physical activity, well-being, and community engagement: a socioecological examination of volunteers walking shelter dogs

Background: the purpose of this work is to examine physical activity levels of volunteers who walk shelter dogs at an open-admission animal shelter in the southern united states.  in doing so, shelter dog walking is presented as an activity of relational community engagement that can enhance well-being at all levels.  methods: for this quasi-experimental study, a purposive sample of volunteer dog walkers in rural north carolina was asked to record daily activity for a twelve-week period, with a total of 336 days submitted. descriptive statistics and a paired-samples t-test were analyze the data.results:  data from a total of 336 days was collected.  paired-samples t-test was performed to compare outcomes assessed on days shelter dogs were not walked and days they were walked by volunteers.  significant differences were demonstrated for the steps taken (t(154) = 9.5, p < .001), the distance walked (t(154) = 9.0, p < .001), and the calories expended (t(154) = 5.2, p < .001).  conclusion:  the implications of these findings are multi-level and suggest walking shelter dogs can be a beneficial activity for all parties involved.  at the micro-level, volunteers walked further, burned more calories, and accumulated more steps on days they walked shelter dogs.  in turn, shelter staff and the local community benefited at the meso- and macro-levels, respectively.