We always knew it but now it鈥檚 official 鈥� pet owners have rose-tinted views of their animals. People even become defensive on behalf of a triangle if told it鈥檚 鈥渢heirs鈥�.
Pet owners notoriously make excuses for their own animal鈥檚 bad behaviour while condemning that of others. They are also more likely to anthropomorphise their own animal鈥檚 behaviour, saying 鈥渕y dog wants to cheer me up鈥�, for instance.
To explore this, a team led by social psychologist Sara Kiesler from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, gave 82 university staff and students a Siamese fighting fish to look after for two weeks. Some were told they temporarily 鈥渙wned鈥� the fish, while others (鈥渃aretakers鈥�) were told it belonged to someone else.
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After a fortnight, 95% of owners opted to keep their fish, compared with 75% of caretakers. The owners also gave significantly higher scores reflecting their affection for the fish. Those most fond of their fish were also most likely to say it was smart and liked them too.
鈥淧eople who own and care about a pet are much more likely than those who just know an animal to anthropomorphise the pet and feel that it has reasons for its choices,鈥� says Kiesler.
In another experiment, Kiesler鈥檚 team asked 36 students to watch a film in which two triangles and a circle seem to have a skirmish. Half were told beforehand that they owned the smaller triangle. On average, this group rated the larger triangle as less 鈥渓ikeable鈥� and most forcefully vilified it for being aggressive. .
The experimental results suggest to Kiesler that pet rescue centres might benefit from running bonding projects for abandoned animals and their potential new owners 鈥� just like companies send their employees to 鈥渢eam-building鈥� Outward Bound courses, for instance.
鈥淥wning an animal carries with it some effort and often some unpleasant experiences 鈥� accidents on the rug, for example,鈥� says Kiesler. 鈥淏onding experiences would help create a feeling for the personality and individuality of the animal, and might reduce failed adoptions.鈥�
Journal reference: 础苍迟丑谤辞锄辞枚蝉 (vol 19, p 335)
