Animal Meanings: Understanding the Determinants of Dog Owners’ Attitudes toward
and Treatment of Dogs
Introduction
Animals have long played important roles in the lives of humans and the functioning of
human societies. Humans have hunted animals for food for millions of years, have raised
animals as livestock for 12,000 years, have used animals to hunt other animals, in the
cultivation of crops, and as means of transport, and have shared their homes and daily
lives with animals since the domestication of the wolf some 14,000 years ago (Serpell
1996). Today, pet-keeping, especially the keeping of dogs and cats, represents one of the
most common loci of human-animal relations. Pets
are an increasingly important part of
life for many Americans. Studies estimate that approximately 60% of U.S. families have
a dog or cat in the household, which is more than have children (Flynn 2001; Albert and
Bulcroft 1988a). The Humane Society of the United States (2006) reports that there are
approximately 65 million dogs and 78 million cats owned by people in the United States.
And on average, pet owners spend more on food for their animals than parents of infants
spend on baby food (Albert and Bulcroft 1988a).
Cats and dogs are not only numerous and expensive, they are highly valued. Data
collected from a random sample of dog and cat owners commissioned by Ralston Purina
in 2000 indicate that 68% of dog owners and 61% of cat owners claim that
companionship is the greatest benefit of pet ownership. In the same study 95% of dog
owners and 91% of cat owners report hugging their “companion animal” on a daily basis.
More American dog owners report being close to their dog than report being close to
their own mother or father (Taylor, Funk, and Craighill 2006).
1
In most cases throughout this proposal I will use the term “pet.” I recognize that many people favor the
label “companion animal,” because it suggests a more elevated status – that of companion rather than
property or object; however, pet remains the more common usage.
3
Convention