词条 | pet |
释义 | pet animal ![]() While a pet is generally kept for the pleasure that it can give to its owner, often, especially with horses, dogs, and cats, as well as with some other animals, this pleasure appears to be mutual. Thus, pet keeping can be described as a symbiotic relationship, one that benefits both animals and human beings. As the keeping of pets has been practiced from prehistoric times to the present and as pets are found in nearly every culture and society, pet keeping apparently satisfies a deep, universal human need. The history of pets is intertwined with the process of animal domestication, and it is likely that the dog, as the first domesticated species, was also the first pet. Perhaps the initial steps toward domestication were taken largely through the widespread human practice of making pets of captured young wild animals. Eventually, a working relationship developed between the dogs and their human captors. The dog was swifter, had stronger jaws, and was better at tracking prey; therefore, it could be of great use in hunting and guarding duties. From human beings, on the other hand, the dogs were assured of a constant supply of food as well as warmth from the fire. There is indirect evidence that the dog may have been domesticated and kept as a pet since Paleolithic times, as can be surmised from the paintings and carvings that archaeologists have found in ancient campsites and tombs. In Mesopotamia (Mesopotamia, history of), dogs that look remarkably like the present-day mastiff were shown participating in a lion hunt. Domestic pets were often depicted in the scenes of family life in ancient Egypt; (Egypt, ancient) hunting dogs of the greyhound or saluki type accompany their master to the chase, and lap dogs frequently sit under the chair of their master or mistress. ![]() As has been noted, the primary bond distinguishing a pet-and-owner relationship is affection. As useful as many of these animals are, what differentiates a pet from other economically useful livestock is the degree of contact between the animals and human beings. Often, this relationship has been unabashedly sentimentalized in myth, art, and literature. The affection between Alexander the Great and his favourite horse, Bucephalus, has become legendary, while in the modern age the popularity of such canine motion-picture stars as Rin Tin Tin and Lassie is further evidence of the importance placed on the relationship between owner and pet. The pet-and-owner relationship, however, is not only founded on companionship; since the earliest period of domestication, pets have fulfilled practical, economic ends. Catching other animals to feed their human masters is one of the most fundamental uses of pets, and not only dogs have served in this capacity but cats, hyenas, and lions have also been used for hunting. The aristocratic, rather arcane sport of falconry made use of the natural talent of hawks to aid in hunting game birds. Pets have also been used for the purpose of guarding—either other livestock, the home or territory of their owners, or the owners themselves. Any pet that has a sharp sense of smell or hearing and that makes a loud noise when aroused can be used as a guard, although dogs are the best-known examples. It is thought that the Nile goose, a favourite household pet of the ancient Egyptians, may have served such a purpose. The herding and guarding of livestock is another practical use of pets, in particular the dog. Over the centuries, many specialized breeds of dog have been developed to suit this purpose. Often, pets have been used as a source of food when other sources become scarce. This has been the case with dogs throughout their history of domestication in both the Old World and the New World. Guinea pigs, domesticated as pets in the New World, also assured a stable food supply. Pets have also been used to eliminate animal pests. The rat-catching ability of cats is celebrated in fairy tales such as “Puss 'n Boots” and “Dick Whittington,” as is the snake-catching talent of the mongoose in Rudyard Kipling's “Rikki-tikki-tavi.” Finally, pets themselves have become a self-perpetuating industry, bred for a variety of purposes, including their value as breeding animals (animal breeding). Pets that are bred for aesthetic purposes may have full-fledged show careers. Other pets may be bred for racing or other competitive sports, around which sizable industries have been built. ![]() ![]() |
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