Strength of the human-animal bond among dog owners was investigated as a function of who chose to adopt a particular dog. Undergraduate students (129 women, 59 men) were presented an animal-bonding scale and questions relating to the acquisition of their dogs. Analysis indicated participants who had chosen dogs themselves or in conjunction with another scored higher on bonding with their animals than owners who reported that someone else had chosen their dogs. The findings underscore the potential problems in giving animals as gifts and the salutary consequences of personal involvement in pet selection.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AllenK. M.BlascovichJ.TomakaJ.KelseyR. M. (1991) Presence of human friends and pet dogs as moderators of autonomic responses to stress in women. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 61, 582–589.
2.
AnguloF. J.SiegelJ. M.DetelsR. (1996) Pet ownership and the reliability of the Companion Animal Bonding Scale among participants of the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study. Anthrozoös, 9, 5–9.
BowlbyJ. (1969) Attachment and loss: Vol. 1. Attachment. London: Hogarth.
5.
BrethertonI. (1985) Attachment theory: retrospect and prospect. Society for Research in Child Development50, 3–38.
6.
BustadL. K. (1980) Animals, aging, and the aged. Vol. 5. Minneapolis, MN: Univer. of Minnesota Press.
7.
ClarkG. I.BoyerW. N. (1993) The effects of dog obedience training and behavioural counseling upon the human-canine relationship. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 37, 147–159.
8.
DavisJ. H.JuhaszA. M. (1995) The preadolescent/pet friendship bond. Anthrozoös, 8, 78–82.
9.
EndenburgN. (1995) The attachment of people to companion animals. Anthrozoös, 8, 83–89.
10.
FilatreJ. C.MillotJ. L.MontagnerH. (1985) New findings on communication behavior between the young child and his pet dogVienna: Austrian Academy of Sciences.
11.
KiddA. H.FeldmannB. M. (1981) Pet ownership and self-perceptions of older people. Psychological Reports, 48, 867–875.
12.
KiddA. H.KiddR. M. (1985) Children's attitudes toward their pets. Psychological Reports, 57, 15–31.
13.
KiddA. H.KiddR. M.GeorgeC. C. (1992) Successful and unsuccessful pet adoptions. Psychological Reports, 70, 547–561.
14.
LevinsonB. M. (1969) Pets and old age. Mental Hygiene, 53, 364–368.
15.
LevinsonB. M. (1978) Pets and personality development. Psychological Reports, 42, 1031–1038.
16.
PatronekG. L.GlickmanL. T.BeckA. M.McCabeG. P.EckerC. (1996) Risk factors for relinquishment of dogs to an animal shelter, Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 209, 572–581.
17.
PerettiP. O. (1990) Elderly-animal friendship bonds. Social Behavior and Personality, 18, 151–156.
18.
PoreskyR. H.HendrixC. (1990) Differential effects of pet presence and pet-bonding on young children. Psychological Reports, 67, 51–54.
19.
PoreskyR. H.HendrlxC.MosierJ. E.SamuelsonM. L. (1987) The Companion Animal Bonding Scale: internal reliability and construct validity. Psychological Reports, 60, 743–746.
20.
SableP. (1991) Attachment, loss of spouse, and grief in elderly adults. Omega23, 129–142.
21.
SableP. (1995) Pets, attachment, and well-being across the life cycle. Social Work, 40, 334–341.
22.
SalmanM.NewJ.ScarlettJ.KassP.Ruch-GallieR.HettsS. (in press) Human and animal factors related to the relinquishment of dogs and cats in 12 selected animal shelters in the USA. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science.
23.
SerpellJ. A. (1981) Childhood pets and their influence on adults' attitudes. Psychological Reports, 49, 651–654.
