Source (original paper)
Tanaka A, et al. (2025). Dog ownership enhances anchored personal relationships and sense of community: A comparison with incidental interactions and friendships. PLOS ONE. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0336957
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license. You may share, reuse, and distribute it if you give appropriate credit.
1. Why did they do this research?
With a dog, you often meet people on walks—"What a cute dog," "What's its name?"—and may chat briefly with strangers. But does that go beyond occasional greetings to relationships we really feel close to or a sense of belonging to the neighborhood? The researchers wanted to know. They also wanted to see if the effect differed for dogs, cats, or other pets. So they surveyed people in Tokyo to see whether dog owners had stronger "anchored" relationships (people you see often in the same context and know) and a stronger sense of community than cat or other-pet owners, and whether that was linked to the idea that "having a pet reduces loneliness."
2. How was the study done?
Three hundred seventy-seven people in Tokyo took the survey (dog owners, cat-only owners, other-pet owners, and non-owners). They were asked about pet ownership, how much they had incidental conversations or greetings in daily life, how many anchored relationships they had (people they see often in the same place or group and know), and their sense of community (feeling part of the neighborhood, connected to neighbors). The team then tested whether dog ownership was linked to anchored relationships or incidental contact, and whether that link was different for cats or other pets.
3. What did they find?
Dog owners tended to have more anchored relationships and a higher sense of community than non-owners. The link between dog ownership and sense of community seemed to come more from more anchored relationships than from more incidental meetings. So building relationships where you see the same people often and get to know them was more tied to "feeling part of the neighborhood" than just saying hello to many people. For cat owners or other-pet owners, this link was not as clear. The researchers suggested that because dogs need walks, owners are more likely to see the same neighbors on the same route and build "known" relationships that support a sense of community.
4. Why might only dogs show this effect?
Cats often stay indoors, so there is less chance to meet the same neighbors regularly outside. Dogs usually need at least one or two walks a day, so owners naturally meet the same faces at similar times and places. Greetings can turn into "people from this neighborhood." The study was done in one city (Tokyo) and at one time, so we cannot say whether dog ownership caused the relationships or whether people who already liked being around others were more likely to have dogs.
5. What we can take away
The study does not say that having a dog always makes you closer to neighbors. But in this Tokyo sample, dog ownership was linked to building relationships beyond casual greetings and to a stronger sense of belonging. A dog can be a reason to go out and see neighbors more often. The study is a useful reference for thinking about how walks with the dog can support relationships and sense of community.
In a nutshell
Dog ownership was linked to relationships where you meet the same people often (anchored relationships) and a sense of belonging to the community; that link was not as clear for cats or other pets. Dog walks can go beyond casual greetings to build known relationships and a sense of being rooted in the neighborhood.
Source (CC BY 4.0)
Tanaka A, et al. (2025). Dog ownership enhances anchored personal relationships and sense of community. PLOS ONE. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0336957
© 2025 The Authors. Published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).