What does this research mean for the field?

Environmental pressures generated by dog walking, such as missed waste and wildlife disturbance, arise primarily from human distraction, social absorption, infrastructure limitations, and dogs' agency rather than deliberate neglect. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.INCREMENTAL. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

What question did this study set out to answer?

To examine the ecological and social dynamics of everyday dog walking and investigate how care, responsibility, and governance intersect in shared landscapes.

August 30, 2026Society & Natural ResourcesOpen Access

Love Dogs, Love Nature: Rethinking Environmental Responsibility Through Everyday Dog-Walking Practices

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Authors

TRThomas RobertsUniversity of Surrey HEHaeyoung EunInstitute for Sustainability

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Implication

Qualitative field study reveals ecological pressures and social drivers of dog-walking practices in rural landscapes, highlighting the need for practice-sensitive environmental governance.

Key Points

To examine the ecological and social dynamics of everyday dog walking and investigate how care, responsibility, and governance intersect in shared landscapes.
Conducted 40 hours of qualitative field observation in the Surrey Hills National Landscape, UK.
Facilitated a deliberative workshop engaging local land managers, farmers, and conservation practitioners.
Dog walking simultaneously supports human wellbeing and social cohesion while contributing to environmental pressures, including livestock conflict, wildlife disturbance, and uncollected waste.
Negative ecological impacts typically stem from handler distraction, social absorption, infrastructure barriers, and independent animal behaviors rather than deliberate neglect.

Cite This Study

Roberts et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a93f0b06c1a8fb52e79d09a https://doi.org/10.1080/08941920.2026.2724506

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Implication

Qualitative field study reveals ecological pressures and social drivers of dog-walking practices in rural landscapes, highlighting the need for practice-sensitive environmental governance.

Love Dogs, Love Nature: Rethinking Environmental Responsibility Through Everyday Dog-Walking Practices

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Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

Love Dogs, Love Nature: Rethinking Environmental Responsibility Through Everyday Dog-Walking Practices

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

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