Shifting attitudes on animal ‘ownership’: Ethical implications for welfare research and practice terminology
The roles companion animals have played in our lives has dramatically changed over the last few decades. At the same time, the terms we use to describe both the people and animals in these human-animal relationships have also changed. One example includes the use of the terms ‘owner’ or ‘guardian’ t...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SAGE Publishing
2023-10-01
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| Series: | Research Ethics Review |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/17470161231186060 |
| _version_ | 1797661172287143936 |
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| author | Julia Sophie Lyn Henning Ana Goncalves Costa Eduardo Jose Fernandez |
| author_facet | Julia Sophie Lyn Henning Ana Goncalves Costa Eduardo Jose Fernandez |
| author_sort | Julia Sophie Lyn Henning |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The roles companion animals have played in our lives has dramatically changed over the last few decades. At the same time, the terms we use to describe both the people and animals in these human-animal relationships have also changed. One example includes the use of the terms ‘owner’ or ‘guardian’ to refer to the human caretaker. While preferences by society appear to indicate increased interest in referring to companion animal caretakers as ‘guardians’, others have cautioned against its use or attempted to restrict it. Additionally, the use of animal welfare terminology has direct implications for how we conduct both welfare research and practice. Our paper examines the use of ‘owner’ and ‘guardian’ with respect to (1) the implications for changing terminology on the function, clarity and uniformity of their use, and (2) the ethical and welfare impact that coincides with each term’s use. Our goal is to propose terminological considerations that could influence future welfare research, as well as help guide our interactions with companion animals. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T18:41:31Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-38c61412aac9444f80dc271f1ad1bd52 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1747-0161 2047-6094 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T18:41:31Z |
| publishDate | 2023-10-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Research Ethics Review |
| spelling | doaj.art-38c61412aac9444f80dc271f1ad1bd522023-10-12T13:03:42ZengSAGE PublishingResearch Ethics Review1747-01612047-60942023-10-011910.1177/17470161231186060Shifting attitudes on animal ‘ownership’: Ethical implications for welfare research and practice terminologyJulia Sophie Lyn HenningAna Goncalves CostaEduardo Jose FernandezThe roles companion animals have played in our lives has dramatically changed over the last few decades. At the same time, the terms we use to describe both the people and animals in these human-animal relationships have also changed. One example includes the use of the terms ‘owner’ or ‘guardian’ to refer to the human caretaker. While preferences by society appear to indicate increased interest in referring to companion animal caretakers as ‘guardians’, others have cautioned against its use or attempted to restrict it. Additionally, the use of animal welfare terminology has direct implications for how we conduct both welfare research and practice. Our paper examines the use of ‘owner’ and ‘guardian’ with respect to (1) the implications for changing terminology on the function, clarity and uniformity of their use, and (2) the ethical and welfare impact that coincides with each term’s use. Our goal is to propose terminological considerations that could influence future welfare research, as well as help guide our interactions with companion animals.https://doi.org/10.1177/17470161231186060 |
| spellingShingle | Julia Sophie Lyn Henning Ana Goncalves Costa Eduardo Jose Fernandez Shifting attitudes on animal ‘ownership’: Ethical implications for welfare research and practice terminology Research Ethics Review |
| title | Shifting attitudes on animal ‘ownership’: Ethical implications for welfare research and practice terminology |
| title_full | Shifting attitudes on animal ‘ownership’: Ethical implications for welfare research and practice terminology |
| title_fullStr | Shifting attitudes on animal ‘ownership’: Ethical implications for welfare research and practice terminology |
| title_full_unstemmed | Shifting attitudes on animal ‘ownership’: Ethical implications for welfare research and practice terminology |
| title_short | Shifting attitudes on animal ‘ownership’: Ethical implications for welfare research and practice terminology |
| title_sort | shifting attitudes on animal ownership ethical implications for welfare research and practice terminology |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/17470161231186060 |
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