany, H., Muirhead, Y., & Meloy, J. R. (2018). Violence in animal cruelty offenders. Springer Briefs in Psychology/Behavioural Criminology.
International Association of Schools of Social Work. (2014). The IASSW statement on social work research. https://www.iassw-aiets.org/the-iassw-statement-on-social-work-research/
Jones, E., & Taylor, N. (2023). Decentring humans in research methods: Visibilising other animal realities. In Methods in human-animal studies (1st ed., Vol. 1, pp. 33–49). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351018623-3
Lange, A. M., Cox, J. A., Bernert, D. J., & Jenkins, C. D. (2006). Is counseling going to the dogs? An exploratory study related to the inclusion of an animal in group counseling with adolescents. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 2(2), 17–31. https://doi.org/10.1300/J456v02n02_03
McInroy, L. B. (2016). Pitfalls, potentials, and ethics of online survey research: LGBTQ and other marginalized and hard-to-access youths. Social Work Research, 40(2), 83–93. https://doi.org/10.1093/swr/svw005
McNicholas, J., & Collis, G. (2006). Animals as social supports: Insights for understanding animal-assisted therapy. In A. H. Fine (Ed.), Handbook on animal-assisted therapy: Foundations and guidelines for animal-assisted interventions (2nd ed., pp. 49–72). Academic Press.
Messent, P. (1983). Social facilitation of contact with other people by pet dogs. In A. H. Katcher & A. M. Beck (Eds.), New perspectives on our lives with companion animals (pp. 37–46). University of Pennsylvania Press.
Riggs, D. W., Patlamazoglou, L., Simmonds, J. G., & Snell, T. (2024). The role of animal companions in the bereavement experiences of Australian lesbians and gay men. OMEGA – Journal of Death and Dying. https://doi.org/10.1177/00302228241237282
Ryan, S., & Ziebland, S. (2015). On interviewing people with pets: Reflections from qualitative research on people with long term conditions. Sociology of Health & Illness, 37(1), 67–80. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9566.12176
Stewart, D. W., & Shamdasani, P. (2017). Online focus groups. Journal of Advertising, 46(1), 48–60. https://doi.org/10.1080/00913367.2016.1252288
Taylor, N., & Fraser, H. (2019). Companion animals and domestic violence: Rescuing me, rescuing you (1st ed.). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-04125-0
Taylor, N., Fraser, H., Signal, T., & Prentice, K. (2016). Social work, animal-assisted therapies and ethical considerations: A programme example from Central Queensland, Australia. The British Journal of Social Work, 46(1), 135–152. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcu115
Tran, B., Rafi nejad-Farahani, B., Moodie, S., O’Hagan, R., & Glista, D. (2021). A scoping review of virtual focus group methods used in rehabilitation sciences. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 20. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069211042227
Tungohan, E., & Catungal, J. P. (2022). Virtual qualitative research using transnational feminist queer methodology: The challenges and opportunities of zoom-based research during moments of crisis. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 21. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069221090062
Turner, W. G. (2006). The role of companion animals throughout the family life cycle. Journal of Family Social Work, 9(4), 11–21. https://doi.org/10.1300/J039v09n04_02
Walker, P. E., Aimers, J., & Perry, C. (2015). Animals and social work: An emerging fi eld of practice for Aotearoa
New Zealand. Aotearoa New Zealand Social Work, 27(1/2), 24–35. https://doi.org/10.11157/anzswj-vol27iss1-2id14
Wood, L., Martin, K., Christian, H., Houghton, S., Kawachi, I., Vallesi, S., & McCune, S. (2017). Social capital and pet ownership: A tale of four cities. SSM - Population Health, 3(C), 442–447. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmph.2017.05.002
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
By completing the online submission process, you confirm you accept this agreement. The following is the entire agreement between you and the Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers (ANZASW) and it may be modified only in writing.
You and any co-authors
If you are completing this agreement on behalf of co-authors, you confirm that you are acting on their behalf with their knowledge.
First publication
By submitting the work you are:
- granting the ANZASW the right of first publication of this work;
- confirming that the work is original; and
- confirming that the work has not been published in any other form.
Once published, you are free to use the final, accepted version in any way, as outlined below under Copyright.
Copyright
You assign copyright in the final, accepted version of your article to the ANZASW. You and any co-authors of the article retain the right to be identified as authors of the work.
The ANZASW will publish the final, accepted manuscript under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (CC BY 4.0). This licence allows anyone – including you – to share, copy, distribute, transmit, adapt and make commercial use of the work without needing additional permission, provided appropriate attribution is made to the original author or source.
A human-readable summary of the licence is available from http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0, which includes a link to the full licence text.
Under this licence you can use the final, published version of the article freely – such as depositing a copy in your institutional research repository, uploading a copy to your profile on an academic networking site or including it in a different publication, such as a collection of articles on a topic or in conference proceedings – provided that original publication in Aotearoa New Zealand Social Work is acknowledged.
This agreement has no effect on any pre-publication versions or elements, which remain entirely yours, and to which we claim no right.
Reviewers hold copyright in their own comments and should not be further copied in any way without their permission.
The copyright of others
If your article includes the copyright material of others (e.g. graphs, diagrams etc.), you confirm that your use either:
- falls within the limits of fair dealing for the purposes of criticism and review or fair use; OR
- that you have gained permission from the rights holder for publication in an open access journal.
