Since companion animals are a significant part of American society, a substantial body of research has been developed to demonstrate how they play a significant role impacting the physical and psychological health of people of all ages. Animal companions also help to drive an economic engine estimated at near forty billion dollars per year for food, toys, veterinary care and other support services and products. The popularity of companion animals has no doubt played an important role in the interest that the general public, and college students in particular have in careers related to companion animal care. The social issues that surround companion animals are complex and continuing to evolve. Questions related to pet overpopulation and animal cruelty are just a couple of the many issues that cut across a range of disciplines and philosophies. Companion Animals in Society combines the current available knowledge on companion animal husbandry with an introduction to these issues and how society is currently coping with them in order to provide the most useful resource in the market today.

Succinct, highly readable and thought provoking, this important new text is designed to raise awareness of the potential economic impact of companion animals in the UK. It discusses the potential benefits and costs of companion animals to the economy and highlights the need for this matter to be thoroughly researched, given the potential scale of impact and the potential costs of ignoring this matter. Inspired by the seminal Council for Science and Society (CSS) Report, Companion Animals in Society (1988), this work updates and extends its evaluation of the economic impact of companion animals on society and lays a benchmark for future development. This pivotal new book is important for policy makers at national and international levels and all those involved in animal welfare.

This book is an interdisciplinary collection shedding light on human-animal relationships and interactions around the world. The book offers a predominantly empirical look at social and cultural practices related to companion animals in Mexico, Poland, the Netherlands, Japan, China and Taiwan, Vietnam, USA, and Turkey among others. It focuses on how dogs, cats, rabbits and members of other species are perceived and treated in various cultures, highlighting commonalities and differences between them.

In this book, Nik Taylor and Heather Fraser consider how we might better understand human-animal companionship in the context of domestic violence. The authors advocate an intersectional feminist understanding, drawing on a variety of data from numerous projects they have conducted with people, about their companion animals and links between domestic violence and animal abuse, arguing for a new understanding that enables animals to be constituted as victims of domestic violence in their own right. The chapters analyse the mutual, loving connections that can be formed across species, and in households where there is domestic violence. Companion Animals and Domestic Violence also speaks to the potentially soothing, healing and recovery oriented aspects of human-companion animal relationships before, during and after the violence, and will be of interest to various academic disciplines including social work, anthropology, sociology, philosophy, geography, as well as to professionals working in domestic violence or animal welfare service provision.

Explores our complex relationships with pets.

Animals and Human Society provides a solid, scientific, research-based background to advance understanding of how animals impact humans. As a resource for both science and non-science majors (including students planning to major in or studying animal science, pre-veterinary medicine, animal behavior, conservation biology, ecotoxicology, epidemiology and evolutionary biology), the book can be used as a text for courses in Animals and Human Society or Animal Science, or as supplemental material for an Introduction to Animal Science. The book offers foundational background to those who may have little background in animal agriculture and have focused interest on companion animals and horses. Animals have had profound effects on people from the earliest times, ranging from zoonotic diseases, to the global impact of livestock, poultry and fish production, to the influences of human-associated animals on the environment (on extinctions, air and water pollution, greenhouse gases, etc.), to the importance of animals in human evolution and hunter-gatherer communities. The volume introduces livestock production (including poultry and aquaculture) but also includes coverage of companion and lab animals. In addition, animal behavior and animal perception are covered. It can also function as a reference or recommended reading for a capstone class on ethical and public policy aspects related to animals. This book is likewise an excellent resource for researchers, academics or students newly entering a related field or coming from another discipline and needing foundational information, as well as interested laypersons looking to augment their knowledge on the many impacts of animals in human society. Features research-based and pedagogically sound content, with learning goals and textboxes to provide key information Challenges readers to consider issues based on facts rather than polemics Poses ethical questions and raises overall societal impacts Balances traditional animal science with companion animals, animal biology, zoonotic diseases, animal products, environmental impacts and all aspects of human/animal interaction Includes access to PowerPoints that facilitate easy adoption and/or use for online classes

Exactly how do animals affect the quality of life of their human companions? The 7th International Conference on Animals, Health, and Quality of Life set out to explore this question. A major result of this quest was Companion Animals in Human Health, a careful selection of jurored and invited papers from that conference. The articles in this volume address Human Animal Interaction (HAI) according to the elements that define quality of life: physical, mental, emotional, and social health; functional health; and general well-being. Beginning with an overview of human/animal interaction from historical and value perspectives, the authors develop a conceptual framework for HAI research and quality of life measurement. They then go on to explore the psychosocial and physiological impact of HAI. The concluding sections address the role of companion animals in human development and the training and welfare of animals in therapeutic programs. As a state-of-the-science document, Companion Animals in Human Health is a must-read for all health and social science professionals caring for clients who already have companion animals or for clients who might benefit from such interaction. Thus it will be of interest to those in the fields of clinical psychology, cognition, developmental psychology, family studies, gerontology, nursing, patient care, psychology, public health, and sociology.