It is therefore incumbent upon a future owner to take all these elements - positive and negative - into consideration before making a decision. Moreover, it is interesting to note that there are many ways to "categorize" an individual's relationship with a dog, taking into account sociological and psychological factors. One such classification, for example, sets forth four types of possible attitudes towards a companion animal:- the humanist, who has great interest in and strong emotional attachment to companion animals;- the moralist, whose main concern is how well or poorly animals are treated and reacts violently to animal cruelty or exploitation;- the utilitarian, who is especially interested in the material and practical value of the animal;- the negativist, who rejects animals out of fear and disgust.
Parallel to this categorization, which could seem somewhat technical and cursory, another classification, or rather grouping, of dog owners based on more detailed analysis of human typology, was recently proposed following an international investigation conducted by a private firm in the companion animal industry. The approach was defined according to a twofold theme:- animal-object (the dog can serve a purely material purpose, or on the contrary, may be considered as a means for man to reach a certain ideal);- animal-socializer (the dog in this case enables the person to affirm himself, or ensures a certain level of social integration).
Eight different groups of owners were highlighted and defined based on the dog's role: "the entertainer", the "old friend", the "fashion plate", the "child's pal", the "guardian of material goods", the "wild thing", the "clear conscience", and the "symbol of established order".
Another, not so colorful, but undoubtedly more realistic study resulted in a quantitative grouping of dog owners based on their behavior vis-à-vis the animal. Starting from the realm of the rational and ending on an emotional note, the results were as follows:- 18% of owners claim they are totally indifferent to the current and future life of their dog;- 15% feel that the dog only serves a strictly utilitarian purpose;- 18%, taking into account only the "health" aspect, consider that the good health of their dog is of utmost importance;- 8% support having a dog "in his place", in good health, living with the family, but respected as a dog without any anthropomorphism;- 12% see their dog as an important element in their self-development;- 14% truly love their dog and consider the dog to be equal to any human member of the family;- finally, 18% confess that they truly adore their dog and place the dog higher than humans on their emotional value scale.
This study shows that more than one out of every three dog owners places himself in a category of extreme behavior, from ultra-rationalism to hyper-affectivity, in other words, at the two extremes of what in reality should be the place of the dog in the mind and life of someone.
Being a good owner undoubtedly lies somewhere in between these two extremes. The owner must integrate the rules of behavior, hygiene, lifestyle, nutrition and good health and respect the animal in the role he has been given on this planet. A dog is dog and not a little person. While he lacks the words and nature of humans, he does, however, have other means of expression that are just as effective. Humans must adopt an attitude towards the dog that the dog understands and above all, should not treat the dog as a child. He who has understood that the wealth of life on this earth comes from respecting the diversity of animal species, will find happiness when his dog looks at him, without his dog feeling the need to share his owners' bed!
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