Dog Breeding in New Providence,The Bahamas,and Its Potential Impact on the Roaming Dog Population I: Planned and Accidental

This article reports the first known study on dog breeding in an Afro-Caribbean community. The study obtained the information on 517 matings through interviews with dog caregivers. Few litters (6.8%) from mongrels (potcakes) resulted from planned matings, whereas 66.5% of matings between purebred dogs were planned. Confinement of the female is often inadequate, and roaming dogs may have been responsible for 24.8% of the litters. The lack of confinement of potcakes has resulted in the perception that potcakes are “responsible” for the companion animal (pet) overpopulation problem; however, potcakes made up the minority (29.4%) of the breeding females. Until regulations concerning dog breeding are introduced, caregivers can be expected to continue exploiting their nonhuman animals to supplement their incomes from the sale of puppies. A consequence of unregulated breeding may also be inbred offspring of “purebred” dogs as few self-styled “professional” breeders appeared to use dogs who were not their own.     

For the Love of Dog: The Human–Dog Bond in Rural and Remote Australian Indigenous Communities

ABSTRACT

The nature of the human–animal bond in contemporary Australian Indigenous communities is little researched, but it is essential to understand this bond in order to develop much needed appropriate animal health and management practices. A semi-structured interview format was used to elicit information on attitudes to dogs in seven Australian Indigenous communities. This explored the importance of dogs to the community and to the individual, and the balance between the positives and negatives of having dogs in the communities, with particular reference to improving dog and community health and welfare. Theme analysis of the semi-structured interview responses (n = 137) revealed a variety of attitudes to dogs within the communities. A strong theme was the importance of dogs at a community level. Many of the reasons given for the importance of dogs in the community were based on traditional cultural values or beliefs. These included dogs being necessary to guard people at night from spirits, and as part of the kin system. Further, the cultural practice of “pay-back” for wrong-doing included wrong-doing directed at dogs in all communities, even the most westernized. Occurring simultaneously with these positive attitudes, the poor health and overpopulation of dogs in the community was acknowledged and the negative effects on people's lives recognized. However, the value of the dogs to the community meant that shooting dogs without consent or poisoning them were not seen as appropriate solutions to overpopulation. Many people were prepared to euthanize some of their dogs (via an overdose of barbiturate) or have them undergo sterilization surgery. Thus, contrary to appearances from a Western perspective, the traditional Indigenous human–dog bond was found to be strong, and thus must be taken into account in developing appropriate and sustainable animal health and management practices.     

The Responsible Dog Owner: The Construction of Responsibility

ABSTRACT

Policy and campaigning messages related to dog ownership and welfare center on the concept of responsible ownership. However, the perspectives and experiences of pet owners and how they perceive and perform their responsibilities has not been studied in depth. This qualitative study used conversations about owning and walking dogs in order to elucidate beliefs and views about responsibility in dog ownership. Data comprised 12 in-depth interviews with dog-owning households, 14 short interviews with dog owners while walking their dogs or representing their breed at a dog show, and autoethnography of the first author’s experiences owning and walking dogs. All participants considered themselves responsible dog owners, yet there was great variation in key aspects of their dog-owning behavior. The feelings of responsibility were rooted in the valued unconditional and reciprocal love that owners believed underpinned their human–dog bond. Dogs were described as dependents, similar to, but different from, children. In deciding how to look after their dogs, owners sought to balance their views of dogs as kin, having individual needs to be met, with consideration of the needs of others. Four processes through which issues of irresponsible dog ownership may arise were suggested: owner–dog relationship being too weak or too strong; differences in interpretation of what is best for the dog; difficulties predicting and avoiding situations of conflict; and differences in tolerance of negative impacts of dog ownership. While “responsible dog ownership” has considerable appeal as a concept, how it is perceived and interpreted varies so extensively that simply telling owners that they should “be responsible” is of limited use as a message to promote behavior change. Facilitating “responsible dog ownership” and reducing “irresponsible dog owner” behaviors relies on a detailed understanding of the variables which influence how the dog’s role is constructed within the family and the wider society.     

Bangladeshi migrant associations in Italy: transnational engagement,community formation and regional unity

Referring to the case studies of two cities in Northern Italy, this article seeks to understand how Bangladeshi migrants use associations to seek transnational “ways of belonging” and “ways of being”. It analyses how this transnational attachment to their home country has played an important role in building their own “community”. The findings reveal that Bangladeshi migrant organizations work to maintain “transnational ways of belonging” by enabling migrants to retain their cultural roots; this is reflected in their observation of festivals, national days, and other practices and rituals. Although, as a relatively new migrant community, they do not share as many economic links through these associations as many other “diasporic” organizations, migrants widely express a sense that these economic connections are with their country of origin. However, there is competition within the community based on regional origin, as well as have many ambivalences and contradictions.     

Reactions of American tourists to roaming dogs in New Providence,The Bahamas

Abstract

The Bahamas suffers from nuisances caused by roaming dogs. Although Bahamians tolerate their presence, in an economy which is dependent upon tourism, the reactions of tourists to roaming dogs is of great consequence. This study reports the reactions of 439 American tourists concerning roaming dogs in New Providence. Forty-five percent of the tourists saw roaming dogs, and of these, 40% reported that they felt “no reaction” to the dogs. However, 3% of the tourists were actually bothered by the dogs, and for 8% the sight of them changed the tourists' view of The Bahamas. Ten percent of tourists would not like to see animal control officers at work even though 23% thought The Bahamas has a roaming dog “problem.” Overall, it appears that while roaming dogs are seen by many tourists, only a small number are particularly upset by them. However, the general reaction to the dogs is unfavorable. About 1% of the tourists appeared to have been particularly upset by the roaming dogs, but 97% said that they would either return to the Bahamas again or recommend it to their friends/relations.     

Review of the September 30, 2002 Symposium on the "Evolving Legal Status of Chimpanzees"-Harvard Law School

A survey was conducted to assess decisions people make when acquiring dogs, including what sources they consider, the importance of the variety of dogs available, and their willingness to travel to adopt dogs of their choice. A conjoint design was used to ask each respondent to rate his or her likelihood of acquiring a dog based on a “profile” that included attributes such as age, size, and color as well as where the dog came from and euthanasia risk. Overall, these results showed that people preferred variety and would drive distances to get dogs of their choice. The findings revealed that no single attribute drove choice, indicating that people have complex preferences and these vary widely across individuals. Nonhuman animal shelters may be able to increase their adoption rates by providing more variety and not just dogs typically thought of as “in demand” but those who represent a range of diversity through the utilization of animal relocation programs.     

Dog Breeding in New Providence,The Bahamas,and Its Potential Impact on the Roaming Dog Population II: The Fate of Puppies

This article reports the first known study on the disposal of puppies in an Afro-Caribbean community. The study reported the fate of 2,427 puppies through 517 interviews with dog caregivers. The study reported that surviving puppies from “pure-bred” females were typically sold (60.1% of surviving puppies) whereas those from mongrel (potcakes) mothers were given away (48.4%). Pure-bred mothers produced the majority of surviving puppies (55.8%). Some caregivers failed to appreciate that the “stray dog problem” resulted from the inappropriate care of their dogs and disposal of puppies. Overall, the unstructured relinquishment (giving away) of puppies (22.7% of surviving puppies) could contribute to the roaming dog population unless they are cared for responsibly.     

Characterizing the Data in Online Companion-dog Obituaries to Assess Their Usefulness as a Source of Information about Human–Animal Bonds

Online pet obituary sites host hundreds of obituaries regarding the passing of companion animals. Often composed by the owner or primary caretaker of the animal, they are a potential source of data about human–animal bonds where there were strong positive human emotions surrounding the animal at point of death. The aim of the present study was to characterize on-line pet obituaries and to evaluate their usefulness as a source of information on the human–animal bond. One hundred and thirty full obituaries of dogs were studied. Where the role of the writer could be identified, the majority of obituary writers identified themselves as a female parental figure to the dog (34.6%); however, obituaries were also written by male parental figures (7.7%) and children (5.4%). Most obituaries (60%) fell within the 100-400 words length range. Obituaries were seen to express several key concepts. For instance, dogs were described as “child-like,” “part of the family,” showing “sympathy” and/or “gratitude” to the owner, and having a “sense of humor.” For their part, writers expressed “guilt” over the dog’s death, discussed a concept of the “afterlife” and noted an “instant connection” between themselves and the dog. A high proportion of the obituaries discussed the afterlife (51%) and indicated that the dog was considered part of the family (49%). There were some significant associations between concept usage within obituaries. Dogs that were described as “child-like” were more often perceived to be in an “afterlife” and to have had an “instant connection” with obituary writers (x² = 38.08, p < 0.001). We conclude that online pet obituaries can be a valuable source of information on human feelings surrounding a companion animal death.     

The Authentic (In)Authentic: Bushman Anthro‐Tourism

Focusing on tourism ventures that market contact with so‐called bushmen, this paper examines some of the current dynamics and consequences of cultural tourism in Namibia, where the Government has instituted a series of progressive policies to promote local control over tourism development. While notions of primitive cultural otherness continue to feature centrally in tourist demand for contact with “bushmen,” the community‐based and collaborative tourism’ ventures currently being developed in Namibia teach tourists to see their “bushman” hosts as modernizing producers of tourism in their own right, and not just as objects of touristic commodification. Drawing from the anthropological literature on tourism and authenticity, and on the work of Slavoj Zizek on the workings of modern ideology, we argue that such ventures encourage tourists to practise a sort of “meta‐tourism,” in which the authenticity of “traditional bushmen” is replaced by the meta‐authenticity of a tourism experience that thematizes its own effects on the lives of those being visited. For the “bushman” participants in such ventures, we contend, the financial and political benefits of tourism, substantial as they can sometimes be, are ultimately offset by the developmentalist underpinnings of meta‐tourist discourse, which casts “bushmen” as forever not‐quite‐yet fully modern, in perpetual contrast to the tourists who visit them.     

Perceptions of Dogs in the Workplace: The Pros and the Cons

With growing interest in the value of animal companionship to human health, and increasing business awareness of promoting work-based health innovations and improving employees’ feelings of support, there has been a rise in interest about allowing dogs in the workplace (e.g., “Take your dog to work day” initiative; Pet Sitters International, 2015). However, there is little scientific literature about the advantages or disadvantages of such practice to support decision makers. We report the results of an internationally promoted survey to assess perceptions of dogs in the workplace, promoted through a “Take your dog to work” initiative. Responses to four open-ended questions were analyzed for themes across 776 participants. Common barriers to allowing dogs at work included the suitability of the working environment (44%) and health and safety concerns (31.3%). Where dogs were permitted in the workplace, there appeared to be little regulation of this, with few formal policies in place (63.8% had no guidelines/policies). The majority of those surveyed believed their colleagues had no concerns about having dogs at work (63.3%); the main potential problems that were recognized included a dislike of dogs (16.7%) and cleanliness issues (6.7%). Respondents made generally positive comments about having dogs at work (43.1%), referring to specific benefits including increased social interactions and reduced stress and improved atmosphere of the office. The implications of these findings are discussed for businesses and the development of “dog in the workplace” policies.     

Owner Attachment and Problem Behaviors Related to Relinquishment and Training Techniques of Dogs

Problematic behaviors are a significant reason for relinquishment, and relinquished dogs are more likely to have problem behaviors. This study utilized standardized surveys of owners (companion animal guardians) relinquishing their dogs to shelters and dog owners visiting vaccination clinics. “Relinquishing” and “continuing” owners were asked questions in the following categories: demographic information, training methods and tools, frequencies in which their dogs engaged in problematic behaviors, and attachment to their dogs. “Relinquishers” were also asked to provide their reasons for relinquishment. The results of 129 surveys (80 relinquishing and 49 continuing) showed that relinquishers scored lower on companion animal attachment than continuing owners. Pit bull-type dogs were represented more in the relinquishing group. Relinquished dogs were no less likely to have attended training classes than continuing dogs. In both groups, owners who used punishment-based collars reported less satisfaction with their dogs' overall and leash-walking behaviors. Pit bull-type dogs were reported to be no less well behaved compared with all other breeds combined. Sixty-five percent of relinquishers reported some behavioral reason for relinquishment. Forty-eight percent of relinquishers indicated that at least 1 problem behavior was a strong influence on their decision to relinquish.     

The Rise of Man's Best Friend: The Popularity of Dogs as Companion Animals in Late Eighteenth-Century London as Reflected by the Dog Tax of 1796

ABSTRACT

The history of the relationship between humans and their companion animals is long and more than a little complex. This is in large part due to the special status of these animals. Over the years these animals have evolved socially from that of an impersonal “object” to a “subject,” i.e. a sentient being with a recognized mental and emotional life. Histories of this change in relationship are rare. This is due mainly to a lack of source material; little is available and what there is is rarely reflective of a general population. Recently, records of a 1796 English dog tax have become available and they provide a fairly complete overview of the status of the dog as a companion animal in late eighteenth-century London.

The evidence indicates the dog was very popular as a companion animal in late eighteenth-century English urban society. While some of these creatures were former working-class canines others were what might be described as “professional companion animals” i.e. creatures who had no previous work history. The tax records further indicate that concern as to specific breed was still in the future. Dogs often received a generic title such as “yard dog” or “lapdog” or “housedog.” What is particularly interesting from these records is the number of mixed breed creatures—animals with the title of either “mongrel” or “curr.” (At least three Londoners kept foxes as pets.) There is also an almost total absence of kennels of hunting dogs in eighteenth-century London. Other historical records suggest this to be a recent phenomenon. Lastly, this outline appears to correlate strongly with the literary remarks, material accoutrements, and even religious practices of the late eighteenth-century urban dog population of England.     

Culturally Situated Design Tools: Ethnocomputing from Field Site to Classroom

Ethnomathematics is the study of mathematical ideas and practices situated in their cultural context. Culturally Situated Design Tools (CSDTs) are web-based software applications that allow students to create simulations of cultural arts—Native American beadwork, African American cornrow hairstyles, urban graffiti, and so forth—using these underlying mathematical principles. This article is a review of the anthropological issues raised in the CSDT project: negotiating the representations of cultural knowledge during the design process with community members, negotiating pedagogical features with math teachers and their students, and reflecting on the software development itself as a cultural construction. The move from ethnomathematics to ethnocomputing results in an expressive computational medium that affords new opportunities to explore the relationships between youth identity and culture, the cultural construction of mathematics and computing, and the formation of cultural and technological hybridity.     

The Effect of Familiarity on Behavior of Kenneled Dogs During Interactions With Conspecifics

Kenneled environments often prevent direct physical contact between dogs, potentially causing stress, and so it has been recommended that such contact should be provided. This study examined the effect of familiarity on the behavior of dogs during off-lead interaction. Kenneled dogs (3 breeds) were given 15-min off-lead interactions with a familiar dog and an unfamiliar dog; the behavior of the focal dog and the distance between the dogs were recorded. More time in contact and interaction behaviors were recorded at 0 to 3 min with unfamiliar dogs than with familiar dogs. At 9 to 12 min, familiar pairs spent more time within 5 body lengths and more time being followed than unfamiliar pairs, who spent more time at more than 5 body lengths apart. This suggests that the initial interaction is more important when dogs are unfamiliar, but once this “greeting” has occurred, unfamiliar pairs are more likely to investigate their surroundings independently rather than together. Breed differences were observed only at 0 to 3 min. The study suggests that familiarity should be taken into account when assessing the effectiveness of conspecific contact as a potential enrichment for kennel-housed dogs.     

Are Dogs Children,Companions, or Just Animals? Understanding Variations in People's Orientations toward Animals

ABSTRACT

This paper examines the variations in dog owners' attitudes toward, treatment of, and interactions with, animals. Based on 28 in-depth interviews with dog owners from a county in the Midwestern United States, I demonstrate that pets are an important part of many people's lives, often providing companionship, entertainment, and meaningful interactions; however, there are notable, distinct variations in how people relate to them. Pet owners typically exhibit one of three orientations toward pets: “dominionistic,” “humanistic,” or “protectionistic.” The dominionistic have relatively low regard for their pets, valuing them primarily for the uses they provide, such as protection. Those employing the humanistic orientation elevate their pets to the status of surrogate humans and value their pets primarily for the affective benefits they enjoy from their close attachments. The protectionistic have high regard for both pets and animals more generally. They view pets as valuable companions and as creatures with their own interests. This typology offers insights for understanding the source and variety of the often ambiguous and contradictory relations between people and pets. I argue that individual characteristics and experiences impact how people understand and relate to animals, in large part, because they represent exposure to different cultural messages. I suggest that these orientations represent three sets of distinct cultural logics, each with distinct histories and contemporary sources.     

Knowledge of the Welfare of Nonhuman Animals and Prevalence of Dog Care Practices in New Providence,The Bahamas

Interviews with 509 adults in New Providence, The Bahamas, indicated that people have limited knowledge of dog care and the laws pertaining to nonhuman animal welfare. Interviews also indicated that many dogs received care limited only to food and water and—to a lesser extent—shelter. Potcakes (local mongrels) received the least health care; “breed” dogs, the most. Primary caregivers gave the impression that dogs were better cared for than did nonprimary caregivers. Although some educational messages must distinguish between those who do—and do not—live in dog-keeping households, others need not. For example, myths associated with neutering are more deeply entrenched in the general population than within members of dog-keeping households. However, all respondents had an inadequate knowledge of the law relating to dog care.     

Genes, language, cognition, and culture: towards productive inquiry

The Queen Mary conference on “Integrating Genetic and Cultural Evolutionary Approaches to Language,” and the papers in this special issue, clearly illustrate the excitement and potential of trans-disciplinary approaches to language as an evolved biological capacity (phylogeny) and an evolving cultural entity (glossogeny). Excepting the present author, the presenters/authors are mostly young rising stars in their respective fields, and include scientists with backgrounds in linguistics, animal communication, neuroscience, evolutionary biology, anthropology, and computer science. On display was a clear willingness to engage with different approaches and terminology and a commitment to shared standards of scientific rigor, empirically driven theory, and logical argument. Because the papers assembled here, together with the introduction, speak for themselves, I will focus in this “extro-duction” on some of the terminological and conceptual difficulties which threaten to block this exciting wave of scientific progress in understanding language evolution, in both senses of that term. In particular I will first argue against the regrettably widespread practice of opposing cultural and genetic explanations of human cognition as if they were dichotomous. Second, I will unpack the debate concerning “general-purpose” and “domain-specific” mechanisms, which masquerades as a debate about nativism but is nothing of the sort. I believe that framing discussions of language in these terms has generated more heat than light, and that a modern molecular understanding of genes, development, behavior, and evolution renders many of the assumptions underlying this debate invalid.     

Maternal feeding strategies, child eating behaviors, and child BMI in low-income African-American preschoolers

Objective: To test the hypothesis that low‐income African‐American preschool children would have a higher BMI if their mothers reported greater “restriction” and “control” in feeding and if mothers reported that children showed greater “food responsiveness” and “desire to drink.” In addition, to test whether higher maternal “pressure to eat” would be associated with lower child BMI. Research Methods and Procedures: A questionnaire was completed by 296 low‐income African‐American mothers of preschool children. It assessed three constructs on maternal feeding strategies (“restriction,” “pressure to eat,” and “control”) and two on child eating behaviors (“food responsiveness” and “desire to drink”). Children's BMI was measured, and mothers’ BMI was self‐reported. Results: The mean (standard deviation) BMI z‐score of the children was 0.34 (1.5), and 44% of the mothers were obese (BMI ≥30 kg/m²). Only maternal “pressure to eat” had a significant overall association with child BMI z‐score (r = ?0.16, p < 0.01). Both maternal “restriction” and “control” were positively associated with children's BMI z‐score in the case of obese mothers (r = 0.20, p = 0.03 and r = 0.24, p = 0.007, respectively), but this was not so in the case of non‐obese mothers (r = ?0.16, p = 0.05 and r = ?0.07, p = 0.39, respectively). Discussion: Among low‐income African Americans, the positive association between maternal restriction and control in feeding and their preschoolers’ BMI was limited to obese mothers. Relations between parent feeding strategies and child weight status in this population may differ on the basis of maternal weight status.     

Preference for,and Responsiveness to,People, Dogs and Objects in Children with Autism

ABSTRACT

Autism strongly affects the ability to establish social interactions. However, there is some suggestion that people with autism establish close social relationships with nonverbal communicating and intentionally acting animals (such as dogs). In this study, 14 children with autism (3 females, 11 males; mean age = 11.4 years) were observed when given the choice to interact with a person, dog (certified therapy dog) or objects (e.g., toys). The children interacted most frequently and for longest with the dog, followed by the person and then the objects. We suggest that animals, specifically dogs, communicate their intentions in a way more readily understandable to people with autism. We also suggest that autism affects predominantly interpersonal interactions.     

Using multiple markers to elucidate the ancient,historical and modern relationships among North American Arctic dog breeds

Throughout most of the Americas, post-colonial dogs largely erased the genetic signatures of pre-historical dogs. However, the North American Arctic harbors dogs that are potentially descended from pre-historical ancestors, as well as those affected by post-colonial translocations and admixtures. In particular, Inuit dogs from Canada and Greenland are thought to descend from dogs associated with Thule peoples, who relied on them for transportation ca. 1000 years ago. Whether Thule dogs reflected an earlier colonization by Paleoeskimo dogs ca. 4500 years ago is unknown. During the Alaskan Gold Rush, additional sled dogs, possibly of post-colonial derivation, the Alaskan Husky, Malamute and Siberian Husky, were used in the Arctic. The genealogical relationships among and origins of these breeds are unknown. Here we use autosomal, paternal and maternal DNA markers to (1) test the hypothesis that Inuit dogs have retained their indigenous ancestry, (2) characterize their relationship to one another and to other Arctic breeds, and (3) estimate the age of North American indigenous matrilines and patrilines. On the basis of the agreement of all three markers we determined that Inuit dogs have maintained their indigenous nature, and that they likely derive from Thule dogs. In addition, we provide support for previous research that the Inuit dogs from Canada and Greenland dog should not be distinguished as two breeds. The Alaskan Husky displayed evidence of European introgression, in contrast to the Malamute and Siberian Husky, which appear to have maintained most of their ancient Siberian ancestry.