Jill Johnson completed her MA thesis in Public Issues Anthropology in 2009, but the topic of her research is as relevant as ever: people and their pets.
The recent news story about a clothed macaque monkey being discovered in the parking lot of an Ikea store caused a lot of interest and concern. Globe and Mail writer Peter Scowan added to the numerous articles and tweets on the topic of people humanizing their pets (i.e. anthropomorphism), finding Johnson's thesis online and citing it in his article Pets are people. Just ask ‘pet parents. Here is an excerpt from that story:
Jill Johnson, a University of Waterloo student who posted online her Masters thesis titled 'Place of the Family Pet and Attitudes about Pet Keeping,' identified yet another factor: the infantization of modern culture. An overpowering attachment to a pet has its childish side, especially in a world of cartoon animals and stuffed bears, Johnson wrote.
She also pointed out that many modern dog breeds have been bred to be calm and co-operative – features that give a person more control over their pet than they may have over humans.
Which is a good, and ironic, point: The minute a pet acts too human – is uncooperative, disobedient, selfish, distant, unaffectionate – is the minute it risks getting taken to the pound or left on a back road in cottage country. - Read the full story
Jill Johnson's MA thesis is available online via the University of Waterloo Library, under the full title 'Dogs, Cats, and Their People: The Place of the Family Pet and Attitudes about Pet Keeping.' Here is Johnson's thesis abstract:
The perception of pets as ‘family members’ is an important area of research in the study of human-animal relationships. The objective of this thesis is to assess the ways in which pets are integrated into the home, and to explore how pet owners regard their dogs and cats within their constructed circles of kinship and social bonds. This research also examines a sample of attitudes toward some important issues with pet keeping, from what constitutes responsible pet guardianship to modern issues in animal welfare. Thirty-four participants were recruited, and data was collected through individual qualitative interviews. Data analysis shows the level of integration of the pet into the family has some correlations with the gender of the primary pet caretaker, and shows the impact of individual experiences of participants, particularly in childhood, which strongly influenced preferences of pet type, and their view of the role of animals in the home.
- Arts Communications