Table of Contents

1. Introduction Anthony L. Podberscek, Elizabeth Paul and James Serpell; Part I. History and Culture: 2. The social significance of pet-keeping among Amazonian Indians Philippe Erickson; 3. Motivations for pet-keeping in Ancient Greece and Rome: a preliminary survey Liliane Bodson; 4. Hunting and attachment to dogs in the Pre-modern period Sophia Menache; 5. Children, 'insects' and play in Japan Erick L. Laurent; 6. The horse bar mitzvah: a celebratory exploration of the human-animal bond Norine Dresser; 7. Creatures of the unconscious: companion animals as mediators James Serpell; Part II. The Nature of the Relationship: 8. Companion animals and human health: physical and cardiovascular influences Erika Friedmann, Sue A. Thomas and Tim Eddy; 9. Personality research on pets and their owners: conceptual issues and review Anthony Podberscek and Samuel D. Gosling; 10. Love of pets and love of people Elizabeth Paul; Part III. Pets, Families and Interactions: 11. The influence of current relationships upon pet animal acquisition Rachael M. Harker, Glyn Collis and June McNicholas; 12. Pets in the network of family relationships: an empirical study Sheila Bonas, June McNicholas and Glyn M. Collis; 13. The meaning of companion animals: qualitative analysis of the life histories of elderly cat and dog owners Marie-José Enders-Slegers; 14. Human-cat interactions: relationships with, and breed differences between, non-pedigree, Persian and Siamese cats Dennis C. Turner; Part IV. Welfare and Ethics: 15. Secondary victimization in companion animal abuse: the owner's perspective Arnold Arluke; 16. Veterinary dilemmas: ambiguity and ambivalence in human-animal interaction Joanna Swabe; 17. Rethinking bestiality: towards a concept of interspecies sexual assault Piers Beirne.