1. Animals in the Lives of Adolescents : A bio-centric perspective
Gail F. Melson
Purdue University

2. Incidence of Pet Ownership (US)
Over 60% of all US households include some companion animal; over 1/3 have dogs or cats

3. Demographic Profile of Pet Owners
Better than 2/3 of household of couples have dog, cats, and other small pets. Pets are very much part of the family.

4. Benefits of Owning Pets
Most people want pets for companionship and love. Most people believe pets, especially dogs and cats, enhances health and relieves stress.

5. Animals are perceived to be important for children, especially to improve health. They are the child’s best friend.

6. Animal themes in children’s art

7. Animals teach the alphabet

8. Animals help children learn to be more aware of non-verbal communication.

9. Pets facilitate child – child interaction.

10. Involvement with younger sibs

11. Children’s mean frequency of play with pets and younger siblings (n=211)
Play activity
Preschool (m=5.36 yrs.)
2nd grade (m=8.14 yrs.)
6th grade (m=12.01)
Play with pet (s)
3.80 (1.11)+
3.88 (1.03)
3.85 (1.09)
Play with younger sib
4.76 (0.44)
4.56 (0.85)
3.99 (1.07)**

12. Children’s descriptions of their relationship to their pet (Melson, et al, 1992)
Contact
“We cuddle” “I pet her”
Physical activity
“I am wild with her.”
Animal behavior
“paws, scratches,bites”
Positive evaluation
“cute tail” “acts nice”
Negative evaluation
“mean” “acts bad”
Care: feed
“We give our cat milk”
Care: other
“We keep our dog in the yard”
Positive treatment
“Be nice to dogs”

13. Maternal employment and attachment to pets

14. Are pets compensatory outlets for play?
Children without younger sibs spend more time in pet play than children with younger sibs
Boys without pets play more with non-family babies than boys with pets

15. Empathy across species, or “Feeling your pain”

16. Attachment to pets in relation to empathy and self-competence (Melson, et al, 1992)
Boys
Girls
Affective
.67***
.11
.42*
.19
Cognitive
.39*
.10
.16
.50*

17. Children’s evaluation of Canis as social companion (Melson, Kahn, Beck, Friedman & Roberts, in prep.)
% Yes
% No
Understands you 70 30
Knows how you’re feeling 76 22
Would talk to Canis
100
Would confide in Canis 84 14
Canis can be friend 97 1

18. Pets as emotional support

20. Caring for animals as nurturance development

21. Pets are part of the family.

22. Dimensions of child-animal contact
Example
Uni-directional awareness
Fish tank in doctor’s office
Bi-directional awareness
Watching TV, dog on lap
Uni-directional observation
Watching squirrel in park
Bi-directional observation
Hiker-deer mutual gaze
Observation + action
Wild bird feeding
Interaction
Stroke cat, cat purrs
Investment
Caring for pet
History
Family adopts pet from shelter

23. Animals are the predominant actors in children’s stories; they carry the message without age, ethnicity or even gender. What they say and do is all that is important.