Author

Kira Rib

Date of Award

2017

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Vesperi, Maria

Area of Concentration

Anthropology

Abstract

In this thesis I explore the human-canine bond through the specific social relationship of service work. Employing ethnographic methods and theories from prominent multispecies scholars, and consulting comparative psychology, ethology, and animal welfare, I develop a multispecies ethnography. I conceptualize the bonds between humans and service dogs as multidimensional relationships built on a coevolutionary history of cooperation. Informed by ethnographic research performed at Southeastern Guide Dogs in Palmetto, Florida, in this thesis I discuss the development of service dog teams through breeding, rearing, and training practices that build successful working relationships between humans and canines.

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