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Walking the dog: exploration of the contact networks between dogs in a community Westgarth C (1), Gaskell RM (1), Pinchbeck GL (1), Bradshaw JWS (2), Dawson S (1), Christley RM (1). (1) Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Liverpool, UK. (2) Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Bristol, UK. Little is known about the frequency, extent and nature of contact within a population of owned pet dogs. A door-step interview of 1278 households in a community in Cheshire, UK (Westgarth et al., 2007), identified 260 dog-owning households that were subsequently recruited into a questionnaire study of owner and dog behaviour and general management (Westgarth et al., 2008). In the present study, we used social network analysis to investigate (a) the use of public space in the area for dog walking, (b) the potential for contact among households through dog walking and (c) factors affecting these, among 214 households. Networks were constructed from maps of the local area on which regular walking routes had been marked. We identified a high level of potential contact between dog owning households; most households walked their dogs in only a few areas but a small number visited many. Highly connected households were more likely to have multiple dogs, walk their dogs off lead, and own Working, Pastoral or some terrier types. Similarly, most areas were only visited by a few households but a few were visited by many. Despite identification of sub-groups of households and locations, we demonstrated high connectivity between dog-owning households, with minimum path lengths of two ‘steps’ (household-area-household, 74%) or four ‘steps’ (via two areas, 26%). The general structure of the networks appeared stable across time periods of the day. Our networks demonstrated short path lengths, clustering of nodes, and some skewed degree distributions; characteristics observed in many networks. In theory, highly connected dogs could be identified and ‘removed’ in the event of an infectious disease outbreak, for example through targeted vaccination or not being walked during a critical disease period. However, the high overall connectivity of our network meant that experimental targeted removal of nodes in this manner did not have a major effect. In conclusion, pet dogs and their owners are more highly connected than they may first appear, which is beneficial socially, but emphasises the need for high standards of welfare and preventive veterinary care for dogs. Westgarth, C., Pinchbeck, G.L., Bradshaw, J.W.S., Dawson, S., Gaskell, R.M., Christley, R.M., 2007. Factors associated with dog ownership and contact with dogs in a UK community. BMC Veterinary Research 3. Westgarth, C., Pinchbeck, G.L., Bradshaw, J.W.S., Dawson, S., Gaskell, R.M., Christley, R.M., 2008. Dog-human and dog-dog interactions of 260 dog-owning households in a community in Cheshire The Veterinary Record 162, 436-442. This study has been published in Epidemiology and Infection (2009), 137, 8, 1169-1168.