"Pets in America, A History"

I don’t know if it’s true or not, but I’ve always heard that farmers aren’t particularly fond of pets—particularly pets that live inside the home. Cats and dogs are to be outdoors where they can earn their keep by reducing the population of rabbits, mice and other rodents.

As a farm boy, my parents allowed me to have a puppy in the house, but as soon as he matured, he became an “outside dog”. I still can’t fathom why my mother allowed me to raise a couple Easter duckling in our kitchen. These were the red, blue, and purple-dyed ones sold in the “5 and dime” stores. After they got big enough to be under foot and a lot messier, they too were consigned to the farm yard and later eaten, much to my distress.

A new book at the Library recently caught my attention. "Pets in America", by Katherine C. Grier, tells the social history of domesticated animals—commonly referred to as “pets”--in the past 300 years or so of our nation’s existence. The reader learns how we evolved in our concept of various animals as pets; which animals became popular pets; how we have treated our pets; and how the needs of these animals compare and complement ours.

I was surprised to learn that in the Civil War era, the most popular house pet was a caged bird. The author explains that one hundred and fifty years ago—long before gramophone, radio and television—our homes were much quieter and it was pleasant, as well as fashionable, to hear the cheerful chirping of songbirds.

According to the author, more than 60 percent of our modern households have pets and, as a society, we are becoming increasingly more pet-friendly. As a result of this mutual accommodation and closeness, our society has developed new standards in regard to animal welfare—both pet-type as well as livestock and wild animals.

The boundaries of some animals—those we call “pets”-- have moved indoors and closer to humans. While cats and dogs are currently the most popular indoor animals, iguanas, snakes, guinea pigs, gerbils, are also popular.

The horse, probably the most popular family animal for thousands of years, was displaced by the automobile in the early part of the 20th century. However, in spite of the costs of maintaining a horse in today’s urban environment, we have seen a steady increase in the number of horses in this country.

The latter part of the book deals with the commercial side of pets. Stores with products designed exclusively for pets are a twentieth century phenomena. Veterinary medicine has developed and branched into “large” and “small” animal care. Vitamins, medicines, operations, therapy, and psychiatry are now provided to pets at their owner’s insistence.

This fascinating book is replete in early photographs and drawings. The author is to be applauded for her social history of pets in America. It’s a welcomed addition to the library’s 636’s (Dewey decimal number) shelving area for our books on pets.