Single? Family? Or life with a pet? A new perspective on pet ownership as a way of life

As part of the study, the researchers conducted qualitative interviews with 63 pet owners and 33 pet service providers who live or work with around 20 animal species, including dogs, horses, chinchillas, chickens, geckos and tarantulas. The respondents described how pets shape their everyday lives and are perceived as active companions. The results show that animals play a central role in the lives of many people. They are not only perceived as companions, but often as companions with special status and as family members. However, not every pet ownership develops into an intimate companionship; the quality of the relationship and responsiveness to the animals' needs are crucial. Animal service providers support this through concepts, therapies and training.

The research team identifies three patterns that characterize the companionship between humans and animals: Companionship - shared daily life and familial closeness in private space; Activity - shared experiences and world exploration; and Care - care and responsibility for welfare. Companionship arises, according to the findings, when not only animals but also their owners become involved and adapt, and when new practices of living together emerge. From a sociological perspective, a way of life then develops that is comparable to living together as a married couple, family or living alone. By investigating the emergence of such forms of life shared by animals and humans, the researchers are highlighting a topic that has been surprisingly underexposed to date: "Our research shows that living together with animals is a social reality in its own right," says Jürgens. "Animals help shape everyday life, shape people's life models and realities and yet remain invisible in official statistics and many social discourses."

In addition, many of those surveyed rated the existing housing options as inadequate for living with animals. The social infrastructure would also lag behind: medical advice, support with care or local services are often lacking, especially for rare or specialized animal species. The researchers therefore suggest that animal husbandry should be more closely integrated into social analyses in future, for example by systematically collecting data on cohabitation with animals. This is the only way to actually align the infrastructure with the real living conditions of humans and animals.

Link to the book publication: https://www.campus.de/e-books/wissenschaft/leben_und_arbeiten_mit_tieren-18759.html

What does this mean in summary?

• Animal husbandry should be understood as a way of life for which people want suitable framework conditions.
• There are three components that characterize the companionship between humans and animals: Companionship, activity and care.
• The researchers recommend systematically including pet ownership in statistics in order to better reflect infrastructural needs.