We Are Best Friends Animals In Society

Friendships between humans and non-human animals were once dismissed as sentimental anthropomorphism. After decades of research on the emotional and cognitive capacities of animals, we now recognize human–animal friendships as true reciprocal relationships. Friendships with animals have many of the same characteristics as friendships between humans. Both parties enjoy the shared presence that friendship entails along with the pleasures that come with knowing another being. Both friends develop ways of communicating apart from, or in addition to, spoken language.

Friendships between humans and non-human animals were once dismissed as sentimental anthropomorphism. After decades of research on the emotional and cognitive capacities of animals, we now recognize human-animal friendships as true reciprocal relationships. Friendships with animals have many of the same characteristics as friendships between humans. Both parties enjoy the shared presence that friendship entails along with the pleasures that come with knowing another being. Both friends develop ways of communicating apart from, or in addition to, spoken language. Having an animal as a best friend can take the form of relationship known as the "pet", but it can also take other forms. People who work with animals often characterize their non-human partners as friends. People who work with search-and-rescue dogs, herding dogs, or police dogs develop and depend on the closeness of friendship. The same holds for equestrians, as horses and riders must understand each other's bodies and movements intimately. In some situations, animals provide the sole source of affection and interaction in people's lives. Homeless people who live on the streets with animal companions experience togetherness 24/7. This book explores the various forms these friendships take. It sheds light on what these friendships mean and how they expand the interdisciplinary knowledge of the roles of animals in society.

Discover a place where every creature is safe and loved in the inspiring true story of Best Friends, the no-kill animal sanctuary in Angel Canyon, Utah. In the summer of 1982, a group of young men and women pooled every penny they had and bought three thousand acres of desert in Utah. It was to become the most famous no-kill animal sanctuary in the world—a haven for over two thousand furry and feathered friends, including: Sinjin, the badly burned black cat who survived to welcome others home; Victor, the abandoned Australian Shepherd mix who became the Godfather of dogs; Sparkles, the broken-down pack horse who comforts humans and animals; and then there’s Tyson and Tommy, two tiny black kittens who have something to teach us all . . . In Best Friends, you’ll fall in love with the animals and the people who share a special bond, whose enchanting adventures together will touch your heart with the true meaning of friendship. Includes an introduction by Mary Tyler Moore

"How do people who love animals translate that devotion into helping creatures who are not our pets? How do we express our care for animals when that means different things to omnivores and vegetarians-or, say, to hunters and non-hunters? Barbara J. King, a widely read expert on animal cognition and emotion, here guides readers through the difficult choices and deep rewards of turning empathy into action on behalf of animals. King discusses our relationship to animals in five different contexts: our homes, the wild, zoos, our food system, and research facilities such as biomedical laboratories. She offers a host of ways in which each of us can be better, and do better, for animals. Acting to improve animals' lives can, she shows, immeasurably enrich our own. True, there is also heartache and the risk of burnout from endlessness of animal rescue the dilemmas that attend it. But King's focus is on the joys. She describes the "happiness lift" that she herself has experienced joining with other activists on behalf of animals destined for slaughter or confined in sub-standard zoos-and in rescuing dozens of cats, some of whom we meet in this book. This is a book for anyone who cares for animals and wishes to do more for them, whether it's learning to live peaceably with spiders in the home or join with others to rescue our more dramatically endangered animal friends"--

“No Dog Should Die Alone” was the attention-grabbing — and heart-stirring — headline of journalist Laura T. Coffey’s TODAY show website story about photographer Lori Fusaro’s work with senior shelter pets. While generally calm, easy, and already house-trained, these animals often represent the highest-risk population at shelters. With gorgeous, joyful photographs and sweet, funny, true tales of “old dogs learning new tricks,” Coffey and Fusaro show that adopting a senior can be even more rewarding than choosing a younger dog. You’ll meet endearing elders like Marnie, the irresistible shih tzu who has posed for selfies with Tina Fey, James Franco, and Betty White; Remy, a soulful nine-year-old dog adopted by elderly nuns; George Clooney’s cocker spaniel, Einstein; and Bretagne, the last known surviving search dog from Ground Zero. They may be slower moving and a tad less exuberant than puppies, but these pooches prove that adopting a senior brings immeasurable joy, earnest devotion, and unconditional love.

In almost 40 per cent of households in North America, dogs are kept as companion animals. Dogs may be man's best friends, but what are humans to dogs? If these animals' loyalty and unconditional love have won our hearts, why do we so often view closely related wild canids, such as foxes, wolves, and coyotes, as pests, predatory killers, and demons? Re-examining the complexity and contradictions of human attitudes towards these animals, Dog's Best Friend? looks at how our relationships with canids have shaped and also been transformed by different political and economic contexts. Journeying from ancient Greek and Roman societies to Japan's Edo period to eighteenth-century England, essays explore how dogs are welcomed as family, consumed in Asian food markets, and used in Western laboratories. Contributors provide glimpses of the lives of street dogs and humans in Bali, India, Taiwan, and Turkey and illuminate historical and current interactions in Western societies. The book delves into the fantasies and fears that play out in stereotypes of coyotes and wolves, while also acknowledging that events such as the Wolf Howl in Canada's Algonquin Park indicate the emergence of new popular perspectives on canids. Questioning where canids belong, how they should be treated, and what rights they should have, Dog's Best Friend? reconsiders the concept of justice and whether it can be extended beyond the limit of the human species.

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 guide to discovering the spiritual agreements between our souls and those of our animal companions • 2021 Coalition of Visionary Resources Gold Award • Explains how animals have physical or behavioral issues to evolve their souls as well as help our soul’s evolution and release past-life karma • Describes what happens energetically and spiritually with animals in the weeks before they transition and during their passing • Includes practical instructions for identifying the different types of animal soul contracts and aligning with them to assist your shared evolutionary journey Animal lovers are extraordinary. Despite awareness that we will probably outlive our beloved pets, we are still drawn, time and time again, to the connection, joy, and unconditional love that come with sharing our lives, homes, and laps with animals. Many of us feel something deeper than just companionship with our animal friends--a heart-to-heart connection felt all the way to the soul level. Revealing the higher purpose and soul mission behind our relationships with our animal companions, Tammy Billups explores the spiritual contracts that are created when a human bonds with an animal and shows how we come into each other’s lives for a reason. Providing real-life examples, Billups explains why animals choose, at the soul level, to have certain perceived negative experiences, such as physical or behavioral issues, to evolve their souls, clear karma, and help our soul’s evolution. She shows that human and animal souls orchestrate every experience and interaction that holds potential for transformation and healing, including the final transition. She demonstrates the inner dynamics of the animal-human relationship to help animal lovers understand their soul contracts with their pets. The inspirational, real-life examples of animal-human tandem healings that Billups facilitated identify the soul contracts within each pairing that transformed feelings of grief, loss, abandonment, betrayal, trauma, abuse, and anxiety. The author reveals how animals we have previously loved and shared our lives with come back, either on the spirit level or reincarnated in a new animal form, to support us. Offering peace and hope to those who’ve lost beloved animal companions, she describes what she’s witnessed during healing sessions with animals in the weeks before they transition and during their passing. Billups also includes practical instructions for identifying different types of animal soul contracts and connecting with and enlisting the help of your light team or spirit guides. By discovering the soul agreements that underlie our animal partnerships, we can find meaning in the issues that arise with our animals and ourselves, support our souls’ mutual evolution, and allow the soul contracts to weave their spiritual magic in the animal-human relationship.