Companion Animals and Us
Exploring the Relationships between People and Pets

Explores our complex relationships with pets.

Anthony L. Podberscek (Edited by), Elizabeth S. Paul (Edited by), James A. Serpell (Edited by)

9780521017718, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 21 July 2005

348 pages, 41 b/w illus. 24 tables
22.9 x 15.2 x 2 cm, 0.51 kg

'Some of these essays are brilliant, many are original and creative, and all are informative in one way or another, making this book an insightful and stimulating read.' Stephen H. Webb, Ethics, Place and the Environment

Over the past 30 years there has been a tremendous growth in interest in the multidisciplinary field of human-companion animal interactions and relationships. This is not surprising considering that pets are kept in at least half of the households in Western societies. What then, is so special about the relationships people have with their pets? Are we very different from our ancestors in the ways we feel about animals? What does pet-keeping tell us about ourselves and our relationships with people? Can pets be good for our health? Do they help promote empathy for other humans? These questions and more are explored in this book. Companion Animals and Us brings together some of the newest research from a wide variety of disciplines including anthropology, history, psychology, sociology, human and veterinary medicine. This book will make fascinating reading for anyone interested in understanding more about the human-pet relationship.

1. Introduction Anthony L. Podberscek, Elizabeth Paul and James Serpell
Part I. History and Culture: 2. The social significance of pet-keeping among Amazonian Indians Philippe Erickson
3. Motivations for pet-keeping in Ancient Greece and Rome: a preliminary survey Liliane Bodson
4. Hunting and attachment to dogs in the Pre-modern period Sophia Menache
5. Children, 'insects' and play in Japan Erick L. Laurent
6. The horse bar mitzvah: a celebratory exploration of the human-animal bond Norine Dresser
7. Creatures of the unconscious: companion animals as mediators James Serpell
Part II. The Nature of the Relationship: 8. Companion animals and human health: physical and cardiovascular influences Erika Friedmann, Sue A. Thomas and Tim Eddy
9. Personality research on pets and their owners: conceptual issues and review Anthony Podberscek and Samuel D. Gosling
10. Love of pets and love of people Elizabeth Paul
Part III. Pets, Families and Interactions: 11. The influence of current relationships upon pet animal acquisition Rachael M. Harker, Glyn Collis and June McNicholas
12. Pets in the network of family relationships: an empirical study Sheila Bonas, June McNicholas and Glyn M. Collis
13. The meaning of companion animals: qualitative analysis of the life histories of elderly cat and dog owners Marie-José Enders-Slegers
14. Human-cat interactions: relationships with, and breed differences between, non-pedigree, Persian and Siamese cats Dennis C. Turner
Part IV. Welfare and Ethics: 15. Secondary victimization in companion animal abuse: the owner's perspective Arnold Arluke
16. Veterinary dilemmas: ambiguity and ambivalence in human-animal interaction Joanna Swabe
17. Rethinking bestiality: towards a concept of interspecies sexual assault Piers Beirne.

Subject Areas: Domestic animals & pets [WNG], Zoology & animal sciences [PSV]