Book Review: “Being with Animals” by Barbara J. King
Halzack, Sarah, “Book Review: ‘Being with Animals’ by Barbara J. King,” Washington Post, February 21, 2010
“Being with Animals” by Barbara J. King examines the positive relationship that humans have with animals in depth.
She describes the process of domestication of some animals, like cats, dogs and goats. She also explains that people have unsuccessfully attempted to domesticate certain animals, such as moose and raccoons.
King discusses how animals are important to humans’ religious beliefs and rituals. For example, ancient Egyptians worshipped cats and even mummified them after they died.
Furthermore, King explains animals’ ability to have an emotional effect on humans. She offers some strong anecdotes to support her information, such as the one about the dog who became excited before his owner returned home from business trips. He even became excited when there were no people in the house that were aware of the owner’s arrival time and the owner did not follow his normal schedule. This demonstrates that humans and animals are connected emotionally in almost unbelievable ways.
Sarah Halzack, the writer of the book review, explains that King merely addresses the other side of the relationship between humans and animals that pertains to animal cruelty. “If the premise of this book is that humans benefit from showing consideration for animals, then how do we explain so much human neglect and abuse of animals?” Sara questions. “Exploring this question in depth would have allowed for a fuller understanding of the human-animal relationship.”
fascinating!
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