Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t8hqh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-02T21:42:04.310Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The owner-bird relationship: Relevance for pet bird welfare

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2023

A-K Burmeister ,
K Drasch ,
M Rinder ,
S Prechsl ,
A Peschel ,
R Korbel  and
NJ Saam
A-K Burmeister
Affiliation:
Centre for Clinical Veterinary Medicine, Clinic for Birds, Small Mammals, Reptiles and Ornamental Fish, University of Munich, Munich, Germany
K Drasch
Affiliation:
Institute of Sociology, Friedrich-Alexander University, Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany
M Rinder*
Affiliation:
Centre for Clinical Veterinary Medicine, Clinic for Birds, Small Mammals, Reptiles and Ornamental Fish, University of Munich, Munich, Germany
S Prechsl
Affiliation:
Institute of Sociology, Friedrich-Alexander University, Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany
A Peschel
Affiliation:
Centre for Clinical Veterinary Medicine, Clinic for Birds, Small Mammals, Reptiles and Ornamental Fish, University of Munich, Munich, Germany
R Korbel
Affiliation:
Centre for Clinical Veterinary Medicine, Clinic for Birds, Small Mammals, Reptiles and Ornamental Fish, University of Munich, Munich, Germany
NJ Saam
Affiliation:
Institute of Sociology, Friedrich-Alexander University, Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany
*
* Contact for correspondence: [email protected]
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Empathy and anthropomorphism, well-established components of the human-pet relationship, are considered to be especially related to pet animal welfare. We have developed a systematic and standardised approach to explore the effect of the human-pet relationship on animal welfare, focusing on pet birds. Based on a data set measuring the owner-bird relationship as well as bird welfare, cluster analysis and multivariate regressions were used to identify empirical types of bird owners and analyse their effect on bird welfare. Five empirical types of bird owners were identified based on the multi-dimensional relationship between owner and bird which consisted of: (i) the closeness-appreciating anthropomorphising owner; (ii) the closeness-appreciating socially supported owner; (iii) the anthropomorphising socially supported owner; (iv) the inattentive owner; and (v) the distance-appreciating owner. These differed in terms of the owner's tendency to anthropomorphism, the social support the bird provides to the owner, the empathy, attentiveness and respect of the owner towards the bird, and the bird's relationship with the owner. In particular, the inattentive type, but also both anthropomorphising types, raised serious questions as to the well-being of the pet bird. We found significant correlations to bird behaviour, such as imprinting aspects, aggressiveness towards humans, conspecifics and other pet animals, as well as behavioural disorders, such as locomotor stereotypies, courtship behaviour towards humans and feather-plucking.

Keywords

animal welfareanthropomorphismbird behaviourcompanion birdsempathyhuman-animal relationship
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Welfare , Volume 31 , Issue 1 , February 2022 , pp. 137 - 154
Copyright
© 2022 Universities Federation for Animal Welfare

References

Adamelli, S, Marinelli, L, Normando, S and Bono, G 2005 Owner and cat features influence the quality of life of the cat. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 94: 89–98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2005.02.003CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Albert, A and Bulcroft, K 1987 Pets and urban life. Anthrozoös 1: 9–25. https://doi.org/10.2752/089279388787058740CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Anderson, PK 2014 Social dimensions of the human-avian bond: parrots and their persons. Anthrozoös 27: 371–387. https://doi.org/10.2752/175303714X13903827488006CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Anonymous 2018 Verordnung über den Schutz von Wild (Bundeswildschutzverordnung - BWildSchV). Federal ordinance on the protection of wild animals. Bundesgesetzblatt I: 1159Google Scholar
Arluke, A, Sanders, C and Morris, P 2015 Mit Tieren denken: Die Soziologie der nicht-menschlichen Tiere in der Gesellschaft. In: Brucker, R, Bujok, M, Mütherich, B, Seeliger, M and Thieme, J (eds) Das Mensch-Tier-Verhältnis pp 79–105. Springer: Wiesbaden, Germany. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-531-94110-3_4. [Title translation: Thinking with animals. The sociology of nonhuman ani-mals in society; The human-animal relation]Google Scholar
Auhagen, AE and Hinde, RA 1997 Individual characteristics and personal relationships. Personal Relationships 4: 63–84. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-6811.1997.tb00131.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beck, L and Madresh, EA 2008 Romantic partners and four-legged friends: An extension of attachment theory to relationships with pets. Anthrozoös 21: 43–56. https://doi.org/10.2752/089279308X274056CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blouin, DD 2013 Are dogs children, companions, or just animals? Understanding variations in people's orientations toward animals. Anthrozoös 26: 279–294. https://doi.org/10.2752/175303713X13636846944402CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bonas, S, McNicholas, J and Collis, GM 2000 Pets in the net-work of family relationships: An empirical study. In: Podberscek A, Paul E and JA Serpell (eds) Companion Animals and Us: Exploring the Relationships Between People and Pets pp 209–236. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UKGoogle Scholar
Bradshaw, J and Casey, R 2007 Anthropomorphism and anthro-pocentrism as influences in the quality of life of companion ani-mals. Animal Welfare 16: 149–154Google Scholar
Brown, S-E 2007 Companion animals as self-objects. Anthrozoös 20: 329–343. https://doi.org/10.2752/089279307X245654CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burmeister, A-K, Drasch, K, Rinder, M, Prechsl, S, Peschel, A, Korbel, R and Saam, N 2020 Development and application of the owner-bird relationship scale (OBRS) to assess the relation of humans to their pet birds. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 7: 575221. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2020.575221CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Butterfield, ME, Hill, SE and Lord, CG 2012 Mangy mutt or furry friend? Anthropomorphism promotes animal welfare. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 48: 957–960. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2012.02.010CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Caliń ski, T and Harabasz, J 1974 A dendrite method for cluster analysis. Communications in Statistics-Theory and Methods 3: 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1080/03610927408827101CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Charles, N 2014 ‘Animals just love you as you are’: Experiencing kinship across the species barrier. Sociology 48: 715–730. https://doi.org/10.1177/0038038513515353CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Crawford, EK, Worsham, NL and Swinehart, ER 2006 Benefits derived from companion animals, and the use of the term ‘attachment’. Anthrozoös 19: 98–112. https://doi.org/10.2752/089279306785593757CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Emery, NJ 2006 Cognitive ornithology: the evolution of avian intelligence. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 361: 23–43. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2005.1736CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Enders-Slegers, M-J 2000 The meaning of companion animals: Qualitative analysis of the life histories of elderly cat and dog own-ers. In: Podberscek A, Paul E and JA Serpell (eds) Companion Animals and Us: Exploring the Relationships Between People and Pets pp 237–256. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UKGoogle Scholar
Everitt, B, Landau, SL, Leese, M and Stahl, D 2011 Cluster Analysis. Wiley: London, UK. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470977811CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fabrigar, LR and Wegener, DT 2012 Structural equation mod-eling. In: Stevens, JP (ed) Applied Multivariate Statistics for the Social Sciences pp 549–594. Routledge: New York, USA. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203843130-20CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fox, J 1997 Applied Regression Analysis, Linear Models, and Related Methods. Sage Publications, Inc: Thousand Oaks, CA, USAGoogle Scholar
Gaskins, LA and Hungerford, L 2014 Nonmedical factors associ-ated with feather picking in pet psittacine birds. Journal of Avian Medicine and Surgery 28: 109–117. https://doi.org/10.1647/2012-073RCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grant, RA, Montrose, VT and Wills, AP 2017 ExNOTic: Should we be keeping exotic pets? Animals 7: 47. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani7060047CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Harker, RM, Collis, GM and McNicholas, J 2000 The influence of current relationships upon pet animal acquisition. In: Podberscek A, Paul E and JA Serpell (eds) Companion Animals and Us: Exploring the Relationships Between People and Pets pp 189–208. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UKGoogle Scholar
Hinde, RA 1979 Towards Understanding Relationships. Academic Press: London, UKGoogle Scholar
Hirschman, EC 1994 Consumers and their animal companions. Journal of Consumer Research 20: 616–632. https://doi.org/10.1086/209374CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Industrieverband Heimtierbedarf, and Zentralverband Zoologischer Fachbetriebe Deutschlands 2019 The German Pet Market 2018 - Structure and Sales Data. https://www.zzf.de/fileadmin/files/ZZF/Marktdaten/ZZF_IVH_Fol der_2018_German_Pet_Market_and_Pets.pdfGoogle Scholar
Irvine, L 2008 Animals and sociology. Sociology Compass 2: 1954–1971. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-9020.2008.00163.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Irvine, L 2013 Animals as lifechangers and lifesavers: Pets in the redemption narratives of homeless people. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography 42: 3–30. https://doi.org/10.1177/0891241612456550CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jürgens, UM 2017 How human-animal relations are realized: from respective realities to merging minds. Ethics and the Environment 22: 25–57. https://doi.org/10.2979/ethicsenviro.22.2.02CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kelley, HH 1997 The ‘stimulus field’ for interpersonal phenome-na: The source of language and thought about interpersonal events. Personality and Social Psychology Review 1: 140–169. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327957pspr0102_3CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kidd, AH and Kidd, RM 1987 Seeking a theory of the human/companion animal bond. Anthrozoös 1: 140–145. https://doi.org/10.2752/089279388787058489CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kienzle, E and Bergler, R 2006 Human-animal relationship of owners of normal and overweight cats. Journal of Nutrition 136: 1947S–1950S. https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/136.7.1947SGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kienzle, E, Bergler, R and Mandernach, A 1998 A comparison of the feeding behavior and the human–animal relationship in owners of normal and obese dogs. Journal of Nutrition 128: 2779S–2782S. https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/128.12.2779SCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kocabagli, N, Kutay, HC, Dokuzeylül, B, Süer, INE and Alp, M 2017 The analysis of computer data regarding obesity and associated diseases in cats examined at private veterinary practices. Acta Scientiae Veterinariae 45: 1506. https://doi.org/10.22456/1679-9216.80775CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Konok V, Nagy K and Miklósi Á 2015 How do humans repre-sent the emotions of dogs? The resemblance between the human representation of the canine and the human affective space. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 162: 37–46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2014.11.003Google Scholar
Korbel, R, Reese, S and König, H 2016 Clinical examination. In: König, H, Korbel, R and Liebich, H (eds) Avian Anatomy. Textbook and Colour Atlas pp 263–270. 5M Publishing Ltd: Sheffield, UKGoogle Scholar
Kuhne, F, Hößler, JC and Struwe, R 2014 Emotions in dogs being petted by a familiar or unfamiliar person: Validating behavioural indicators of emotional states using heart rate vari-ability. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 161: 113–120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2014.09.020CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Küper, AM and Merle, R 2019 Being nice is not enough: Exploring relationship-centered veterinary care with structural equation modeling. A quantitative study on German pet owners’ perception. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 6: 56. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2019.00056CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kurdek, LA 2008 Pet dogs as attachment figures. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships 25: 247–266. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407507087958CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kurdek, LA 2009 Pet dogs as attachment figures for adult own-ers. Journal of Family Psychology 23: 439. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0014979Google Scholar
Lantermann, W 1998 Verhaltenstörungen bei Papageien: Entstehung, Diagnose, Therapie. Ferdinand Enke Verlag: Stuttgart, Germany. [Title translation: Behavioral disorders in parrots: devel-opment, diagnosis, therapy]Google Scholar
Law, G, Nager, R and Wilkinson, M 2019 Zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). In: Yeates, J (ed) Companion Animal Care and Welfare: The UFAW Companion Animal Handbook pp 318–337. Wiley-Blackwell: Oxford, UK. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119333708.ch15CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Luna, D, Vásquez, R, Yáñez, J and Tadich, T 2018 The relation-ship between working horse welfare state and their owners’ empathy level and perception of equine pain. Animal Welfare 27: 115–123. https://doi.org/10.7120/09627286.27.2.115CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marinelli, L, Adamelli, S, Normando, S and Bono, G 2007 Quality of life of the pet dog: Influence of owner and dog's char-acteristics. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 108: 143–156. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2006.11.018CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Martens, P, Enders-Slegers, M-J and Walker, JK 2016 The emotional lives of companion animals: Attachment and subjective claims by owners of cats and dogs. Anthrozoös 29: 73–88. https://doi.org/10.1080/08927936.2015.1075299CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mignon-Grasteau, S, Boissy, A, Bouix, J, Faure, J-M, Fisher, AD, Hinch, GN, Jensen, P, Le Neindre, P, Mormede, P and Prunet, P 2005 Genetics of adaptation and domestication in live-stock. Livestock Production Science 93: 3–14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.livprodsci.2004.11.001CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nagel, T 1974 What is it like to be a bat? Philosophical Review 83: 435–450. https://doi.org/10.2307/2183914CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Netting, FE, Wilson, CC and New, JC 1987 The human-animal bond: Implications for practice. Social Work 32: 60–64. https://doi.org/10.1093/sw/32.1.60CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Norman, R and Wills, A 2016 An investigation into the relationship between owner knowledge, diet, and dental disease in guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus). Animals 6: 73. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani6110073CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Odendaal, JS and Meintjes, RA 2003 Neurophysiological correlates of affiliative behaviour between humans and dogs. Veterinary Journal 165: 296–301. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1090-0233(02)00237-XCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Otterstedt, C 2009 Die Mensch-Tier-Beziehung im interkulturel-len Vergleich. In: Otterstedt, C and Rosenberger, M (eds) Gefährten - Konkurrenten - Verwandte. Die Mensch-Tier-Beziehung im wissenschaftli-chen Diskurs pp 294–315. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht: Göttingen, Germany. [Title translation: The human-animal relationship in an intercultural comparison; Companions - Competitors - Relatives. The human-animal relationship in the scientific discourse]Google Scholar
Pepperberg, IM 2006 Cognitive and communicative abilities of Grey parrots. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 100: 77–86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2006.04.005CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pepperberg, IM 2008 Alex & Me: How a Scientist and a Parrot Discovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence and Formed a Deep Bond in the Process. HarperCollins: New York, NY, USAGoogle Scholar
Peretti, PO 1990 Elderly-animal friendship bonds. Social Behavior and Personality 18: 151–156. https://doi.org/10.2224/sbp.1990.18.1.151Google Scholar
Sanders, CR 2003 Actions speak louder than words: Close relationships between humans and nonhuman animals. Symbolic Interaction 26: 405–426. https://doi.org/10.1525/si.2003.26.3.405CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Soenens, B, Vansteenkiste, M and Sierens, E 2009 How are parental psychological control and autonomy-support related? A cluster-analytic approach. Journal of Marriage and Family 71: 187–202. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2008.00589.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tarkosova, D, Story, M, Rand, J and Svoboda, M 2016 Feline obesity-prevalence, risk factors, pathogenesis, associated conditions and assessment: a review. Veterinární Medicína 61: 295–307. https://doi.org/10.17221/145/2015-VETMEDCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thieme, F 2015 Einleitung. In: Brucker, R, Bujok, M, Mütherich, B, Seeliger, M and Thieme, F (eds) Das Mensch-Tier-Verhältnis pp 1–21. Springer: Wiesbaden, Germany. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-531-94110-3_1. [Title translation: Introduction; The human-animal relation]Google Scholar
Tipper, B 2011 Pets and personal life. In: May, V (ed) Sociology of Personal Life pp 85–97. Palgrave Macmillan: Basingstoke, UK. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-230-34421-1_8CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Triebenbacher, SL 2006 The companion animal within the family system: The manner in which animals enhance life within the home. In: Fine, A (ed) Handbook on Animal-Assisted Therapy pp 357–374. Elsevier: Amsterdam, The Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-012369484-3/50018-9CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wechsler, B 1995 Coping and coping strategies: a behavioural view. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 43: 123–134. https://doi.org/10.1016/0168-1591(95)00557-9Google Scholar
Zasloff, RL 1996 Measuring attachment to companion ani-mals: a dog is not a cat is not a bird. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 47: 43–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/0168-1591(95)01009-2Google Scholar
Zasloff, RL and Kidd, AH 1994 Attachment to feline compan-ions. Psychological Reports 74: 747–752. https://doi.org/10.2466/pr0.1994.74.3.747CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zilcha-Mano, S, Mikulincer, M and Shaver, PR 2011 An attachment perspective on human–pet relationships: Conceptualization and assessment of pet attachment orientations. Journal of Research in Personality 45: 345–357. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2011.04.001CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zilcha-Mano, S, Mikulincer, M and Shaver, PR 2012 Pets as safe havens and secure bases: The moderating role of pet attach-ment orientations. Journal of Research in Personality 46: 571–580. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2012.06.005Google Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Burmeister et al. supplementary material
Download undefined(File)
File 218.7 KB
Supplementary material: File

Burmeister et al. supplementary material
Download undefined(File)
File 252.7 KB
Supplementary material: File

Burmeister et al. supplementary material
Download undefined(File)
File 321.9 KB