This book approaches the question of what draws humans to keep pets from a scientific viewpoint, so if you want to read that we adopt dogs and are adopted by cats because they are warm and fuzzy, this is not the book for you. However, if you want to know why we react the way we do to animals, then by all means, give this book a gander. Author John Bradshaw goes into much detail what happens in the brain when we interact not only with animals but with human babies as well. You will likely learn more than you really care to know about humans and their pets. ( )

Readers expecting this to be one of those books that takes three hundred plus pages to basically tell us that pets make our lives better will be disappointed by this book. John Bradshaw, the foundation director of the Anthrozoology Institute at the University of Bristol, England, has spent decades studying the interrelationships between animals and humans and has read all of the claims about the magical properties of pet ownership and has discounted many of them. Anthrozoology, a term coined by Bradshaw and other members of the scientific community, is a field of study that brings together experts from a variety of fields “to study the personal relationships that people have with animals and, to a lesser extent, that animals have with people”. His strict scientific approach to the subject, while it doesn’t always tell pet owners what they want to hear, applies a level of critical analysis and skepticism that is sorely needed where scientific research is involved.

Bradshaw was not born into a pet-owning family but came into it as an adult due partially to his work and partially to his marriage to a pet person. As such he approaches the subject with a more impartial view that many authors of books about pets. He sees how many pet owners “become so fond of their animal companions that they seem willing to accept any ‘fact’ that will countermand the negative attitudes that surface in the media from time to time”. He debunks the widely held view that pet ownership makes us more empathetic by citing research that shows little evidence to show a link tying how sympathetic people are towards animals to the empathy shown to other humans. He also claims that there is insufficient evidence to support the commonly held belief about serial killers that cruelty to animals in childhood is an indicator of a progression to violence against humans later in life.

He is also reluctant to throw his endorsement behind the animal-assisted therapy movement advocates contend that “animals (especially dogs) have a magic touch with people with impaired health or well-being”. He begins the book with the story of a woman ejected from an airplane when the so-called therapy pig she smuggled onboard defecated in the aisle. He exhibited particular disdain for the use of dolphins as “cotherapists”, charging patients thousands of dollars to swim alongside the mammals:
“Dolphins supposedly do something “magical” to the water around them, lifting anyone who swims past into a euphoric state. Maybe it's the sonar they emit (the clicks dubbed into TV documentaries about cetaceans). Maybe it's their alleged ability to trigger in us a meditative state or to “synchronize” the left and right hemispheres of our brains. (Or maybe it's just fun to swim in an exotic location alongside a playful mammal.)"

He does not dispute that there are benefits to pet ownership. He acknowledges that some studies have shown that owning pets, particularly dogs, help to extend a person’s lifespan but posits that it could be the exercise of daily walks more than the presence of the animal that is making the person healthier. His main conclusion, though, appears to be that we, as social animals, crave the company of others and that we are happier when we have it even if it is just a furry lump sleeping in the couch next to you (I’m talking to you, Sheila!). While he is quick to contend that many studies lack sufficient data to support their published conclusions, he still believes in the benefits of the codependent relationship between humans and pets. One controversial question that he does believe that science has answered is the one that asks whether or not our pets actually love us. They do. According to Bradshaw, theirs is a simple sort of affection free from angst. I found this comforting, I no longer need to worry that Smudge will be traumatized when I tell Sheila that she’s my favorite dog.

Bottom line: While a bit drier than I expect, this book provided a scientific look at the relationships that exist between humans and pets dating back thousands of years to when early man first tossed a scrap of meat to a wolf lurking around the fire. I found there was a lot to learn from it.

*Quotations are cited from an advanced reading copy and may not be the same as appears in the final published edition. The review was based on an advanced reading copy obtained at no cost from the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review. While this does take any ‘not worth what I paid for it’ statements out of my review, it otherwise has no impact on the content of my review.

FYI: On a 5-point scale I assign stars based on my assessment of what the book needs in the way of improvements:
*5 Stars – Nothing at all. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
*4 Stars – It could stand for a few tweaks here and there but it’s pretty good as it is.
*3 Stars – A solid C grade. Some serious rewriting would be needed in order for this book to be considered great or memorable.
*2 Stars – This book needs a lot of work. A good start would be to change the plot, the character development, the writing style and the ending.
*1 Star – The only thing that would improve this book is a good bonfire. ( )