Our hope is that you will find the topics in this book interesting, relevant in today’s society and helpful to you as you look at animal issues more inclusively.  The topics covered in this book have an impact on activities most of us do every day and issues that set the standard for our interaction with animals.

This course deals with humans and their connection with animals; it is intended to help the student begin a life-long process of learning and benefiting from the positive aspects of animals on our lives.  The social, scientific and psychological aspects of the human-animal bond are presented to help individuals learn to constructively interact with animals.  This starts with a better understanding of human needs as related to companionship but in order for this all to work, animal owners need to understand physical care and health of animals along with proper attention to humane care.   

As the knowledge base of the human-animal bond is strengthened, a main objective is to make sense of messages in the media that seem to confuse animal use issues.  The student is encouraged to form opinions on animal care and use in a way that serves them well in various stages of their life.  Proper companionship can be very helpful in a variety of ways including meeting the physiological, psychological and social needs of humans.  As social and ethical issues are presented, the responsibilities of pet owners are also emphasized.  The intent is to provide information with which students can utilize problem-solving techniques to deal with complex issues that they are likely to face in their lives in the future.