If you’ve
ever have had a pet animal whether it be a cat, a dog, a rabbit, a snake, or a
bird you have a special bond with that animal. They are considered part of the
family – your best friend. They are there when you are sad and celebrate when
you are happy. You need your pet and they need you. I’ve had my cat, Raven, on
the right for 10 years. This is what many would call a bond, a special
relationship between two things.
The human-animal interaction is a
strong relationship. This was quite evident through Animal Sciences 305 where
students discussed this interaction and how it impacts our lives and the
animal’s life. To analyze this relationship, we have to go back to
domestication of pets and their purpose. In class, we discussed two proposals
of how dogs were domesticated: human involvement or self-domestication through
natural selection (Albert, 2015). Over the course of a century, dogs’ physical
appearance changed into what we know of them today. In today’s society, humans
can have control of breeding a dog and choosing its traits through artificial
selection. In class we also discussed how domestication in animals has helped
humans through food, clothing, protection, and companionship just to name a few
(Albert, 2015). Domestication is the beginning stage of the human-animal
interaction as it has benefited humans in many ways.
An animal’s
emotions are one of the foundations of the human-animal bond. I’ve heard of many
stories where the pet owner will confide in the pet and say that the animal
will seem to understand them. In class, we discussed the hot topic of animal sentience,
which is when the animal is claimed to be able to feel or perceive an emotion.
Animal sentience is a highly debated issue between animal activists and the
general public. Are animal emotions comparable to human emotions and vice versa?
I feel that this is a very important topic to have an educated opinion on. It
is a large part of the human-animal bond, which can be based on emotions and
behavior. In class we learned about the fields of study associated with this
topic. Comparative psychology, which is the understanding of human psychology
using animals and ethology, the study focused on animal cognition are fields
where scientific research is used (Albert, 2015). A famous scientist that
studies animal ethology is Jane Goodall and her experiment living with wild
chimpanzees that was considered unscientific. In this video from CBS News, it includes
interviews with Jane and her extended experiment with the chimpanzees. As you
can see, there are many pros and cons to animal emotions and how to measure it.
There are scientists that dedicate their entire careers to it and some say it
is anthropomorphic. Anthropomorphism is describing animals with human
characteristics. For example, having Simba, the lion, talk in English such as
in famous Disney movie The Lion King
is anthropomorphism. This concept relates to animal welfare as humans think of
animals just like themselves and want to treat themselves as such. The
perception of animal welfare is an important topic to not only this class, but
also the general public.
The animal rights concept was a big
discussion in our class. It is a highly debated topic that farmers and activist
organizations such as the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and the
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) take very seriously. In
class, we learned about the underlying issues and the tactics used for animal
rights campaigns. The documentary about the founder of PETA, Ingrid Newkirk,
gave the audience an inside look into PETA and their business. On the other
hand, farmers are stepping up and giving virtual tours of their farms to show
that they have nothing to hide and that they treat their animals right. Since
animal rights are such a vastly disputed argument, I think it is important to
have an educated opinion on it. No matter which side you take, you need to have
scientific research to back your claims…not based on emotions and feeling. I think it is also important to distinguish
the difference between animal welfare and animal rights. Animal welfare concerns
the animal and the environment it lives in whether it be a companion animal or
livestock. Animal rights are how the animal is treated. It is important to be
educated on this topic so we can contribute to the conversation. We cannot rely on what we are given through
the Internet; we need the truth and find it out ourselves.
In Animal
Sciences 305, we learned how animals interact with humans. Through films,
entertainment, sports, religion, therapy, and service, we interact with animals
every day. It was very surprising to dig deeper into the human-animal
interaction and realize that it is one of the biggest relationships a human can
have with a non-human. My grandfather and my dog, Sasha have a special bond as
seen on the left. He is so happy when she is around. Animals are a part of our
society and will be for a very long time. The overall theme in this class is to
learn about the human-animal bond. That interaction is an important part of our
lives whether they are companion animals or livestock. This class has taught me
to be educated about the topic so I have a knowledgeable opinion on it. I had
no idea that the human-animal bond was so deep and goes beyond just calling my
dog a friend. I learned that animals could be of service to other humans and
contribute to society.
My call to action to those reading
this blog is to do the research and form an educated opinion on the human-animal
bond. With topics like animal welfare, animals in sports, pet loss, and animal
cognition just to name a few, it is important to learn how animals interact
with our world. In today’s society, we all think that once we read something on
the Internet that we are experts on the situation. I encourage anyone to take a
class that focuses on the human-animal bond so you know your pet better and
understand to take care of all their needs. It is our responsibility as owners.
Albert, S.
(Presenter). (2015, September 1). Animal Cognition. Lecture presented at
University of Illinois, Urbana, IL.
Albert, S.
(Presenter). (2015, August 27). Domestication and HAB. Lecture presented at
University of Illinois, Urbana, IL.
CBS News.
(2010, October 24). Jane Goodall and Her Chimps [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5Q6-hh49mU
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