Intro and Development and Domestication of Companion Animals

What is a companion animal?

It is more descriptive than a pet and it is not necessarily the same thing as a domesticated animal. It is different from livestock or wild animals because those do not provide companion, typically.

What do pets give?

Affection, Enjoyment, Companionship, distraction to the lives of owners

What benefits do pet guardianship provide?

therapeutic, psychological, physiological, psychosocial

Why are dogs and cats good companions?

inherent ability to provide love reassurance without complaining, people feel needed, contact, communication, attention, maintain innocent dependence, invite others

What are some health benefits of dog ownership?

less doctor visits and medication, recover faster from illnesses and higher survival rates after a heart attack, miss fewer days of school, children with chronic illness cope better, sense of emotional wellbeing

What is health?

a state of complete physical, mental, and social well being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity (WHO, 1948)

Where is the word pet from?

french for petit “small”, also spoiled children, runts

What does com panis mean?

Com means with and pani means bread and eludes to us being responsible for their care

What is the definition of CA?

either a domestic or tame animal used for companionship and roles in society and could be any species or value

What played a critical role in the development of human civilization?

domestication

What were animals used for?

food, fiber, power

What did domestication allow for humans?

focus more on crafts, science, social structures and divorce from hunter gatherer lifestyle

What percent of households have a pet?

66 percent

How many dogs are owned in the US?

65.1 million

How many cats are owned in the US?

46.5 million

What does pet expenditures include?

food, supplies, over the counter medicine, veterinary care, live animal purchases, grooming and boarding

What was the expenditure for 2024?

150.6 billion

What are the majority of dog/cat expenses?

boarding/kennel, food, veterinarian visits

What is the trend of pets in the workplace?

8% in 2014 to 11%

What percent of dog and cat owners have tracking devices?

50% of dog owners and 25% cat owners

What percent of dog owners have pet health insurance?

10% of dogs owners (9 million dogs)

What is the APPA?

American Pet Product Association

What category of expenditures has exploded?

Food, kennel, vitamins, groomers

What is a driving factor for the pet industry?

anthropomorphism

What is anthropomorphism?

feeding pets as they do themselves, giving pets vitamins/supplements, purchasing treats

What have most millennials do?

pay for pet service, pet-friendly restaurant, take dogs on errands or park, designer items, hold parties, buy gifts

What are the feelings about pet insurance?

mixed feelings doesn’t really affect clinics, most holders pay clinice and then get reimbursed so different than human, but overall good

What is domestication?

it is a sustained multigenerational adaption thats species wide process and its over one generation it takes lot of time and there are big differences between domesticated and wild animals

What the things that are manipulated by humans in domestic species?

Behaviors, feeding, biological requirements, genetics through selective breeding

Who used war dogs?

the Spanish explorers, as protection and to attack indigenous people

Who kept dogs?

native americans

Who kept hounds?

Egyptian Pharoahs

Who kept greyhounds?

Alexander the Great went into battle for his Peritas.

Who loved small spaniels?

King Charles II, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels

What are key elements in the domestication process?

Domesticated populations show a range in phenotypes, enhancement of the reproductive potential

What are feral individuals?

domestic animals that have escaped capture or returned to free-living

What is the most diverse single species on the planet?

dogs

When did the domestic dog become reclassified as a subspecies of wolf (Canis lupus familiaris)?

1993; based on similar genetic, morphologic and behavioral traits (Wozencraft)

What did the analysis of mitochondrial DNA show in relation to dogs?

That dogs and wolves are more similar than canids and dogs

When is it believed that the dog-wolf separation happened?

135,000 years ago roughly

When did true domestication of dogs happen?

15,000 years ago

When was there evidence of domestic dogs in the New World?

8-9000 years ago from the Old World (Asia)

When did evidence begin that dogs were being used for specific purposes?

5-6000 years ago

What were the earliest dogs similar to and used for?

used for hunting; Saluki (sighthound)

What was the second dog breed developed?

Mastiffs, from the mediterranean used as guards, warfare, and hunting

What group of people had a variety of sighthounds?

Egyptians, memorialized in art and religion and god

What dog was derived from mastiffs?

scent hounds, light popular with Greeks and Romans

When were a handful of breeds identified?

15th century

When was the term fancy used?

18th century dog competitions, refinement of pure breeds

When did the Westminster Kennel Club hold its first show?

In New York 1877

When was the American Kennel Club (AKC) formed?

1884, written standards, registered individuals

When was the domestication of cats?

4000 years ago in Egypt

What is the scientific name for the domestic cat?

Felis catus

Why was the Middle Ages a bad time for cats?

Linked to witchcraft and demons in black cats

When was the first cat show?

NYC 1895

What was established to maintain national register of cats?

National Cat Club (NCC)

What is the cat verse of the AKC?

Cat Fancier’s Association (CFA)

What was the first breed of cat to develop in the US?

Maine Coon

What breed developed in the 1920s from a mix between a persian and siamese?

Hiimalayan

When did the evolution of the modern horse begin?

54 million years ago

What is a common ancestor of the horse about the size of a fox, with four front toes and 3 hind toes?

Eohippus

What is a common ancestor of the horse larger than the Eohippus with 3 front toes and an enlarged middle toe?

Mesohippus

What is a monodactyl?

only having one toe, a true hoof

What is the order of evolution for horses?

Hyracotherium, Mesohippus, Merychippus, Pliohippus, Hipparion

What are the years for Eohippus, Mesohippus, Merychippus, Equus?

50 mya, 35 mya, 26 mya, 3 mya

Where did domestication of horses begin?

Asia as a food source

When did riding becoming common?

3000 years ago

When were the New World horses, ancestors of mustangs introduced?

1500 Coronado, 150 horses

What did early americans use horses for?

laborers on farms, essential to agriculture

What are some important features of ferret domestication?

Descendants of European polecat, in Mediterranean region by Romans 3000 years ago to hunt rodents/rabbits, brought to New World in 1700s, 1970s became popular pets, but banned in some areas of US (CA, NY)

What are some important features of rabbit domestication?

Originated in Europe, in the Middle Ages, food source, raised for fur, 1950s popular pets in US,

When were gerbils brought to the US?

1950s for research

Where were hamsters from?

Syria

What is the most popular model in biomedical research?

Brown Norway rats

What is the human animal bond?

a mutually beneficial and dynamic relationship between people and animals, and influenced by behaviors essential to health and well being of both

What is a veterinarian’s role in the human-animal bond?

maximize the potentials of this relationship between people and animals

What does the AVMA official recognize?

existence of human animal bond and its importance, has existed for thousands of years, that human animal bond has major significance for veterinary medicine because veterinary medicine serves society

When were AAT first used?

by the US Army in convalescent centers during WWII, like pet-facilitated therapy, animal mediated therapy, animal oriented psychotherapy

Is anthropomorphism a good or bad thing?

it isn’t really good or bad its just something to be mindful of