. 2021 Dec 8;11:23655. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-02504-8

Table 3.

Activities described to improve aspects of eudaimonic well-being.

	Most frequent subthemes (≥ 5% mentions)	Sample extract from interviews
Increase in
Autonomy 49 mentions	The presence of the dog (12; 25.5%) Having/raising the dog (9; 19.1%) Exercise with the dog (8; 17.0%) Looking after the dog—general routine (5; 10.6%) Sense of obligation to the dog (4; 8.5%) Maintenance of dog (3; 6.4%)	"I think my dog helps me, because now I can go out on my own, I can do like the food shopping and things like that on my own. Whereas before I found that really hard. Her company makes me feel a bit more confident, I think and less worried about things" P5
Environmental mastery 95 mentions	Exercise with the dog (23; 24.2%) The presence of the dog (15; 15.8%) Feeding, giving water to the dog (12; 12.6%) Looking after the dog—general routine (12; 12.6%) Having/raising the dog (7; 7.4%) Tactile interactions initiated by the dog (6; 6.3%)	"I was in a pretty bad state before. Like I didn't really clean up the house[…]. Then I got him, and I need to clean up the house[…], I need to get up in the morning to feed him and take him out for a walk. And it suddenly gave me all these things which I suppose for other people are maybe mundane tasks. It gave me a structure or gave me a routine." P28
Personal growth 68 mentions	Having/raising the dog (17; 25.0%) Training the dog, doing agility, scent work (11; 16.2%) Looking after the dog—general routine (7; 10.3%) The presence of the dog (6; 8.8%) Exercise with the dog (5; 7.4%) Dog shows good behaviour, training skills (4; 5.9%)	"I've never really sort of connected with anyone or anything up until we got her. […] I would assume people to be in my life short term, there was never any sort of long-term prospect, I was always by myself. When I got her, it was the first time I sort of allowed myself to think or to form a long-term bond, I suppose." P30
Positive relations with others 122 mentions	The presence of the dog (28; 23.0%) Exercise with the dog (24; 19.7%) Talk about the dog (23; 18.9%) Contact with other people while out with dog (12; 9.8%) Interactions on social media (8; 6.6%), Having/raising the dog (7; 5.7%)	"He's an ex-racing dog, so people like to come up and talk to you about him. I suppose that does give a relationship with others that you wouldn't talk to normally. A common thing with autism is that you don't have many friends. And you don't have many social situations. And I suppose that's giving you a chance of social interaction." P11
Purpose in life 133 mentions	Exercise with the dog (27; 20.3%) Looking after the dog—general routine (24; 18.0%) Feeding, giving water to the dog (21; 15.8%) Having/raising the dog (16; 12.0%) Maintenance of dog (9; 6.8%)	"The dog gives you something to get up for[…]it's six o'clock, I must feed the dog. Six thirty I must take him out for his walk, you know, seven o'clock, we sit down and watch television together. Eleven o'clock, we go to bed" P11
Self-acceptance 55 mentions	Close dog-owner interactions (15; 27.3%) The presence of the dog (7; 12.7%) Having/raising the dog (6; 10.9%) Tactile interactions initiated by the dog (5; 9.1%) Dog shows good behaviour, training skills (5; 9.1%) Training the dog, doing agility, scent work (4; 7.3%) Looking after the dog—general routine (3; 5.5%)	"It's an old saying that everyone should have a dog, so they give you unconditional acceptance[…] If I've been out like it, he's so happy to see me [greeting]. You know, you can't be all that bad if you're getting that sort of reaction. You know, you get a friendly reaction, rather than being ignored or so. You know, it does make you feel good." P23

Most frequent subthemes (≥ 5% mentions)

Sample extract from interviews

Increase in

Autonomy

49 mentions

The presence of the dog (12; 25.5%)

Having/raising the dog (9; 19.1%)

Exercise with the dog (8; 17.0%)

Looking after the dog—general routine (5; 10.6%)

Sense of obligation to the dog (4; 8.5%)

Maintenance of dog (3; 6.4%)

"I think my dog helps me, because now I can go out on my own, I can do like the food shopping and things like that on my own. Whereas before I found that really hard. Her company makes me feel a bit more confident, I think and less worried about things" P5

Environmental mastery

95 mentions

Exercise with the dog (23; 24.2%)

The presence of the dog (15; 15.8%)

Feeding, giving water to the dog (12; 12.6%)

Looking after the dog—general routine (12; 12.6%)

Having/raising the dog (7; 7.4%)

Tactile interactions initiated by the dog (6; 6.3%)

"I was in a pretty bad state before. Like I didn't really clean up the house[…]. Then I got him, and I need to clean up the house[…], I need to get up in the morning to feed him and take him out for a walk. And it suddenly gave me all these things which I suppose for other people are maybe mundane tasks. It gave me a structure or gave me a routine." P28

Personal growth

68 mentions

Having/raising the dog (17; 25.0%)

Training the dog, doing agility, scent work (11; 16.2%)

Looking after the dog—general routine (7; 10.3%)

The presence of the dog (6; 8.8%)

Exercise with the dog (5; 7.4%)

Dog shows good behaviour, training skills (4; 5.9%)

"I've never really sort of connected with anyone or anything up until we got her. […] I would assume people to be in my life short term, there was never any sort of long-term prospect, I was always by myself. When I got her, it was the first time I sort of allowed myself to think or to form a long-term bond, I suppose." P30

Positive relations with others

122 mentions

The presence of the dog (28; 23.0%)

Exercise with the dog (24; 19.7%)

Talk about the dog (23; 18.9%)

Contact with other people while out with dog (12; 9.8%)

Interactions on social media (8; 6.6%),

Having/raising the dog (7; 5.7%)

"He's an ex-racing dog, so people like to come up and talk to you about him. I suppose that does give a relationship with others that you wouldn't talk to normally. A common thing with autism is that you don't have many friends. And you don't have many social situations. And I suppose that's giving you a chance of social interaction." P11

Purpose in life

133 mentions

Exercise with the dog (27; 20.3%)

Looking after the dog—general routine (24; 18.0%)

Feeding, giving water to the dog (21; 15.8%)

Having/raising the dog (16; 12.0%)

Maintenance of dog (9; 6.8%)

"The dog gives you something to get up for[…]it's six o'clock, I must feed the dog. Six thirty I must take him out for his walk, you know, seven o'clock, we sit down and watch television together. Eleven o'clock, we go to bed" P11

Self-acceptance

55 mentions

Close dog-owner interactions (15; 27.3%)

The presence of the dog (7; 12.7%)

Having/raising the dog (6; 10.9%)

Tactile interactions initiated by the dog (5; 9.1%)

Dog shows good behaviour, training skills (5; 9.1%)

Training the dog, doing agility, scent work (4; 7.3%)

Looking after the dog—general routine (3; 5.5%)

"It's an old saying that everyone should have a dog, so they give you unconditional acceptance[…] If I've been out like it, he's so happy to see me [greeting]. You know, you can't be all that bad if you're getting that sort of reaction. You know, you get a friendly reaction, rather than being ignored or so. You know, it does make you feel good." P23

The numbers next to the subthemes indicate the number of times (and percentage) a subtheme was reported to generate the respective well-being outcome.