Anthropology lecturer Shelly Volsche recently published a study with colleagues from University of Nevada, Las Vegas in Anthrozoös, a multidisciplinary journal of the interactions of people and animals. In their study, the team investigated the observable differences between how men and women interacted with their canine companions at a public park.
An excerpt from the publication’s abstract reads: “Given the increase in invested pet dog ownership, we suggest that sex differences in interactions with pet dogs mirror the literature on sex differences in human parenting. This is particularly relevant as decreasing birth rates and climbing pet ownership give rise to the practice of applying parenting strategies to pets, suggesting the need to better understand potential welfare concerns that may mirror those in the parenting literature.”
The published article can be accessed at: https://doi.org/10.1080/08927936.2020.1824659