Psychological and behavioral predictors of taking pet companions when traveling

Although the importance of animal companions for their owners has been investigated (Aylesworth, Chapman, & Dobscha, 1999), and it has been established that pets are becoming increasingly important and that owners are spending more and more on them (Ridgway, Kukar-Kinney, Monroe, & Chamberlin, 2008), the question remains of whether it is more likely that animal companions change their owner’s lifestyle or vice versa. Using the theory of planned behavior (TPB; Ajzen, 1991); characteristics of self-monitoring, and scales assessing the owner-pet relationship, in this investigation we shed new light on how and why owners decide whether or not to take their pets with them when traveling for leisure purposes.