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Neural substrates underlying the human-pet relationship are largely unknown. We examined fMRI brain activation patterns as mothers viewed images of their own child and dog and an unfamiliar child and dog. There was a common network of brain regions involved in emotion, reward, affiliation, visual processing and social cognition when mothers viewed images of both their child and dog. Viewing images of their child resulted in brain activity in the midbrain (ventral tegmental area/substantia nigra involved in reward/affiliation), while a more posterior cortical brain activation pattern involving fusiform gyrus (visual processing of faces and social cognition) characterized a mother's response to her dog. Mothers also rated images of their child and dog as eliciting similar levels of excitement (arousal) and pleasantness (valence), although the difference in the own vs. unfamiliar child comparison was larger than the own vs. unfamiliar dog comparison for arousal. Valence ratings of their dog were also positively correlated with ratings of the attachment to their dog. Although there are similarities in the perceived emotional experience and brain function associated with the mother-child and mother-dog bond, there are also key differences that may reflect variance in the evolutionary course and function of these relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

No abstract available Copyright © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human-animal relationships are both ubiquitous and diverse across the life span, and may be especially salient among children and adolescents. Although research into youth involvement in human-animal interaction (HAI) is growing, existing data have not adequately explored the developmental processes associated with HAI. The purpose of this article is to discuss why relational developmental systems models, which explore bidirectional influences between individuals and their contexts, constitute a useful paradigm for addressing the challenges and complexities in research pertaining to human-animal relations, particularly in the study of positive youth development. Recommendations are presented for building the field of youth HAI research through expanding the exploration of animal relationships in ways that may serve to promote trajectories of positive development across childhood and adolescence. © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a widespread belief that interaction with an animal is beneficial for the development of children, and several studies (most with methodological shortcomings) have investigated the influence of (companion) animals on the social-emotional and cognitive development of children. In this article, the 1984 model of Professor Jay Belsky has been used to describe which variables influence the development of children and how the companion animal-child interaction influences these variables. The value of the AAA/AAT (Animal Assisted Activities/Animal Assisted Therapy) programmes in children with a wide variety of clinical and social problems, such as behaviour problems and autistic spectrum symptoms, is discussed. The findings suggest that (companion) animals positively influence children's development and have a valuable role in therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses results of a study that examines the difficulty of some dogs to socialize with children. The study methods and measures are discussed. The study showed that dogs that have contact with children during socialization did not demonstrate aggressive or excited behavior toward children. The dogs' heart rates were reduced even during the time when children are running around them calling their names. The study concludes that dogs with contact with children during socialization period are suitable to take part in animal-assisted education (AAE).

Introduction. Gross motor is one of the elements that make up the integral development of children. It gets structured since the child is born until its consolidation when they are somewhere between 12 and 15 years old. Many factors influence it, such as genetics plus social, psychological and environmental situations. Among the latter, the relations the child has with other living beings, among which pets (ands especially dogs) can be highlighted for research purposes, are included. Objective. To describe the effects dogs have, as pets, on the development of gross motor skills among 5 years old healthy children from educational institutions in Itagüí, by comparing those children with others who do not own dogs. Materials and Methods. A survey was made to gather information. It had the allowance of parents or tutors, so the children could be a part of the case and control groups in this research. For assessing the children´s motor skills, Vitor Da Fonseca´s psychomotor battery was chosen. It evaluates 7 psychomotor factors: Tone, balance, laterality, body notion, space - time structures and global and fine praxis. The battery produces a numeric assessment of the motor condition of the children, thus establishing if their profiles are eupraxic, dispraxic, hyperpraxic or apraxic. Results. 58 children conformed the sample, among which 29 (50%) have a dog at their homes. They were the case group. Another 29 (50%) do not have a dog, and they were the control group. From observing motor skills of the children and from the data obtained when Vitor Da Fonseca´s battery was applied, it was established that the well valued factors were laterality, body notion and space-time estructure among children who have dogs (CD). They achieved a media above 3 in a 1 to 4 scale. Tone, balance and global and fine praxis showed a difficulty in the execution of activities. The latter is the one with the lowest value. Conclusion.From revising the literature, evaluating the children and confronting data, it could be concluded that children that own a pet have a relatively better performance in activities related to laterality, body notion and space-time structure, which can also mean better results for their psychomotor profiles, keeping in mind that the difference with children who do not have dogs at their home is not very significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite overwhelming evidence for a negative effect of inbreeding on fitness in plants and nonhuman animals, the exact nature of its effect in humans remains subject to debate. To obtain a better understanding of the effects of inbreeding on reproductive success in humans, we reconstructed the genealogies of the current inhabitants of a small and isolated Swiss village and used these to estimate the level of inbreeding of both members of all married couples, as well as their relatedness (i.e. the level of inbreeding of their offspring). Although there was no effect of parental relatedness on the number of children a couple had, we found that inbred mothers, but not inbred fathers, had significantly fewer children. Thus, although related couples did not have fewer children themselves, their inbred daughters did leave them with fewer grandchildren. Thereby, we provide evidence for the existence of inbreeding depression in human fertility, also in relatively outbred and egalitarian communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the benefits of research for school-based animal-assisted literacy mentorship programs. Animal-assisted literacy research shows that companion animals provide a non-threatening and socially supportive and interactive audience for children practicing their oral reading skills. A comparison between human-only literacy programs and animal-assisted ones based on the features of school-based mentoring programs is offered. The human-animal bond is cited as the theoretical basis of animal-assisted programs. The work of child psychologist Boris Levinson has explained the influence of an animal on early relationship dynamics between a child and a non-related adult.

Having pets at home provides various social, health, and educational benefits to children. The question of how keeping pets at home affects the attitudes of children toward wild animals still has not been answered, due to various methodological issues, such as ignorance of some attitude dimensions and/or questionnaires that include items focused on very different animals. We conducted three independent research surveys (using three independent samples) of Slovakian primary school children aged 10 to 15 years (n = 1297). These surveys focused on the effects of keeping pets on the attitudes of children towards, and knowledge of, three unpopular animals in Slovakia. These animals were pests (potato beetle) (Study 1), predators (wolf) (Study 2), and those that pose a threat of disease to humans (mouse) (Study 3). Each survey also included a popular animal (ladybird beetle, rabbit, and squirrel, respectively), which served as a "control"; these were compared by pair-wise statistics. Results consistently showed that children had better knowledge of, but less favorable attitudes towards, unpopular animals compared with popular ones. Having pets at home was associated with more positive attitudes to, and better knowledge of, both popular and unpopular animals. Girls were less favorably inclined than boys to animals that may pose a threat, danger, or disease to them. Implications for humane education are discussed, especially in terms of keeping pets, the link between knowledge and attitudes, and children's understanding of ecological adaptations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Animal-Assisted programs with children are becoming increasingly popular in school and therapeutic settings. This article provides an overview of the benefits accrued by children as well as the concerns with programs which involve animals, and therapy dogs in particular, in these environments. Research over the past 30 years indicates that therapy dogs may offer physiological, emotional, social, and physical support for children. The distinguishing features of Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) are characterized by the supplemental inclusion of a trained therapy dog in reaching an intervention goal in therapeutic environments, and as a supplement to an educational objective in school contexts. The general assumptions underlying AAT with children are that although therapy dogs are interactive, children seem to perceive them as non-judgemental participants who are outside of the complications and expectations of human relationships. This unique interaction may offer children a valuable form of social and emotional support in educational and therapeutic settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Humans are generally biophilic. Still, for unknown reasons, interest in animals vales substantially among individuals. Our goal was to investigate how differential interest of children towards animals might be related to social competence and personality. We proposed two alternatives: 1) Children may compensate for potential deficits in social competence by resorting to animals, and 2) Socially well-connected children may show a particular interest in animals. We focused on relationships between age, gender, family background, play behavior, personality components, and contact with rabbits in 50 children (22 boys/28 girls; 3 to 7 years of age) at a preschool in Krems/Austria. Data were analyzed using GLM. We found that each one of these variables had significant impact on intensity of engagement with the rabbits. In general, girls, children with siblings, and children without pets were more oriented towards the rabbits than were boys, children without siblings, or pet-owning children. The older the children, the less frequently they occupied themselves with the rabbits but the longer they remained when they did engage them. Furthermore, we found that the more "Confident/Respected" (PCA factor 1) and less "Patient/Calm," "Cheerful/Sociable," and "Solitary' (RCA factors 2-4) the children, the more time they spent in direct occupation with rabbits. Most effects of the investigated variables varied between boys and girls. By and large, our findings support the hypothesis that the "socially competent" children were particularly interested in the animals. Also, children's social styles, as evinced in interactions with peers, were generally reflected in how they interacted with the rabbits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Western research, cruelty to animals in childhood has been associated with comorbid conduct problems and with interpersonal violence in later life. However, there is little understanding of the etiology of cruelty to animals, and what in the child's life may require attention if the chain linking animal cruelty and later violence is to be broken. The study reported in this paper investigated the association between parent-reported cruelty to animals, and parent- and self-reported psychological strengths and weaknesses in a sample of 379 elementary school children in an Eastern context, Malaysia. No gender differences were found in relation to cruelty to animals or psychological problems, as assessed with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). However, there were different predictors of cruelty to animals for boys and girls. Regression analyses found that for boys, parent-reported hyperactivity was a unique predictor of Malicious and Total Cruelty to animals. For girls, self-reported conduct problems was a unique predictor of Typical Cruelty to animals. Parent-reported total difficulties were associated with Typical, Malicious, and Total Cruelty to animals. We suggest that routine screening of children with an instrument such as the SDQ may help to detect those children who may need to undergo further assessment and perhaps intervention to break the chain linking childhood cruelty to animals and later conduct problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Productive and positive interactions between dogs and humans have been documented in studies using dogs trained as companion animals and as assistants for people with disabilities. In this study, the effects of the presence of a dog on social interactions between three 5-9-year-old children with developmental disabilities and their teacher at an elementary school were analyzed. A single-case experimental design with repeated measures and with replicated effects across participants was employed to assess changes in interactions from baseline to an intervention condition. During baseline, interactions were assessed in the social environment of a room adjacent to the classroom, which had a toy dog and other play materials, during time with the teacher. The experimental change introduced sequentially and systematically across the participants was the additional presence of an obedience-trained dog, a German Shepherd/Labrador Retriever cross. Interactions between the children and their teacher were examined during morning sessions using reliable direct observation interval recording procedures. All participants demonstrated an increase in overall positive initiated behaviors (verbal and non-verbal) toward both the teacher and the dog. The children also showed an overall decrease in negative initiated behaviors. In addition, observational ratings showed positive generalization of improved social responsiveness by the children in their classroom following the completion of the experimental sessions. This study supports the position that children with developmental disabilities benefit from the use of skilled dogs as teaching assistants and therapeutic adjuncts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-human animals and human children can make use of the geometric shape of an environment for spatial reorientation and in some circumstances reliance on purely geometric information (metric properties of surfaces and sense) can overcome the use of local featural cues. Little is known as to whether the use of geometric information is in some way reliant on past experience or, as would likely be argued by advocates of the notion of a geometric module, it is innate. We tested the navigational abilities of newborn domestic chicks reared in either rectangular or circular cages. Chicks were trained in a rectangular-shaped enclosure with panels placed at the corners to provide salient featural cues. Rectangular-reared and circular-reared chicks proved equally able to learn the task. When tested after removal of the featural cues, both rectangular- and circular-reared chicks showed evidence that they had spontaneously encoded geometric information. Moreover, when trained in a rectangular-shaped enclosure without any featural cues, chicks reared in rectangular-, circular-, or c-shaped cages proved to be equally able to learn and perform the task using geometric information. These results suggest that effective use of geometric information for spatial reorientation does not require experience in environments with right angles and metrically distinct surfaces, thus supporting the hypothesis of a predisposed geometric module in the animal brain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined the attitudes, perceptions and behaviors of both pet-abusing and non-pet-abusing perpetrators of family violence. Using data collected from victims residing at domestic violence shelters, results indicated that relative to their non-pet-abusing counterparts, pet-abusing batterers tend to less often show affection toward their pets, more often communicate with their pets only through commands and threats, more often view companion animals as properly, are more likely to scapegoat their pets, and are more likely to have unrealistic expectations about their pets, more frequently punish their pets, and are more sensitive to stressful life events-particularly those perceived to be caused by the pet. We also queried respondents about batterers' past history with pets, the frequency and type of abuse inflicted on animals, the number of batterers who hunt, the frequency with which children witnessed abuse of the family pet, the impact of animal guardianship on decisions to remain with or return to the batterer, and where companion animals ended up when victims fled the batterer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examined how strong humane inclinations in children are shaped and encouraged through interactions with human and non- human animals. Ethnographic interviews were conducted with 30 supernurturing children and 30 parents attending a pre-veterinary summer camp operated by an American university. Themes associated with supernurturance included validating the importance of animals, teaching nurturance, identifying as an animal person, seeing animals as helpers, and assuming responsibility. Results suggest that a single magic bullet cannot be tweaked to instill or heighten compassion for animals. Rather, an array of social psychological factors together contribute to animal supernurturing by children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is estimated that over half of all children in the UK will be bitten by a dog at some point in their lives [NHS, 2012). The media have highlighted stories of dog attacks on children, and this has caused much debate about the Dangerous Dog Laws. As members of the veterinary profession we have a duty to ensure that we are giving our dog-owning clients the best possible advice when dealing with dogs and children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on child-animal relations. How real animals occupy an equally prominent position in the child's world; Animals as a force for good; Details on the concept of using animals as catalysts in the treatment of emotionally disturbed children; Resistance to the study of child-animal relations.

The article presents a query by mother about her 4-year-old daughter who is very afraid of dogs. She pointed out that she and her husband both love animals, wherein they already have a house with a yard and are looking forward to getting a dog. On the other hand, the author pointed out the fear of animals is very common among preschoolers, wherein there is not no need to worry unless it reaches into a phobia stage. She suggests that the mother should borrow a calm and friendly dog, that is already used to children. Key information is further presented.