Research Setting

Previously published components of this case study have drawn attention to the mismatch between our city’s progressive pet policies, its leadership in age-friendly policy implementation, and the systemic barriers to having pets that many older adults face. These barriers include a lack of affordable, appropriate pet-friendly housing as well as a historic lack of coordination between community-based human social service and animal welfare supports (McLennan et al., Reference McLennan, Rock, Mattos and Toohey2022; Toohey et al., Reference Toohey, Hewson, Adams and Rock2017; Toohey & Krahn, Reference Toohey and Krahn2018; Toohey & Rock, Reference Toohey and Rock2019). These challenges are not unique to our setting (see, e.g., Arrington & Markarian, Reference Arrington and Markarian2018; Matsuoka et al., Reference Matsuoka, Sorenson, Graham and Ferreira2020; Rauktis et al., Reference Rauktis, Lee, Bickel, Giovengo, Nagel and Cahalane2020, Reference Rauktis, Rose, Chen, Martone and Martello2017). Veterinary services in Calgary are also costly, and there is a recognized gap in terms of service support for lower income pet owners (McLennan et al., Reference McLennan, Rock, Mattos and Toohey2022; Van Patten, Chalhoub, Baker, Rock, & Adams, Reference Van Patten, Chalhoub, Baker, Rock and Adams2021). As older adults are often subsisting on pension income, many experience the constraints of living on a fixed or low income.

Sample Recruitment

To recruit socio-economically diverse older adult participants, posters were displayed in the city’s largest community centre for older adults (i.e., “seniors centre”), a central food bank, and a public library. Flyers were also displayed and distributed by two animal shelters that ran active pet adoption programs and had participated in the broader case study (Toohey et al., Reference Toohey, Hewson, Adams and Rock2017). Word-of-mouth voluntarily initiated by key participants in this current study and by representatives of community organizations involved in the study also led to recruiting four socio-economically disadvantaged participants who would not likely have seen the posters. Inclusion criteria for participation included age (≥ 60 years) and living independently in the community with a pet, although one participant (Participant 6) had recently lost her dog companion.

Sample Description

As illustrated in Table 1, 12 of the 14 older adults who voluntarily participated in this study lived alone. Of these 12, 6 were single, 4 were divorced, 1 was married with a spouse living in a long-term care facility, and 1 was widowed. Most participants (10) were female. Seven participants owned one or more cats, 6 owned a dog, and 1 had multiple pets.

Table 1. Overview of participants recruited for interviews to explore community-dwelling older adults’ experiences with aging in place with companion animals

Nine of the study participants were retired. Nine owned their own home, including condominiums. The remaining 5 lived in disadvantaged circumstances, with 3 residing in subsidized older adult housing units and 2 in private market rentals. Lower income participants were supported by government-sponsored disability income, old-age pension, low-income supplement, or a combination of these, depending upon eligibility (Government of Alberta, 2020).

Data Collection

The author conducted semi-structured ethnographic interviews (Spradley, Reference Spradley1979) with eligible participants (n = 14). Informed consent was provided and interviews typically lasted 60 minutes, ranging from 45 to over 90 minutes. Interviews were digitally audio-recorded and transcribed in all but one case, as Participant 4 declined to be recorded. Detailed field notes were prepared immediately following each interview to capture impressions and insights (Emerson, Fretz, & Shaw, Reference Emerson, Fretz and Shaw1995), and research memos were also created by the author during transcription and analysis, when additional insights arose.

Nine interviews took place in a participant’s home, with their pet(s) present and interactions observable (Ryan & Ziebland, Reference Ryan and Ziebland2015); 2 interviews took place in a community-based old adults centre that supported this study’s recruitment, 1 happened in a public library, and 2 occurred outdoors in public parks, each with the participant’s dog present. The participants interviewed at the older adults (“seniors”) centre shared photographs of their pets. All but 1 participant declined to choose a pseudonym for their pet and preferred that their pet’s or pets’ given name(s) be used.

To build rapport at the outset of the interview (Spradley, Reference Spradley1979), the author asked each participant to describe their daily experience of living with and caring for their pet. Additional prompts ranged from requesting descriptions of daily activities and routines, to inquiring about reflections on perceived benefits and challenges of having pets in later life, both personally and for older adults more generally (Table 2).

Table 2. Sample interview questions used to facilitate semi-structured interviews with research participants

Analytic Approach

At the outset of the secondary qualitative analysis, the author’s re-immersion into these data involved an in-depth review of initial field notes for each interview, followed by rereading all interview transcripts. These initial impressions helped inform the reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, Reference Braun and Clarke2020) that was then undertaken. The next analytic step was to consider the entire set of interviews, paying close attention to instances when participants reflected on the challenges of their overarching life circumstances, in relation to both aging in place and their companion animal(s). Simultaneously, the author considered participants’ descriptions of the different ways that companion animals shaped quality of life both positively and negatively, broadly, as well as in relation to the challenges they faced. Comparisons were made both within and between interviews. Attention was paid to semantic rather than latent meanings of the data (Braun & Clarke, Reference Braun and Clarke2020), because the participants’ own words depicted meaningful interactions between current life circumstances and relationships with pets.

Through a process of (re)immersion and crystallization (Borkan, Reference Borkan, Crabtree and Miller1999), the author identified thematic patterns across the corpus of interviews that offered insights into ways that both the benefits and challenges of companion animals influenced older adults’ aging-in-place experiences. As the sole interviewer and research lead for the case study, the author’s intimate familiarity with the complete data set underscored an immersive, substantive qualitative analysis, as has been well-described by others (Eakin & Mykhalovskiy, Reference Eakin and Mykhalovskiy2003). The analysis was reflexive, shaped by the author’s understandings of both theoretical and practical dimensions of aging in place with pets and the various contradictions that exist within its evidence base. The author’s own experiences with the complexities and negotiations of having both cat and dog companions at different life junctures also informed how participants’ accounts were interpreted.

Theme 1: Lonely But Not Alone

The first theme describes both the impacts and limitations of human–animal relationships on loneliness. Several participants reflected on experiences of loneliness and their sense that they lacked fulfilling human relationships. Yet these feelings were balanced by recognizing ways that their pets enhanced their day-to-day experiences and made them feel less solitary in their lives. For instance, Participant 3 was a highly educated single man in his late 60s who was experiencing severe mental and physical health challenges, extreme low income, and social isolation. He lived with a pair of cats, Brady and Kaboodle, one of whom he was fostering for a local rescue and treating for Feline HIV. He was candid about his sense of isolation and loneliness, and reflected the following:

Participant 5, on the other hand, was an educated, divorced woman in her early 70s who had financial security and family support. She spoke openly about the ways that her dog, Molly, had extended her social network via meeting people at her local dog park: I spend a lot of time by myself, so being forced into social contacts is very good for me. And yet, like Participant 5, she also recognized the limitations of Molly’s companionship:

Participant 1, an older, divorced woman in her mid-80s was financially comfortable and was actively engaged in community services. She described her recent acquisition of an older cat named China:

The simple presence of another living creature co-habiting within a solitary home environment brought a new dimension of comfort and companionship to Participant 5’s life.

Theme 2: Precarious But Committed

The second theme reveals ways that older adults felt a deep sense of solidarity for their companion animals and responsibility for their pets’ lives and well-being, even as these commitments exacerbated challenging circumstances. One such situation was described by Participant 10, a single, lower-income woman in her mid-60s, who had unexpectedly lost her mobile home due to water damage:

Her age and income rendered her eligible for subsidized older adult housing, yet she could not find housing that would accept her cat, Kismet. As a result, she navigated three years of housing insecurity, during which time she described situations where she placed her integrity and even personal safety in danger, first by keeping her cat illegally in a subsidized housing unit (they were ultimately evicted), and next by boarding with a man whom she knew to have alcoholism linked to violent outbursts. Still, she remained steadfast that throughout this time, noting: my cat, she was a saving grace really because she was so resilient.

Participant 14 was an older, single gentleman in his early 80s, whose monthly income consisted solely of government pension and low-income supplements. He had little familial support, having been divorced and pre-deceased by all his siblings and his two children. His large dog, Jellybean, was his sole companion. When we spoke, Participant 14’s apartment building was for sale, and he was becoming increasingly desperate to find an affordable rental that would accept Jellybean. Few apartments in Calgary, let alone affordable ones, permitted tenants to keep dogs (as described in Toohey et al., Reference Toohey, Hewson, Adams and Rock2017), and those that did had a strict size limitation that Jellybean, over 100 lb in weight, substantially exceeded. Participant 14 reflected:

These types of concerns were not limited to participants with lower incomes. Participant 13 was a widowed 65-year-old who lived alone in a condominium that she and her then-deceased husband had purchased, and which she outright owned. A year prior to our interview, she had spent a substantial portion of her retirement savings on cancer treatment for Casey, her cherished dog. Her account of this decision was unequivocal:

At the time when we spoke, she had acquired a new kitten, Mara, to offset the loneliness of widowhood. She was struggling with the costs of addressing the kitten’s severe dental issues: I have financial worries, but because I had a dog for 15 years, and my husband was gone, everything was gone. I needed something to take care of. She admitted to worrying about the possibility of losing her home, and yet parting with her new kitten was not negotiable. The need to care for and love another creature outweighed her unexpected insecurity around her finances and even her home.

Theme 3: Caring as Defying Emotional Adversity

The third theme illustrates ways that pet-care roles and animal companionship offered a form of meaning and continuity in older adults’ lives as they experienced life-altering situations that might otherwise erode emotional well-being. One such narrative was shared by Participant 9. She was a single, retired woman in her mid-60s who lived with her two cats, Nick and Stella, in a condominium she owned. Following a routine surgical procedure on her spine, she was left with severely reduced mobility. She discussed coming to terms with her physical impairment and, especially, her shrinking physical and social worlds. Her attachment to this pair of rescued cats and the continuity her cats facilitated, despite the major upheaval taking place in her life, helped her experience an emotional richness that she felt would otherwise have eluded her:

Participant 7 described another scenario where continuity was paramount to his ability to cope with a life-changing event. He was a well-educated single man in his early 60s who had held a fast-paced professional career in sales. He suffered a sudden, major stroke, which was then followed by a lengthy rehabilitation period. He depleted his retirement savings during his initial years of recovery, anticipating an eventual return to the workforce. The cognitive damage caused by the stroke prevented this from happening: I went from a six-figure-a-year job to a $502/month pension. That was it!

Early in his recovery, when his physical and cognitive regains were unknown and his financial reserves disappearing, Participant 7 focused on caring for his cat, Kleo. The routines of care he had established for his cat provided meaningful links to his previous state of being. Even as he came to terms with his declining function, his new life circumstances revolved around a precise feeding schedule, methodical litter box cleanings, and a comforting bedtime routine as he and his cat settled in for the night. He described these activities in a way that reflected both their crucial importance to his sense of self-efficacy and his deep attentiveness to his cat’s needs. Eventually, when Participant 7 could no longer afford to stay in his rented apartment, he was shocked at how few options remained:

Over the course of our interview, Participant 7 described a multitude of indignities and hardships. His story illustrated how his reliance on both the affection and continuity offered by caring for Kleo helped him transition through these challenging and adversities.

Theme 4: Losses Versus Gains

The fourth and final theme explores pet-related constraints that some participants described, yet also illuminates a subtle process of balancing costs versus benefits of having companion animals in later life. One relevant account was shared by Participant 2, an older, married woman in her mid-70s whose husband was residing in a long-term care facility due to advanced dementia. Relocating from her longtime detached home into a congregate rental apartment gave rise to challenges with her small Havanese dog, Toad (this requested pseudonym symbolized for Participant 2 the enduring friendship described in Lobel’s (Reference Lobel2013) classic children book series, “Frog and Toad”). She reflected:

Toad’s behaviour, which led quickly to complaints from neighbours and warnings from management, severely constrained Participant 2’s ability to manage her new situation in the way she had envisioned. She eventually solved this challenge by enlisting the services of a pet-sitter and also enrolling him in a part-time “doggie day care” service. Notably, though, Participant 2 also credited Toad with social benefits, including a growing sense of belonging and community: And the dog of course is always an intro [sic]… it’s a positive note in a day. She also described Toad’s ability to facilitate positive interactions with her husband and the care staff when they visited him in his care home. In essence, Participant 2 viewed Toad’s barking as a singular problem with a solution, while she recounted numerous other ways that her relationship with Toad enhanced her quality of life and ability to cope with new challenges. Observing Participant 2’s interactions with Toad during our interview also confirmed her strong attachment to and fondness for him.

Costs and benefits of pets later in life were also considered by Participant 12. She was a recently retired professional in her mid-60s who had four companion animals: two cats (I adore them), a domesticated feral rabbit (…really a sweet pet), and a beagle whom she had adopted from neighbours to prevent the dog’s being relinquished to a shelter (But the work, oh, you can imagine). In volunteering to participate in this study, she had been especially anxious to ensure that the oft-ignored challenges of having pets after retiring were articulated and considered. Reflecting on the varied ways that these three relationships shaped her life in retirement, she shared:

Her frustration with the complexities of being responsible for a dog was tangible throughout our interview. Still, she also noted several positive dimensions of caring for Sophie. These included their regular walks through her neighbourhood, during which informal interactions led to a sense of being recognized and valued in a meaningful way. Overall, she confided: So I feel ethically, morally like I’ve done something good for a creature…(but) I’m on overload. I’ve done too much. I tell myself this all the time. I should surrender one of the pets. Participant 12’s retired life had not unfolded as she had hoped, and she understood this to be a direct result of her over-extended responsibilities for her animal companions. Of all 14 interviews, hers was the singular one that conveyed a concern with the potentially negative impact of pet ownership later in life. For Participant 12, the costs associated with her pets, and particularly her dog, outweighed the benefits and were eroding her quality of life.