Companion Animals and Us: Exploring the Relationships between People and Pets - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0521631130 ISBN 13: 9780521631136

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2000

Synopsis

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

About this title

Book Description:

In western societies, pets are kept in at least half of all ouseholds. But why do we keep pets? Are they good for our health? Did our ancestors keep pets too? Can they promote good will towards other animals and people? This volume explores these and other questions about our relationship with pets. It will be of interest to students and researchers in anthropology, history, psychology, sociology and veterinary science, and to interested pet-owning general readers.

About the Author:

James Serpell is the Marie A. Moore Professor of Humane Ethics and Animal Welfare at the School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, where he also directs the Center for the Interaction of Animals & Society. He received his bachelor's degree in Zoology from University College London (UK) in 1974, and his PhD in Animal Behavior from the University of Liverpool (UK) in 1980. He moved to his current position at the University of Pennsylvania in 1993. Dr. Serpell is the current President of the International Society for Anthrozoology (ISAZ). He serves on the editorial boards of most of the major journals on animal welfare, applied animal behavior, and human-animal interactions. His research focuses on the behavior and welfare of companion animals, the development of human attitudes to animals, and the history of human-animal relationships. In addition to publishing more than 70 journal articles and book chapters on these and related topics, he is the author, editor, or co-editor of several books including Animals & Human Society: Changing Perspectives (1994), The Domestic Dog: Its Evolution, Behavior & Interactions with People (1995), In the Company of Animals (1996), and Companion Animals & Us (2000).

About this edition

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0521631130
• ISBN 13: 9780521631136
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 348
• Editor: Podberscek Anthony L., Paul Elizabeth S., Serpell James A.