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Pets in America: A History
Entertaining and informative, Pets in America is a portrait of Americans' relationships with the cats, dogs, birds, fishes, rodents, and other animals we call our own. More than 60 percent of U.S. households have pets, and America grows more pet-friendly every day. But as Katherine C. Grier demonstrates, the ways we talk about and treat our pets--as companions, as children, and as objects of beauty, status, or pleasure--have their origins long ago.
Grier begins with a natural history of animals as pets, then discusses the changing role of pets in family life, new standards of animal welfare, the problems presented by borderline cases such as livestock pets, and the marketing of both animals and pet products. She focuses particularly on the period between 1840 and 1940, when the emotional, behavioral, and commercial characteristics of contemporary pet keeping were established. The story is filled with the warmth and humor of anecdotes from period diaries, letters, catalogs, and newspapers.
Filled with illustrations reflecting the whimsy, the devotion, and the commerce that have shaped centuries of American pet keeping, Pets in America ultimately shows how the history of pets has evolved alongside changing ideas about human nature, child development, and community life.
This book accompanies a museum exhibit, "Pets in America," which opens at the McKissick Museum in Columbia, South Carolina, in December 2005 and will travel to five other cities from May 2006 through May 2008.
Grier begins with a natural history of animals as pets, then discusses the changing role of pets in family life, new standards of animal welfare, the problems presented by borderline cases such as livestock pets, and the marketing of both animals and pet products. She focuses particularly on the period between 1840 and 1940, when the emotional, behavioral, and commercial characteristics of contemporary pet keeping were established. The story is filled with the warmth and humor of anecdotes from period diaries, letters, catalogs, and newspapers.
Filled with illustrations reflecting the whimsy, the devotion, and the commerce that have shaped centuries of American pet keeping, Pets in America ultimately shows how the history of pets has evolved alongside changing ideas about human nature, child development, and community life.
This book accompanies a museum exhibit, "Pets in America," which opens at the McKissick Museum in Columbia, South Carolina, in December 2005 and will travel to five other cities from May 2006 through May 2008.
377 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 2006
8 people are currently reading
174 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 21, 2025
This book works decently well as a survey of American petkeeping history, and makes a compelling case for why it's an important field of study. At work I've had trouble articulating this to coworkers uninterested in the pet tour I'm writing, because to me it seems like a no brainer-- they are such a universal part of our everyday lives, why shouldn't it be an object of study? The way we treat pets is often a microcosm of how we view or treat ourselves, and yet the behavior of pets is also beautifully constant across time-- a hunting dog from the 18th century isn't so different from an indoors-only dog of the 21st century. The book was best when it charted the evolution of the domestic ethic of kindness towards animals and the contradictions that arose for children from 1. generally being encouraged to treat animals as we would want to be treated and then 2. having chicken for dinner.
There were also some really fascinating and memorable individual anecdotes that Grier uncovered, especially Samuel Clemens' pet names and the in-depth history of the Cherry Hill family's "Bunny States of America." Pet relationships are so idiosyncratic and at its best, the points of data that Grier presents can be really cute and charming while still enlightening.
But those positive moments are kind of oases in what's mostly a pretty tedious book to get through, with a lot of information seemingly mundane or details that could have been happily relegated to the footnotes. I was initially into the topic-based essay structure of the book, but then it seems like each individual essay just duplicated telling the overall chronological history of pets so the book gets pretty repetitive and laundry-listy. I also found Grier's writing pretty generic and non-compelling, which is a shame because the intro is charmingly personal and then any sense of individual voice totally disappears. If you're reading this book it's for the information alone, the style doesn't bring much to the table.
There were also some really fascinating and memorable individual anecdotes that Grier uncovered, especially Samuel Clemens' pet names and the in-depth history of the Cherry Hill family's "Bunny States of America." Pet relationships are so idiosyncratic and at its best, the points of data that Grier presents can be really cute and charming while still enlightening.
But those positive moments are kind of oases in what's mostly a pretty tedious book to get through, with a lot of information seemingly mundane or details that could have been happily relegated to the footnotes. I was initially into the topic-based essay structure of the book, but then it seems like each individual essay just duplicated telling the overall chronological history of pets so the book gets pretty repetitive and laundry-listy. I also found Grier's writing pretty generic and non-compelling, which is a shame because the intro is charmingly personal and then any sense of individual voice totally disappears. If you're reading this book it's for the information alone, the style doesn't bring much to the table.
July 30, 2023
A must read, and an enjoyable read to boot!
December 13, 2015
Katherine F. Grier’s Pets in America is a fascinating account of how our patterns of behaviour have changed over three centuries with regard to the species we live with and the reasons we do so.
In the 1700s and 1800s, Americans shared their homes and properties, as well as the city streets where they lived, with a greater number of species (e.g., cats, dogs, cows, chickens, pigs, horses) than we do today even though ‘more than 60 percent of American households contained pet animals.’ (p. 315)
In this country’s short history, the numbers of animals, companions or otherwise, that it has consumed is beyond comprehension. For example, Grier notes that the number of canaries imported into the U.S. was ‘more than 20,000 in the decade before 1853, 10,000 in 1853 alone, and 20,000 each year by 1867.’ (p. 241)
America’s pets is big business, which Grier charts with great detail over the centuries. Surprisingly, today, she states that as a ‘percentage of the entire American economy, with a $10.4 trillion gross domestic product in 2002, the pet industry is small [$34.4 billion].’ (p. 316)
Nonetheless, all these millions of animals who were seen to be a ’fancy’ — an earlier term for a pet or companion animal, they are all individual animals each one with a unique personality. Indeed, one of the most interesting aspects to Grier’s book is how she charts the transition from the anonymity, if you will, of the chickens and pigs who people used to live alongside with to the emergence of a ’biography’ and identity for those animals who became people’s pets. She quotes many fascinating accounts written over the years about how people described their relationship with the animals they lived with.
In the course of this history, Grier refers to the emergence of humane attitudes, including in fiction (e.g., Black Beauty by Anna Sewell) and education, and the origins of animal control and the animal protection movement, including the ASPCA. There is also an important narrative on the development of the pet food and supplies industry.
This is an important book for animal advocates and animal scholars to read. It makes an major contribution to our understanding of how and why our relationship with those animals who we designate as ‘pets’ is a mess -- even though for many of us they are the loves of our lives.
In the 1700s and 1800s, Americans shared their homes and properties, as well as the city streets where they lived, with a greater number of species (e.g., cats, dogs, cows, chickens, pigs, horses) than we do today even though ‘more than 60 percent of American households contained pet animals.’ (p. 315)
In this country’s short history, the numbers of animals, companions or otherwise, that it has consumed is beyond comprehension. For example, Grier notes that the number of canaries imported into the U.S. was ‘more than 20,000 in the decade before 1853, 10,000 in 1853 alone, and 20,000 each year by 1867.’ (p. 241)
America’s pets is big business, which Grier charts with great detail over the centuries. Surprisingly, today, she states that as a ‘percentage of the entire American economy, with a $10.4 trillion gross domestic product in 2002, the pet industry is small [$34.4 billion].’ (p. 316)
Nonetheless, all these millions of animals who were seen to be a ’fancy’ — an earlier term for a pet or companion animal, they are all individual animals each one with a unique personality. Indeed, one of the most interesting aspects to Grier’s book is how she charts the transition from the anonymity, if you will, of the chickens and pigs who people used to live alongside with to the emergence of a ’biography’ and identity for those animals who became people’s pets. She quotes many fascinating accounts written over the years about how people described their relationship with the animals they lived with.
In the course of this history, Grier refers to the emergence of humane attitudes, including in fiction (e.g., Black Beauty by Anna Sewell) and education, and the origins of animal control and the animal protection movement, including the ASPCA. There is also an important narrative on the development of the pet food and supplies industry.
This is an important book for animal advocates and animal scholars to read. It makes an major contribution to our understanding of how and why our relationship with those animals who we designate as ‘pets’ is a mess -- even though for many of us they are the loves of our lives.
December 27, 2014
This books was an interesting read as it shows how our views on pets have changed over time. Also, how laws have changed to protect pets as well as citizens in the US. Also how the pet products it has evolved into a billion dollar industry. There are a lot of pictures in the book-though I was listening to the NLS (National Library Services) version of the book-the narrator did a fair job of describing the pictures which was okay. I hope someday to find this book and purchase it so I can see the pics for myself. Thoroughly enjoyed how Petsmart came to be as well as all about how advertisers over time viewed the pet owner market. A nice winter learn something read.
October 2, 2007
What a great idea for a book! Too bad it's written like the author's PhD dissertation.
The introduction is fabulous and makes you think you're about to get a colorful portrait of pet life in America. But while there are lots of interesting ideas, it's just not tied together in an interesting and readable way.
The introduction is fabulous and makes you think you're about to get a colorful portrait of pet life in America. But while there are lots of interesting ideas, it's just not tied together in an interesting and readable way.
January 8, 2013
Informative. Provides helpful context for animal welfare work in the United States. I was particularly interested in changing cultural attitudes toward companion animals. I also learned a lot about bird keeping in the United States--I didn't realize it was (once?) so widespread and popular.
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July 28, 2007fascinating picture of pet keeping in America, many illustrations, web site available as well.
April 22, 2009
The information in this book was great, but the writing style was very dry. If it hadn't have been a subject that already highly interests me, I might not have finished.
April 30, 2009
Although it was for class, the book was not that bad. A bit spacy at times, the author would go off on tangents, but not very muggy either.
November 1, 2011
I did not enjoy this book. I gave up when it was due back at the library and quit before finishing the last few chapters. There were interesting facts, but the writing style was slow and repetitive.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews