Creature Comforts: New Zealanders and Their Pets: An Illustrated History - Softcover

Nancy Swarbrick

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1877578614 ISBN 13: 9781877578618

Publisher: Otago University Press, 2013

Synopsis

New Zealand has one of the highest rates of pet ownership in the world-in 2011, 68 per cent of all Kiwi households had at least one pet: almost half had a cat and nearly a third had a dog. Yet until now no book has explored how pets came to be such an integral part of the New Zealand way of life. Creature Comforts does just this. By chronicling the major events and ideas that have shaped pet keeping in New Zealand, this fascinating and entertaining book explains the strong relationship we have with our animal friends, and how this has changed over time. It looks at the social impact of fanciers organizations, the moral influence of the SPCA and other animal welfare groups, the educational role of calf clubs, and the questions raised by animal rights activists. Along the way, it tells the stories of some memorable companion animals. The book is beautifully illustrated and includes many previously unpublished historical images.

About this title

Product Description:

New Zealand has one of the highest rates of pet ownership in the world: more than half of all Kiwi households have a cat and nearly a third have a dog, while many have other pets. Yet, until now, no book has explored how pet ownership came to be such an integral part of the New Zealand way of life. Beautifully illustrated, with many previously unpublished historical images, Creature Comforts chronicles the major events and ideas that have shaped pet ownership in New Zealand. This fascinating and entertaining book explains the strong relationship New Zealanders have with their animal companions, and how this has changed over time. The book looks at the social impact of pet fanciers' organizations, the moral influence of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) and other animal welfare groups, the educational role of calf clubs, and the debates stirred up by animal rights movements.

About the Author:

Nancy Swarbrick is a Wellington historian who has spent most of her career working on major reference projects, notablyThe Dictionary of New Zealand Biography and Te Ara: the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Creature Comfortswas inspired by her interest in social and cultural aspects of New Zealand’s past, particularly changing attitudes towards animals. Like many people, she grew up in a household with pets, and now enjoys the company of a feisty black cat called Guido.

About this edition

• Publisher: Otago University Press
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 1877578614
• ISBN 13: 9781877578618
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 292