Consumerism and Canines: Sociology and Psychology of Appearance
By: Selective Breeding, Canine Health
Tags: Psychology, Dog Adoption, Sociology

Companion animals have a diverse set of utilities. To risk oversimplification, however, these may be categorised as follows: animals as objects/products and animals as companions. When serving as objects/products, they are reduced from their status of a consumers’ companions and are instead treated as objects in the consumers’ environment. Ways in which it is likely to occur are described below:

As Ornaments:

Herein, animals are to provide aesthetic value and/or pleasure to the consumers.

Exotic birds with vibrant plumage or melodic voices often serve this purpose, as do aquariums filled with tropical fish and outdoor pools stocked with koi. In this

role, animals perform much the same function as houseplants, paintings, and sculpture-beautiful-to-behold possessions (Working Party Council for Science

and Society 1988).

As Status Symbols:

Some consumers acquire animals as a means of achieving or displaying

elite status. For example, rare, unusual, or expensive animals may be purchased as signifiers of wealth much as any other luxury object. Breeds that often serve as status symbols include King Charles spaniels, Chinese shar-pei dogs, Sphynx and Bengal cats, and Arabian or Thoroughbred horses.

A related phenomenon is the purchase of champion pedigreed animals by those attempting to acquire a distinguished lineage for themselves. The animal is not appreciated in and of itself but, rather, for the pedigree it embodies.

As vocation:

This grouping comprises of animals being bred and kept for shows/exhibition. Cat and dog shows are fiercely competitive, wherein individual animals are matched against each other, as well as an ideal breed standard, and evaluated accordingly. These also demonstrate consumers’ disposition to alter the gene pools of the animals being bred. For instance, the basic wolflike canine domesticated 12,000 years ago have now created 136 dog breeds. Likewise, from the original cat domesticated 4,000 years ago have now sprung 44 distinct breeds. Very often, breeders and consumers have come together in forming genetic extremes that are disadvantageous to the animals.

Literature claims human preference for companion animals perceived as aesthetically pleasing or “cute.” Cuteness is often an indicatory measure of attractiveness to a stimulus associated with infancy and youth. The term, coined and conceptualized in Konrad Lorenz’s notion of Kindchenschema (or baby schema), was first described by the ethologist as a set of facial features (i.e., large head and a round face, a high and protruding forehead, large eyes, and a small nose and mouth) able to initiate an innate mechanism for caregiving and affective predisposition toward infants. Of late, numerous empirical studies have proven that faces with these traits are perceived as cute and attractive and are consistently preferred to those with a less infantile facial configuration.

Accretion of behavioral and neurophysiological studies provide empirical impetus to the idea of infantile faces being stimuli that rapidly and unconsciously capture attention and elicit positive emotions. The automated emotional responses to infant stimuli is said to be mediated predominantly by the autonomic nervous system, independent of caregiving experience, or cultural variables.

Snorting and shuffling are long since encouraged among dogs. These are, however, signs of clinical health ailments that require surgical intervention. Novelty, breed standards and demand encourage the thought behind genetic and conformational purity. The practice of breed confirmation leads to conformational diseases, and along with what’s desired come predisposition to repository disorders, skin conditions, reproductive issues and eye injuries.

The Science of Dogs blog put together a side-by-side comparison of several popular dog breeds from the 1915 book Dogs of All Nations by Walter Esplin Mason showing what they look like today. Bull terrier, once called the embodiment of agility, grace, elegance and determination”, and the “gladiator of the canine race” in Dogs of All Nations should now be “egg-shaped,” as mandated by the American Kennel Club (AKC). It has also developed extra teeth. English bulldogs were once used for bull-baiting — had saggy jowls and a squat stance, today the wrinkles are more pronounced and the squat apparent. German Shephard, which weigh about 24 kilos, has been described as a “medium-sized dog.” They now weigh about 34 to 43 kilos, with a back that slopes further.

Brachycephaly is a condition that literally translates to having wide and flat skulls. It is characterised by shortened snouts and muzzle. Brachycephalic dogs require a higher than average amount of veterinary care, and are reliant on humans for cleaning wrinkles and giving birth. One theory as to why brachycephalic dogs exist, is that ancient dog owners kept and bred ones that were small in stature with shorter snouts, as they reminded them of human infants