Animal Entanglements: Muddied Living in Dog–Human Worlds

The book explores the complex dynamics between humans and dogs, highlighting the interplay between domination and affection in pet keeping. It challenges the notion of a continuum and reveals a mesh of complex relations in various spaces.

Format: Hardback
Length: 254 pages
Publication date: 05 April 2024
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

This book offers a unique perspective on the everyday lives and experiences of people who live with dogs as companions, as well as the dogs themselves. It is framed sociologically and considers the various forms of power relations that shape the lives of those kept as "pets" and their human "owners." The co-constituted quality of life is clear, as dogs are able to shape outcomes and change aspects of their lived experience. However, the world they inhabit is profoundly geared to human inhabitants, and the most privileged ones at that. The book revisits the notion of "pet keeping" as the interplay between domination and affection, arguing that these do not exist as a continuum but a mesh of complex relations played out in the use of homespace, the kitchen, the bedroom, the public world of the park and the street. Those living with dog companions, as well as the dogs themselves, find their lives muddied, both literally and figuratively, as boundaries are tested and recast and the complications of inter-species cohabitation negotiated by all parties.

Weight: 540g
Dimension: 236 x 159 x 21 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781538180198