ISBN 90 5170 101 2 NUGI 611/651/749

Animals as companions

Demographic Motivational and Ethical Aspects of Companion Animal Ownership

Nienke Endenburg

The human companion animal bond is a new and exciting field. Interest in this subject began approximately 30 years ago, leading to the first investigations. In years that followed the research became more sophisticated. In the Netherlands a multidisciplinary team at the University of Utrecht, consisting of veterinarians, psychologist, a methodologist and an ethicists, supported the present study, which was conducted by a social scientist.

This book describes the scientific research on why people won companion animals and the functions these animals serve for people. Related areas are also examined. These include examination of the differences between companion animal owners and people without animals, and whether there are differences between cat and dog owners. The ethical aspects of keeping companion animals are also considered: do animals have rights? Or do they have intrinsic value?

The goal of this book is to inform scientist and interested laymen about the latest results of research considering relationships between people and companion animals.