Human-animal bond

People are interested in the bond between humans and companion animals for a variety of reasons.

Many pet owners see their pets as a valued member of the family and openly admit to loving their pets and having strong attachments – they simply enjoy the companionship and unconditional love their pet brings.

Practitioners including counsellors, veterinary surgeons, occupational therapists and GPs are increasingly aware of the influence that pets can have in the lives of their clients and how pets can be included in the delivery of care. And students and researchers are keen to qualify and quantify this unique relationship by advancing our understanding of how it works. 

SCAS works to support pet owners, practitioners, students and researchers in their quest to understand more about this unique bond through information, publications, training and events.

A bond throughout the ages

Close relationships between people and animals date from the beginning of civilisation. Evidence of possible bonds between people and animals throughout the ages can be found in many different sources, such as literature, cave paintings, art and archaeological sites. Examples include:                                                                                      

Cats were kept by ancient Egyptians as pets. When a cat died, its owner would shave their eyebrows.

• Cats were kept by ancient Egyptians as pets. When a cat died, its owner would shave their eyebrows to signify to others in the community that he/she was mourning the death of their cat. 
• Historical evidence of what could have been an affectionate bond between people and dogs is suggested by the finding of a 14,000 year old human female skeleton, buried with her arms wrapped around the remains of a dog in an ancient Israeli burial site.

Visit our Common bonds page to find out more about the different types of bond between people and animals, including pet ownership, assistance animals, working dogs, medical detection dogs and therapy animals.