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Our relationship with companion animals can be dated back as far as 130,000 years. Australia has one of the highest incidences of pet ownership in the world, with approximately two thirds of households owning a companion animal. With recent changes in companion animal legislation it is more important then ever to understand our relationship with companion animals:
- What exactly is the nature of our relationship with
companion animals?
- Why are pets so important to so many people?
- What can we do to promote companion animal relationships that are beneficial for both humans and animals?
Our research program, initiated by Dr Pauleen Bennett, and associated with the Animal Welfare Science Centre, covers a broad range of topics relating to human-animal relationships.
- Shelter Research Newsletter - Issue 1
- Shelter Research Newsletter - Issue 2
- Shelter Research Newsletter - Issue 3
Our relationship with companion animals represents one aspect of our relationship with nature. Our research group studies these human-animal relationships to gain a deeper understanding of the relationship people have with nature, the environment and the planet we inhabit.
Postgraduate and Honours projects are available in a wide range of topics within these areas
Our aim:
Our aim is to extend psychological theories and methodology in understanding human-animal interactions. Specifically, we wish to gain an in-depth understanding of the attributes of the human-animal relationship, identifying both positive and negative effects of the relationship on humans and animals. We also aim to gain a better understanding of people's relationship with nature by studying human-animal interactions.
Research Areas:
Our research can broadly be categorised into five main areas;
Behaviour: Understanding how humans can either directly or indirectly influence the behaviour of their companion animals.
Public perceptions: What effects do public perceptions have on the welfare of companion animals and how they are treated?
Welfare: Identifying the role owners play in determining the welfare of their animals as well as understanding the effects an animal's welfare might have on their owner.
The human-animal bond: Gaining a better understanding of the human-animal bond from a psychological perspective and identifying costs and benefits for the animals and humans involved.
Scale development: The development of valid and reliable scales to measure a variety of components involved in human-animal interactions such as the human animal bond measured by the Monash Dog Owner Relationship Scale (MDORS)