An Examination of Communicative Negotiation of Non-Rescue Dog Stigma
In: Society & AnimalsAbstract
Recently the pressure to rescue dogs has increased, alongside the number of people opting to adopt dogs from shelters. Yet, many canines acquired in the U.S. are purchased from breeders, potentially resulting in pushback or difficult interactions. Using Communication Privacy Management and facework lenses, this study examined how individuals who bought dogs from breeders or pet shops negotiate communication and interpersonal challenges surrounding their non-rescue dogs. Through interviews of 41 guardians, the investigation found people with dogs they did not rescue carefully managed disclosure and faced threats amidst “non-rescue stigma.” Specifically, non-rescue guardians weighed the risks and rewards when determining whether and how to reveal the source of their dog. By providing excuses and justifications, guardians were able to remediate face threats and present a more desirable identity, particularly among guardians of rescue dogs.
Purchase
Buy instant access (PDF download and unlimited online access):
Institutional Login
Log in with Open Athens, Shibboleth, or your institutional credentials
Personal login
Log in with your brill.com account
-
Albert, A., & Bulcroft, K. (1988). Pets, families, and the life course. Journal of Marriage and Family, 50, 543-552. doi: 10.2307/352019.
-
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. (n.d.). Shelter intake and surrender: Pet statistics. Retrieved from https://www.aspca.org/animal-homelessness/shelter-intakeand-surrender/pet-statistics.
-
Animal Health Institute. (2005, November). Pet owner or guardian? Retrieved from https://www.avma.org/Advocacy/StateAndLocal/Pages/owner-guardian-ahi.aspx.
-
Antenucci, A., & Li, D. K. (2014, April 10). More young women choosing dogs over motherhood. New York Post. Retrieved from http://nypost.com/2014/04/10/more-young-women-choosing-dogs-over-motherhood/.
-
APPA National Pet Owners Survey Debut. (2018). Greenwich, CT: American Pet Products Association, Inc. Retrieved from http://americanpetproducts.org/Uploads/MemServices/GPE2017_NPOS_Seminar.pdf.
-
Armstrong, M. C., Tomasello, S., & Hunter, C. (2001). From pets to companion animals. In D. J. Salem & A. N. Rowan (Eds.), The state of the animals 2001 (pp. 71-85). Washington, DC: Humane Society Press.
-
Blankfield, B. (2016). “A symbol of his warmth and humanity”: Fala, Roosevelt, and the personable presidency. Rhetoric and Public Affairs, 19, 209-243. doi: 10.14321/rhetpublaffa.19.2.0209.
-
Blouin, D. D. (2013). Are dogs children, companions, or just animals? Understanding variations in people’s orientations towards animals. Anthrozoos, 26, 279-294. doi: 10.2752/175303713X13636846944402.
-
Brown, P., & Levinson, S. (1987). Politeness: Some universals in language use. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
-
Corkran, C. M. (2015). “An extension of me”: Handlers describe their experiences of working with bird dogs. Society & Animals, 23, 231-249. doi: 10.1163/15685306-12341252.
-
Cupach, W. R., & Metts, S. (1994). Facework. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
-
Derr, M. (2010, February 17). Pedigree, canine and human. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/17/feeling-guilty-about-your-purebred-dog/?mcubz=0.
-
Dotson, M. J., & Hyatt, E. M. (2008). Understanding dog-human companionship. Journal of Business Research, 61, 457-466. doi: 10.1016/j.busres.2007.07.019.
-
Dovidio, J. F., Major, B., & Crocker, J. (2000). Stigma: Introduction and overview. In T. F. Heatherton, R. E. Kleck, M. R. Hebl, & J. G. Hull (Eds.), Stigma: Social psychological perspectives (pp. 1-28). New York: Guilford.
-
Durham, W. T. (2008). The rules-based process of revealing/concealing the family planning decisions of voluntarily child-free couples: A communication privacy management perspective. Communication Studies, 59, 132-147. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10510970802062451.
-
Festinger, L. (1957). A theory of cognitive dissonance. Evanston, IL: Row, Peterson.
-
Garcia, A. C. (2016). The place of the dog in the family: A comparative case study of dog adoption. Society & Animals, 24(3), 289-309. doi: 10.1163/15685306-12341411.
-
Gardner, C. B. (1980). Passing by: Street remarks, address rights, and the urban female. Sociological Inquiry, 50, 328-356. doi: 10.1111/j.1475-1682X.1980.tb00026.x.
-
Glaser, B. G., & Strauss, A. L. (1967). Theoretical sampling. In N. K. Denzin (Ed.), Sociological methods: A sourcebook (pp. 105-150). New Brunswick, NJ: Aldine Transaction.
-
Goffman, E. (1963). Behavior in public places. New York, NY: Free Press.
-
Goffman, E. (1967). Interaction ritual: Essays on face-to-face behavior. Garden City, NY: Doubleday.
-
Goffman, E. (1971). Relations in public: Microstudies of the public order. New York, NY: Basic Books.
-
Greenebaum, J. (2004). It’s a dog’s life: Elevating status from pet to “fur baby” at yappy hour. Society & Animals, 12, 117-135. doi: 10.1163/1568530041446544.
-
Herzog, H. (2006). Forty-two thousand and one dalmatians: Fads, social contagion and dog breed popularity. Society & Animals, 14, 383-397.
-
Irvine, L. (2004). If you tame me: Understanding our connection with animals. Philadelphia PA: Temple University Press.
-
Kerasote, T. (2010, February 17). Feeling guilty about your purebred? The New York Times. Retrieved from https://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/17/feeling-guilty-about-your-purebred-dog/?mcubz=3.
-
Mazzio, J. (2014, November 6). How the U.S. compares to other countries in terms of caring for homeless animals. One Green Planet. Retrieved from www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/how-the-u-s-compares-to-other-countries-in-terms-of-caring-for-homeless-animals/.
-
Petronio, S. (2002). Boundaries of privacy: Dialectics of disclosure. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
-
Plenda, M. (2016, December 8). The market power of fur babies. Business NH Magazine. Retrieved from http://millyardcommunications.com/index.phpsrc=news&refno=6600&category=News.
-
Power, E. (2008). Furry families: Making a human-dog family through home. Social & Cultural Geography, 9, 535-555. doi: 10.1080/14649360802217790.
-
Ramirez, M. (2006). “My dog’s just like me”: Dog ownership as a gender display. Symbolic Interaction, 29, 373-391. doi: 10.1525/si.2006.29.3.373.
-
Robins, D. M., Sanders, C. R., & Cahill, S. E. (1991). Dogs and their people: Pet-facilitated interaction in a public setting. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, 20, 3-25. doi: 10.1177/089124191020001001.
-
Romo, L. K. (2012). Living “above the influence”: How college students communicate about the healthy deviance of alcohol abstinence. Health Communication, 27, 672-681. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2011.629409.
-
Romo, L. K., & Donovan-Kicken, E. (2012). “Actually, I don’t eat meat”: A multiple-goals perspective of communication about vegetarianism. Communication Studies, 63, 405-420. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10510974.2011.623752.
-
Romo, L. K., Dinsmore, D. R., Connolly, T. L., & Davis, C. N. (2015). An examination of how professionals who abstain from alcohol communicatively negotiate their non-drinking identity. Journal of Applied Communication Research, 43, 91-111. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00909882.2014.982683.
-
Rowan, A. N. (2009). Animal sheltering trends in the U.S. Lecture presented in Pegasus Foundation Workshop, Martin County, FL.
-
Sanders, C. R. (1990). The animal ‘other’: Self definition, social identity, and companion animals. Advances in Consumer Research, 17, 662-668.
-
Seelye, K. Q. (2008, November 5). The search for the first puppy. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/05/the-search-for-the-first-puppy/?mcubz=3.
-
Staats, S., Wallace, H., & Anderson, T. (2008). Reasons for companion animal guardianship (pet ownership) from two populations. Society & Animals, 16, 279-291. doi: 10.1163/156853008X323411.
-
The Humane Society of the United States. (2018). Pets by the numbers. Retrieved from https://www.animalsheltering.org/page/pets-by-the-numbers.
-
Tracy, S. J. (2013). Qualitative research methods: Collecting evidence, crafting analysis, communicating impact. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.
-
Twining, H., Arluke, A., & Patronek, G. (2000). Managing the stigma of outlaw breeds: A case study of pit bull owners. Society & Animals, 8, 25-52. doi: 10.1163/156853000X00020.
-
Veevers, J. E. (1985). The social meanings of pets: Alternative roles for companion animals. Marriage & Family Review, 8, 11-30. http://dx.doi.org/10.1300/J002v08n03_03.
| All Time | Past Year | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 376 | 239 | 8 |
| Full Text Views | 42 | 28 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 79 | 51 | 0 |
An Examination of Communicative Negotiation of Non-Rescue Dog Stigma
In: Society & AnimalsAbstract
Recently the pressure to rescue dogs has increased, alongside the number of people opting to adopt dogs from shelters. Yet, many canines acquired in the U.S. are purchased from breeders, potentially resulting in pushback or difficult interactions. Using Communication Privacy Management and facework lenses, this study examined how individuals who bought dogs from breeders or pet shops negotiate communication and interpersonal challenges surrounding their non-rescue dogs. Through interviews of 41 guardians, the investigation found people with dogs they did not rescue carefully managed disclosure and faced threats amidst “non-rescue stigma.” Specifically, non-rescue guardians weighed the risks and rewards when determining whether and how to reveal the source of their dog. By providing excuses and justifications, guardians were able to remediate face threats and present a more desirable identity, particularly among guardians of rescue dogs.
| All Time | Past Year | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 376 | 239 | 8 |
| Full Text Views | 42 | 28 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 79 | 51 | 0 |