Battered Women and Their Animal Companions: Symbolic Interaction Between Human and Nonhuman Animals

Clifton P. Flynn

Only recently have sociologists considered the role of nonhuman animals in human society. The few studies undertaken of battered women and their animal companions have revealed high rates of animal abuse co-existing with domestic violence. This study examines several aspects of the relationship between humans and animals in violent homes. The study explored the role of companion animals in the abusive relationship through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with clients at a battered women’s shelter. In particular, the study focused on the use of companion animals by women’s violent partners to control, hurt, and intimidate the women; the responses of the animals to the women’s victimization; and the role of pets as human surrogates and the resulting symbolic interaction between human and nonhuman family members. The significance of the findings for family violence research and application are discussed, as well as the broader implications for sociological investigation of human-animal interaction.
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Legislating a Solution to Animal Shelter Euthanasia: A Case Study of California’s Controversial SB 1785
Sarah A. Balcom


On September 22, 1998, California Governor Pete Wilson signed Senate Bill 1785 into law, dramatically affecting the entire California animal sheltering community. Dubbed the “Hayden law” by the animal protection community after the bill’s sponsor, it represents the state of California’s attempt to legislate a solution to both the companion animal overpopulation problem and the friction between the agencies trying to end it. The persistence of the bill’s primary supporters, a Los Angeles veterinarian and a UCLA law school professor and the overall lack of opposition to it helped SB 1785 sail through the California legislature. Because of the scope of the bill and the immense cost of implementation, its passage shocked many in the sheltering community. This case study highlights the consequences of legislation that was crafted based on worse case scenarios and over which there was little collaborative effort. It concludes with suggestions that might be useful to other states contemplating similar such legislation.
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Beyond Anecdotes: An Empirical Study of "Anthropomorphism"
Paul Morris, Margaret Fidler, and Alan Costall

The status of "anthropomorphic" descriptions of animals in terms of intentions and emotions has been generally regarded as a prescriptive methodological concern. In contrast, in the study of human social psychology the nature of psychological descriptions of other people has been approached as a substantive empirical issue. Following this lead, the present study investigated the nature of people's descriptions of short videotaped episodes of animal behavior. The descriptions obtained were predominantly anthropomorphic and structured according to a limited set of "event units" whose psychological meaning was highly consistent across the observers. In common with many social psychologists we conclude that consistency of anthropomorphic description suggests that meaning is specified within the structure of behavior.
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Emily Brontë and Dogs: Transformation Within the Human-Dog Bond
Maureen B. Adams
Sonoma, California

This paper examines the bond between humans and dogs as demonstrated in the life and work of Emily Brontë (1818-1848). The nineteenth century author, publishing under the pseudonym, Ellis Bell, evinced, both in her personal and professional life, the complex range of emotions explicit in the human-dog bond: attachment and companionship to domination and abuse. In Wuthering Heights, Brontë portrays the dog as scapegoat, illustrating the dark side of the bond found in many cultures. Moreover, she writes with awareness of connections—unknown in the nineteenth century—between animal abuse and domestic violence. In her personal life, Brontë's early power struggles with her companion animal mastiff, Keeper, evolve into a caring relationship. In a human-dog bond transformation that survives Brontë's death, Keeper, becomes both bridge and barrier to other human relationships. A dog may, and in this case Keeper does, take on a comprehensive role in which he both mourns his own loss and comforts others in their collective grief.

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Animals in Psychology Education and Student Choice
Paul F. Cunningham
Rivier College


This article identifies some of the important issues that underlie student-teacher conflicts regarding animal experimentation and dissection in psychology education. Understanding the reasons why students object to animal laboratories, why some teachers may refuse students access to non-animal alternatives, and why other teachers support student choice is an important first step in resolving student-teacher disputes regarding the use of animals in the psychology classroom. The article discusses why establishing an openly declared student choice policy at schools that use animals in psychology education is a reasonable thing to do and describes how a student choice policy works in practice.

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Electronically Available Surveys of Attitudes Toward Animals
Harold A. Herzog
Lorna B. Dorr
Western Carolina University


Much of the research on attitudes toward non-human species has been conducted with non-representative samples. Largely ignored in the literature on human/animal interactions are surveys conducted by commercial polling organizations using large probability samples of Americans. Many of these surveys contain information relevant to attitudes about animals and animal welfare issues. Much of this information is available to researchers electronically at little or no cost through organizations such as the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research and the National Opinion Research Center.

 

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