"A walk with "that wild dog of yours

Tales of Circumscribed, Co-Negotiated and Adaptive Walking Practices

Bibliographic Data

ID5116421
AuthorsPaul O’hare (0000-0001-5864-2063, Manchester Metropolitan University, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume25
Issue8
Pages1311-1330
Publication date2024-09-13
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSocial & Cultural Geography (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1464-9365 • E-ISSN: 1470-1197
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/14649365.2024.2308912
OpenAlexW4391474998
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited63

The benefits of pet companionship – and of dog walking in particular – has been long acknowledged across academic disciplines. Much of the research values – even romanticizes – it as mutually beneficial, catalysing both human sociability and canine well-being. However, walking a dog displaying aggressive or other unwanted behaviour – dogs that fall short of expectations – severely undermines the virtues of pet companionship, extracting a considerable social and emotional toll for those seeking greater inter-species commonality. Drawing on empirical work on walking practices and the author's autoethnographic account, the paper solicits interpretations more attuned to the complexities of our cohabited socio-spatial worlds, particularly against contexts of discordance. The research demonstrates how these circumstances influence relationships with humans, often forcing dogs and their owners into liminal and contested socio-spatial existences, though also occasionally revealing exploratory opportunities. The dog walk therefore emerges as an activity that is heavily negotiated and contingent. Ultimately, the quest to 'make space' for seemingly transgressive dogs demonstrates the necessity and potentiality for a trans-species co-habitation that is more sensitive to the spectrum of animals that share our more than human worlds

Aesthetics · Art · Sociology · Visual arts · Children's Rights and Participation · Gender Studies · Geographies of human-animal interactions · Human-Animal Interaction Studies

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