Thesis (M.A.), Psychology--University of Central Oklahoma, 2010. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 76-85).

Thesis (Th. M.)--Regent College, 2000. / Abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 125-129).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Florida State University, 2006. / Advisor: J. Anthony Stallins, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences, Dept. of Geography. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed June 7, 2006). Document formatted into pages; contains xiii, 284 pages. Includes bibliographical references.

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Dog adoption is a popular way for people to find pets in the United States. With dog adoption comes dog adoption narratives, ideologically about the dog, told by humans for humans. Dog adoption narratives, a genre of personal experience narrative, enact a series of formalized conventions that reveal societal binaries, tensions, and anxieties in the interspecies relationship. Using an interdisciplinary theoretical framework, I highlight the way these narratives are performed, organized, and interpreted. By comparing the adoption narratives of two different groups, people who regularly visit dog parks and people who do dog rehabilitation work, I argue that these narratives yield insight about the way humans perceive dogs in the United States within the context of how humans themselves want to be perceived by other humans. Dogs become a form of cultural capital and dog adoption narratives a reflection of cultural attitudes towards, and informed interactions with, the human-dog relationship.

This study is an ethnography of Oka-Soiot human-animal relations in the Eastern Saian Mountains of westernmost Buriatia in South Central Siberia. It follows ten herder-hunter households from their winter residences to their summer camps, describing their year-round relations with dogs, reindeer, horses, and wolves. Although known in Russian literature as descendants of the people who first harnessed and saddled reindeer, contemporary Soiot herder hunters have shifted their skills to other species. Yet they continue to share with their Tozhu, Tofa, and Dukha neighbours a heritage of hunting, aided by transport reindeer. Historically, all four groups engaged other species alongside reindeer to varying degree. This diversity of animals is particularly magnified in Soiot households as a result of their proximity to Buriat settler pastoralists since the 18th century. In the early 20th century Buddhist ritual practice became widespread among these settlers, affecting also Soiot cosmology. Exploring Soiot relations with 'wild' and 'domestic' animals, this thesis positions domestication as 'ongoing perspectival expansion,' experienced at the intersection of shamanist and Buddhist approaches to sentient beings. The first part of the thesis focuses on how people and animals move between perspectives associated with forest and pasture, as a strategy for life in a shared landscape. It presents the Soiot household as a mirror image of the spirit-mastered household, while contrasting it to the Eurocentric model of the domus. It then shows how interspecies collaboration within the household can lead to perspectival expansion among its members, arguing that such a perspective furthers the recognition of affordances in the landscape. This is followed by a study of shamanist and Buddhist approaches to spirit masters, presenting parallel but non-identical views of the landscape. As the perspective of animals become As the perspective of animals becomes expanded in the human household, so householders' perspectives of the landscape are expanded in their encounter with the ritual domain of Buddhism. While Buddhist ritual practice attempts to domesticate spirit masters, it remains vital to Soiot hunters that the domestication of spirit masters remain incomplete, and that reciprocal relations with spirit households are maintained. Part two focuses on proximity between species, introducing dog-human and reindeer human collaborations. It examines the autonomy of dogs as hunters in their own right, and looks at evolving reindeer herd dynamics and species flux in Soiot households. Part three focuses on the material aspect of human-animal relations, focusing on implements and structures of the household as communicative devices rather than tools of domination. Horses and humans are seen to signal their intentions through roping techniques, while wolves and humans 'read each other' through trap design, den placement, and empathy. Being the first ethnography of Soiot human-animal relations, this thesis offers new knowledge to anthropology by filling a void in south Siberian ethnography, while calling renewed attention to a multi species perspective in Siberia. It contributes to classical debates on the human role in animal domestication, and challenges the division between hunting and pastoralist economies in its presentation of households that engage in both, and for whom the two remain inseparable.

There is a global increase in research on the benefits of animals and the value of incorporating them into interventional practices. This is referred to as animal-assisted interventions. Due to the novelty of this type of intervention and the accompanying complexity of variables, a need exists to explore the various aspects within these interventions. Looking specifically at animal-assisted interventions within the mental health field, this study focuses on the psycho-therapeutic value of companion animals, such as dogs and cats. The primary aim of this study was to identify the mechanisms through which an animal-assisted intervention exerts its influence. A secondary aim was to indentify salient methodological aspects within the included studies. A systematic review of existing literature was undertaken to explore these factors. Each study was appraised against specific inclusion and exclusion criteria and themes were extracted. The data was synthesised, integrated and discussed in relation to previously conducted studies in relevant fields. Six themes emerged from the systematic review. These included enhanced comfort, the living nature of animals, physical contact, adjunctive nature, an affinity for animals, as well as methodological considerations. Based on these emergent themes conclusions were drawn as to the psycho-therapeutic influences of companion animals. This may serve as informative knowledge regarding animal-assisted interventions for practitioners seeking additional methods to reach treatment goals. Information is also provided for researchers interested in the field, particularly methodological considerations, before embarking on a study of animal-assisted intervention efficacy.

Many individuals across the world own dogs for a variety of reasons. For some individuals, dogs can be viewed as providing the most important relationship in their lives. Others may own dogs for protection, companionship, and even health benefits. Some families across the world view their dogs as family members and a vital aspect of the family unit. This study explored the perceived bond between a human and a dog and how this bond influenced the human‟s psychological well-being. Although studies have been conducted on the human-companionate dog bond, empirical research on the perceptions of the bond between a dog and a human and the influence it has on an individual‟s psychological well-being, falls short. Studies on the human-companionate bond have been on the rise internationally, yet studies in this field in the South African context are scarce. This study contributes to psychology‟s broad body of knowledge regarding the human-companionate dog bond and identifies the important influences the bond has on human psychological well-being. The researcher utilized a qualitative research approach. A non-probability purposive sample was employed and semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven participants. Two participants were male and five were female. All participants had developed a bond with their dog and were able to speak English fluently. Interviews were conducted until data saturation was reached. Results demonstrate that having a human-companionate dog bond can enhance an individual's psychological well-being. Themes identified demonstrate that a human-companionate dog bond can enhance physical health, relational well-being, and mental health. This bond also fulfils specific individual needs which enhance psychological well-being. Limitations of the study and recommendations for further research are identified.

It is difficult to overestimate the social and psychological significance of human-animal interactions. Till now, studies on human-companion animal interactions primarily focussed on positive aspects and relationships, while studies on animal phobias have almost exclusively focussed on spider and snake phobia. The problem with negative human-animal relationships in general, and animal phobia in particular, is in essence a superficial understanding of the determination of physiological changes and parameters associated with its description and treatment. The main aim of this study was to provide theoretical and physiological information regarding the determination of a biochemical parameter which can be used to enhance effective diagnosis and treatment of individuals suffering from dog phobia. A trimodal approach was followed to describe anxiety and fear responses associated with dog phobia. Subjects were assigned to two groups: an experimental group consisting of females suffering from dog phobia, and a control group. The study consisted of three experimental stages: the first stage (resting stage) measured baseline values, the second stage (preintervention stage) measured values in the presence of a dog stimulus prior to the intervention program, and the third stage (postintervention stage) measured values in the presence of a dog stimulus after completion of the intervention program. Cognitive-affective aspects were initially measured by means of the Fear Survey Schedule, as well as by means of an anxiety scale and stressor schedule during the experimental stages. Motor-behavioural aspects were measured as the termination distance of the dog approach during the pre- and postintervention stages, as well as assessed by a psychologist through direct observation of non-verbal communication cues during the behavioural approach tests. The measurement of physiological aspects focussed on the determination of plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) levels during the experimental stages. The main results were as follow: • the experimental group scored significantly higher average scores on the animal, dog, blood/injection and total fear categories of the Fear Survey Schedule than the control group; • the intervention program was effective in treating motor-behavioural and cognitive¬affective aspects of the phobia response; • the effect of the intervention program on the plasma ACTH-Ievels was inconclusive. No significant differences were found between the experimental group's average plasma ACTH-Ievels during the experimental stages, as well as between the experimental and control groups during the resting and preintervention stages. The average plasma ACTH-Ievels of the control group was significantly lower than that of the experimental group during the postintervention stage; • total stressor schedule values suggest that subjects in the experimental group have a predisposition to be generally more anxious and fearful than subjects in the control group; • two-thirds of the dog phobia subjects reported classical conditioning as the etiological pathway; • various auditory and visual cues were found to be the focal point of perception in women suffering from dog phobia; and • group qualitatively evaluated their current fear level for dogs as substantially lower than at the onset of the project. In conclusion, the determination of plasma ACTH-Ievels as a single parameter is not adequate to support the complex interaction between overt motor-behavioural, cognitive-affective and physiological patterns during the treatment of women experiencing dog phobia. / Dissertation (MSc (Veterinary Ethology))--University of Pretoria, 1999. / Production Animal Studies / unrestricted

This thesis is a sandwich thesis that explores youth participation in equestrian sport. Each of the three papers that comprise the substantive portion of this thesis are stand-alone papers. Each paper employs a mixed methodology which includes document analysis, media analysis, and semi-structured interviews. The goal of the thesis is to analyse and describe: (1) what, if anything, young female equestrians gain from participating in equestrian stables, (2) the form and function of “trust” in competitive youth equestrian sport, and, (3) the characteristics of the equine industry in Canada and how it has evolved since the introduction of the Canadian Pony Club in 1934. These three aspects of equestrian sport in Canada are examined using data from equine industry documents such as reports and program material, equine industry media including websites, online magazines, and blogs, and semi-structured interviews with current and former female equestrians who participated in equestrian sport during their youth. This thesis is a retrospective study. Interviewees were members of the Canadian Pony Club at some point during their youth. The thesis employs a range of sociological theories and perspectives, drawing on the work of Pierre Bourdieu, George Herbert Mead, Niklas Luhmann, and Donna Haraway. Theoretically and substantially, it provides a rigorous understanding of the equine industry in Canada, the human-horse relationship, and female youth participation in equestrian sport. It makes a contribution to sociology by providing an analysis of modernity and the current conditions of the risk society, arguing that the horse (and other animals) now occupy a unique position in society and may act as a means of dealing with the individuality and complexity of a risk society. / Thesis / Candidate in Philosophy