Companion Animals and Us

James Serpell is the Marie A. Moore Professor of Humane Ethics and Animal Welfare at the School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, where he also directs the Center for the Interaction of Animals & Society. He received his bachelor's degree in Zoology from University College London (UK) in 1974, and his PhD in Animal Behavior from the University of Liverpool (UK) in 1980. He moved to his current position at the University of Pennsylvania in 1993. Dr. Serpell is the current President of the International Society for Anthrozoology (ISAZ). He serves on the editorial boards of most of the major journals on animal welfare, applied animal behavior, and human-animal interactions. His research focuses on the behavior and welfare of companion animals, the development of human attitudes to animals, and the history of human-animal relationships. In addition to publishing more than 70 journal articles and book chapters on these and related topics, he is the author, editor, or co-editor of several books including Animals & Human Society: Changing Perspectives (1994), The Domestic Dog: Its Evolution, Behavior & Interactions with People (1995), In the Company of Animals (1996), and Companion Animals & Us (2000).

' … a good overview of the relationship between people and pets. As an excellent reference source for the most recent literature on the subject, it invites you to pursue specific interests further.' Animal Welfare

• 1. Introduction Anthony L. Podberscek, Elizabeth Paul and James Serpell; Part I. History and Culture: 2. The social significance of pet-keeping among Amazonian Indians Philippe Erickson; 3. Motivations for pet-keeping in Ancient Greece and Rome: a preliminary survey Liliane Bodson; 4. Hunting and attachment to dogs in the Pre-modern period Sophia Menache; 5. Children, 'insects' and play in Japan Erick L. Laurent; 6. The horse bar mitzvah: a celebratory exploration of the human-animal bond Norine Dresser; 7. Creatures of the unconscious: companion animals as mediators James Serpell; Part II. The Nature of the Relationship: 8. Companion animals and human health: physical and cardiovascular influences Erika Friedmann, Sue A. Thomas and Tim Eddy; 9. Personality research on pets and their owners: conceptual issues and review Anthony Podberscek and Samuel D. Gosling; 10. Love of pets and love of people Elizabeth Paul; Part III. Pets, Families and Interactions: 11. The influence of current relationships upon pet animal acquisition Rachael M. Harker, Glyn Collis and June McNicholas; 12. Pets in the network of family relationships: an empirical study Sheila Bonas, June McNicholas and Glyn M. Collis; 13. The meaning of companion animals: qualitative analysis of the life histories of elderly cat and dog owners Marie-José Enders-Slegers; 14. Human-cat interactions: relationships with, and breed differences between, non-pedigree, Persian and Siamese cats Dennis C. Turner; Part IV. Welfare and Ethics: 15. Secondary victimization in companion animal abuse: the owner's perspective Arnold Arluke; 16. Veterinary dilemmas: ambiguity and ambivalence in human-animal interaction Joanna Swabe; 17. Rethinking bestiality: towards a concept of interspecies sexual assault Piers Beirne.