Oral Presentation The International Society for Anthrozoology (ISAZ): 27th Annual Conference 2018

Common loss, common gain: dogs and humans learn mutualistic practices of care. (#59)

Fenella Eason 1
  1. Sociology, Philosophy and Anthropology, University of Exeter, Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom

Introduction: The loss of freedom to act and move as individually desired is as common to 'captive' assistance and companion dogs as it is to humans immured by chronic illness. Here, attention is conversely drawn to a common gain for both species when they share interdependent lifetimes in very close proximity; such gain enables liberation from isolation despite species difference, social boundaries and health limitations. Medical alert assistance dogs learn to use their exceptional sense of smell to warn hypo-unaware people with Type 1 diabetes of dangerously fluctuating blood glucose levels which, untreated, may lead to emergency hospitalisation. Reciprocally, the human partners cherish and care for their close companions with respect, empathy and compassion, and pay significant attention to meeting the dogs' range of daily needs.

Methodology: Seven partnerships between working assistance dogs and  chronically-ill humans were observed in the UK between 2014 and 2016. Responses to informal interview questions were recorded and transcribed to provide qualitative ethnographic context around rich narration. Research, based in anthrozoology and the sociology of health and illness, follows a symbolic interactionist approach to make meaning from familiar and unfamiliar discourse and behaviour.  Neither species intends, nor effects, harm to the other in these mutualistic partnerships; each is host and symbiont, working flexibly and cooperatively.

Main results: Investigation into the everyday lives of these dyads - sometimes identified by respondents as teams of one, or 'one-self' - reveals interspecies communication that elevates tolerance and trust, engendering mutual appreciation of one another's perspectives and abilities, and opening possibilities to improve, even extend their conjoined lives. Human participants variably view their canine assistants  as biomedical instruments and as close friends.

Principal conclusions and implications for field:

Respect and empathy become components of a mutualistic relationship that is ethically conducted, attends to the needs of both species, and achieves a common gain. Such fulfilment enhances the partnerships' social integration, mental wellbeing and physical liberation. The research fills a gap in applied anthrozoology and in anthrozoological literature, adding knowledge for those with chronic illness, health practitioners caring for multiple species, and researchers exploring companion animal welfare.