Table 2.

Key themes from the thematic analysis relating to surprises associated with dog ownership when asked “What has surprised you most about owning a dog?”

Themes and definitions	Sub-themes		Example data extracts
1. Emotional connectedness of human-dog relationships: owners were surprised by the quality and depth of relationships formed, and interactions experienced, between themselves and their dog	Companionship dog provides		“How much I value her company.” (1a)
	Friendship between human and dog		“How I truly consider him to be one of my best friends.” (1b)
	Dogs as part of the family		“How much of a vital role in the family they play.” (1c) “How attached you get, they become your children.” (1d) “[Dog name] is the most demanding yet affectionate dog I’ve ever owned, he’s like a child.” (1e)
	Love and affection between human and dog		“I never imagined that I could love the way I love [dog name].” (1f) “How much love and affection they have to show you.” (1 g) “The love they give is pure and unconditional.” (1 h)
	Ease or speed of relationship forming		“How quickly you fall in love with him and how quickly he becomes part of the family.” (1i)
	Attachment between human and dog		“I never in a million years realised how attached I would get to a dog. I’ve owned cats before but never had the emotional attachment like this.” (1j) “How attached ive [sic] got to him, could not imagine not having him.” (1 k) “The unbreakable bond between me and my dog.” (1 l)
2. Dog’s impact on human health or wellbeing: owners were surprised by the effect their dog, or dog ownership, has had on their health or wellbeing	Dog improves health or wellbeing	Dog makes owner feel good	“I got more happiness than what I thought I would get, seeing him gain confidence and learn is very rewarding.” (2a) “How calm I feel and the enjoyment I get from a long walk.” (2b) “How much calmer I am just being with them cuddles on the sofa, or just sitting together helps my anxiety.” (2c) “How I do not feel lonely anymore.” (2d) “[G]ive me a reason to get up even on the toughest days.” (2e)
		Mental health conditions improved through dog	“The way it changed the whole family he helped my daughter immensely as she suffers with anxiety and depression.” (2f)
		Emotional support or comfort dog provides	“How much [dog name] has comforted me when my parents passed away.” (2 g) “The impact he has on everyone who spends time with him. We have a friend who asked to spend time with [dog name] as it helped him through a difficult time.” (2 h)
		Social interactions or connections through dog	“The friends I have made from walking the dogs.” (2i) “[T]alking to strangers because they do not treat you like your [sic] odd when you have got a dog with you and you talk to them.” (2j) “How he has united our family.” (2 k)
		Physical health has benefitted	“[I]mproving my fitness via walking.” (2 l)
	Dog puts a strain on health or wellbeing	Worries about their dog	“The emotional drain of worrying about how to help my dog best and what more could I be doing to help her.” (2 m) “How much I would fall in love with him, but also how much then I worry about him too.” (2n)
		Heartbreak when they pass away	“How devastating it is to lose them its [sic] like losing family.” (2o)
		Emotional strain of dog’s behaviour or training	“As our second dog [dog name] has been hard work compared to our previous boy to the point of considering rehoming him. Been soul destroying at times.” (2p)
3. Meeting the demands of dog-ownership: owners were surprised by the amount of time, work, effort or money involved in caring for their dog, and how meeting their dog’s needs affects their everyday life	Dog ownership is time consuming		“The amount of time required to spend with your dog e.g. [sic] Walking, playing, training etc.” (3a) “Having only had one dog before, a fourteen year old male mixed breed, and gone into owning a puppy with my eyes open, I have still been surprised at how totally full on she is, needing to be watched every waking minute, in or out of the house! Also, If it’s within reach, it will be in her mouth.” (3b) “How difficult puppies are to look after and how much constant training they need.” (3c)
	Dog ownership can be hard work		“Puppy training is very hard work when the puppy has not got an older dog to learn from.” (3d) “[H]ow challenging it can be to have a rescue dog.” (3e) “How much work it is but how much you get out of it.” (3f)
	Dog ownership is expensive		“Owners since 1989 […] Vets have gone very greedy.” (3 g) “The behaviour (selling up techniques) of vets, e.g. Routine drip following minor surgery plus pre-op blood tests for puppy tooth extraction and stitches.” (3 h) “The unexpected costs of vet fees and how everything seems to be a £100 minimum for even just a simple ear infection.” (3i) “Worst thing insurance is a nightmare especially when your [sic] dog is getting old.” (3j)
	Commitment and responsibility towards dog		“[T]he commitment as we cannot leave him.” (3 k) “How much responsibility I feel towards his happiness.” (3 l) “The responsibility to train and teach.” (3 m)
	Everyday life organised around dog		“It is very tying and doing normal things like going out or arranging holidays need much more thought.” (3n)
	Society is not always dog-friendly		“[H]ow many places aren’t dog friendly.” (3o)
4. Understanding what dogs are like: owners were surprised by what dogs are like, including aspects of dog’s temperament, behaviour or abilities	Dogs’ personality or temperament		“His personality—it’s HIUUGE!” [sic] (4a) “How loyal and loving they are.” (4b) “I have had dogs all my life but never had a Labrador it delights me that how friendly our dog is.” [sic] (4c) “[H]ow much fun they are.” (4d) “I have had many dogs but this one is so good she has never chewed or eaten anything she is not allowed.” (4e) “The only thing that surprised me is the different temperaments of different breeds and I love how each dog has its own unique personality.” (4f)
	Dog’s energy or activity levels		“This has been the most energetic puppy I have ever owned. My last doodle was very calm.” (4 g) “How much she sleeps during the day!!” (4 h)
	Dogs’ intelligence		“[Dog name] is different from all the others iv [sic] had, in that in human terms, I think he borders on being a genius, i cant [sic] believe how easy to train he was.” (4i)
	Communication between humans and dogs		“How astute dogs are. They know when you are upset or need reassurance and give it to you (all mine have).” (4j)
	Dog’s ability to transform		“Considering [dog name]’s rescue background when we rehomed her at 4 months old how well she has adapted to life with us and how lovely and trusting she is with people and other dogs.” (4 k)
	Dog’s behavioural problems		“He’s a sweet dog with a lovely personality, but his barking can upset people and other dogs.” (4 l) “Howling when I leave him even for short periods. My previous dog had no problem being left alone.” (4 m) “The initial puppy teething stage was a real big shock!” (4n) “The 6 month old (adolescent) regressive behaviour. He seems to be pushing boundaries and forgetting all that he’s learnt with training.” (4o)
	Dogs are dirty or messy		“How much bloomin [sic] hair this dog has and leaves everywhere on my carpet.” (4p) “How much he poos and how bad his trumps smell.” (4q)