"A first-of-its kind, in-depth investigation into how companion animals and their humans have carved out a new type of family - the multi-species family - in which identities like parent, child, grandparent, and sibling transcend species to create new forms of kinship"--

Entertaining and informative, Pets in America is a portrait of Americans' relationships with the cats, dogs, birds, fishes, rodents, and other animals we call our own. More than 60 percent of U.S. households have pets, and America grows more pet-friendly every day. But as Katherine C. Grier demonstrates, the ways we talk about and treat our pets--as companions, as children, and as objects of beauty, status, or pleasure--have their origins long ago. Grier begins with a natural history of animals as pets, then discusses the changing role of pets in family life, new standards of animal welfare, the problems presented by borderline cases such as livestock pets, and the marketing of both animals and pet products. She focuses particularly on the period between 1840 and 1940, when the emotional, behavioral, and commercial characteristics of contemporary pet keeping were established. The story is filled with the warmth and humor of anecdotes from period diaries, letters, catalogs, and newspapers. Filled with illustrations reflecting the whimsy, the devotion, and the commerce that have shaped centuries of American pet keeping, Pets in America ultimately shows how the history of pets has evolved alongside changing ideas about human nature, child development, and community life. This book accompanies a museum exhibit, "Pets in America," which opens at the McKissick Museum in Columbia, South Carolina, in December 2005 and will travel to five other cities from May 2006 through May 2008.

Ever since her parents died on her fifth birthday, Thomasina has been daydreaming that something amazing will happen in her life to make up for everything she's been through. After turning sixteen, Thomasina begins to accept that her life will remain unremarkable... but when she wakes up one morning to discover that her foster family has been turned into pet animals, her ordinary life will turn into an extraordinary adventure!

Parenting with Pets offers insight into the magic of raising children with animals. It also highlights the learning opportunities that pets bring to the family. Written by Christine Hamer and Margaret Hevel, this mother and daughter team share their invaluable advice with readers on how pets enrich the relationship between parent and child, and how a pet's nonjudgmental companionship can restore balance in the whole family. For the pet professional, Parenting with Pets offers techniques to help parents cope with raising children and pets together. This book will complement a trainer or behavior consultants family plan, reinforcing the value of incorporating the pet into the family system. Parents will appreciate the many examples of challenging life lessons where our pets can be the most effective teachers for our children. Fascinating and informative, Parenting with Pets is an essential guide for those interested in raising compassionate, responsible and thoughtful children.

Explains how dogs and cats communicate with their tails, ears, facial expressions, voices, and posture, and helps pet owners end destructive behavior and develop a mutual relationship.

Written by pet-lovers for pet-lovers, this engaging book tells you how to care for, clean, train, and entertain all sorts of animals, from canine to reptile. The Total Care Guide For All the Pets in Your Life features the same kind of practical advice, first-person stories from the experts, and amazing anecdotes from pet owners as the new public television series, featuring Gary Burghoff (Radar O'Reilly of M*A*S*H). The content is comprehensive, directed to pet owners who have (or are fascinated by) more than one animal. The information is authoritative, drawing on the wisdom of the nation's top veterinarians, trainers, and behaviorists. Fascinating sidebars include pet owners' personal stories and intriguing anecdotes from veterinarians. Dogs, cats, ferrets, snakes, birds, hamsters, rabbits, and other pets both popular and obscure are included in this comprehensive guide. A wide range of topics is covered, from health care to behavior issues. Each chapter is packed with practical, easy-to-follow advice, useful tips, and quick solutions. Fun-loving, browsable, and entirely trustworthy, this rollicking reference both informs and celebrates what it means to live with, love, and care for your pets.

“A thoughtful book” about how to ensure that the animals we love benefit from the relationship as much as we do (Kirkus Reviews). We feel love for our companions, and happiness that we’re providing them with a safe, healthy life. But sometimes we also feel guilt. When we see our cats gazing wistfully out the window, or watch a goldfish swim lazy circles in a bowl, we can’t help but wonder: Are we doing the right thing, keeping these independent beings locked up, subject to our control? Is keeping pets actually good for the pets themselves? That’s the question that animates Jessica Pierce’s powerful Run, Spot, Run. A bioethicist and a lover of pets herself (including, over the years, dogs, cats, fish, rats, hermit crabs, and more), Pierce explores the ambiguous ethics at the heart of this relationship, and through a mix of personal stories, philosophical reflections, and scientifically informed analyses of animal behavior and natural history, she puts pet-keeping to the test. Is it ethical to keep pets at all? Are some species more suited to the relationship than others? Are there species one should never attempt to own? And are there ways that we can improve our pets’ lives, so that we can be confident that we are giving them as much as they give us? “With gentle humor, clear compelling language, and always in search of the physically and emotionally healthiest lives possible for our animal companions, Run, Spot, Run moved me all the more because it’s written from the inside looking out. Pierce herself lives with three pets and understands the deep urge so many of us feel to connect across species lines.”—Barbara King, author of How Animals Grieve

In a book that draws on both personal stories and research presents an in-depth exploration of the practical, medical and moral issues that trouble pet owners confronted with the decline and death of their companion animals.

A pet-lover and award-winning journalist traces the history of cats and dogs and the changing social attitudes that transformed these furry creatures from pests and hunting tools in the middle ages to their current status as beloved family members. 30,000 first printing.

This book provides data and analyses of pet ownership statistics in the United States.