Since the first edition of Between Pets and People in 1983, the authors' then-startling contention that pets benefit our mental and physical health has found wide acceptance. Evidence in our daily lives - in television pet food ads, in doctor's offices outfitted with aquaria - attests to how widely the belief in pets' therapeutic influence is now held. This revised edition of Between Pets and People, with additional data and case studies and expanded references - including a listing of Internet resources - and a foreword by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, analyzes the surprisingly complex relationships we have with our pets. This book contains an important lesson for everyone - to accept ourselves and others in the uncritical way that pets accept us, and come to terms with our own animal nature.

What if you could significantly improve your physical and mental health by taking a simple step thats easy, rewarding, and fun? Dr. Milena Penkowa says you can do that and more by owning a dog and yet people continue to invest time and money in costly treatments before even considering a furry friend. Dogs can stave off diseases and certain cancers, erase pain, and ease anxiety, depression, allergies, diabetes, and cardiovascular disorders. Over the long term, they can also reduce the burden of dementia, epilepsy, stroke, Parkinsons disease, schizophrenia and autism. This guidebook explains the scientifically proven benefits of dogs, and youll learn how dogs: change the human brain so it reacts and thinks differently; improve the immune system to make you more resilient than dog deprived individuals; boost and invigorate the human spirit and secure happiness; promote a life of longevity and healthiness. Stop looking for fancy remedies to physical and mental problems, and start looking for a dog wagging its tail. Tap into a natural method to survive and thrive by learning about the fascinating connections between Dogs & Human Health.

The Waltham Book of Human-Animal Interaction: Benefits and Responsibilities of Pet Ownership discusses the scientific study of the relationship between man and animals, focusing on the behavior of companion animals, and how humans and animals affect each other's behavior. This first half of this book discusses research on benefits that have been found to accumulate from associations with animals, and the role of animals in care and therapy program. The responsibilities toward the animals kept, and how to enhance their care and welfare are considered in the next chapters. The human response to pet loss is also elaborated. This publication is beneficial to veterinary students and individuals concerned with the study of human-animal interactions.

Explores our complex relationships with pets.

Learn to communicate with your dog—using their language “Good reading for dog lovers and an immensely useful manual for dog owners.”—The Washington Post An Applied Animal Behaviorist and dog trainer with more than twenty years’ experience, Dr. Patricia McConnell reveals a revolutionary new perspective on our relationship with dogs—sharing insights on how “man’s best friend” might interpret our behavior, as well as essential advice on how to interact with our four-legged friends in ways that bring out the best in them. After all, humans and dogs are two entirely different species, each shaped by its individual evolutionary heritage. Quite simply, humans are primates and dogs are canids (as are wolves, coyotes, and foxes). Since we each speak a different native tongue, a lot gets lost in the translation. This marvelous guide demonstrates how even the slightest changes in our voices and in the ways we stand can help dogs understand what we want. Inside you will discover: • How you can get your dog to come when called by acting less like a primate and more like a dog • Why the advice to “get dominance” over your dog can cause problems • Why “rough and tumble primate play” can lead to trouble—and how to play with your dog in ways that are fun and keep him out of mischief • How dogs and humans share personality types—and why most dogs want to live with benevolent leaders rather than “alpha wanna-bes!” Fascinating, insightful, and compelling, The Other End of the Leash is a book that strives to help you connect with your dog in a completely new way—so as to enrich that most rewarding of relationships.

A comprehensive, humane, and bemused tour of the dog-human relationship, Dog's Best Friend combines anecdote, research, and reportage to illuminate our complex rapport with our cherished canine companions. Tracking our national obsession with an animal that now outnumbers children in American households, Mark Derr chronicles the evolution of "the culture of the dog" from the prehistoric domestication of tamed wolves to the modern horrors of overbreeding and inbreeding. Passionate about his subject and intent on sharing his zeal, Derr defends dogs with wit and flare, producing here a quirky, informative, and fitting tribute to our love affair with canines big and small.

This anthology, from the literature of sociology and other disciplines as well, examines the various roles that animals play in human societies. It covers a full spectrum of human-animal interaction: pets and companions; animals as sources of food, clothing and labor; animals in captivity; humans and wildlife; animals as research subjects; and animals as objects of recreation and sport. "Between the Species" represents many of the leading experts in this field, including the authors, who co-edit a scholarly series on animals, society, and culture.

Proceedings of the International Conference on the Human-Companion Animal Bond, held at the University of Pennsylvania, October 5, 6, 7, 1981.