Prehistory Archaeology suggests that human ownership of dogs as pets may date back to at least 12,000 years ago.
Ancient history Ancient Greeks and
Romans would openly grieve for the loss of a dog, evidenced by inscriptions left on tombstones commemorating their loss. The surviving epitaphs dedicated to horses are more likely to reference a gratitude for the companionship that had come from war horses rather than race horses. The latter may have chiefly been commemorated as a way to further the owner's fame and glory. In
Ancient Egypt, dogs and baboons were kept as pets and buried with their owners. Dogs were given names, which is significant as Egyptians considered names to have magical properties. In the
Old Testament passage in
2 Samuel 12, the prophet
Nathan, in order to indicate to
King David the seriousness of his adulterous and murderous affair with
Bathsheba, uses the
parable of a poor man's pet lamb being slaughtered by a rich neighbor who uses it to feed a guest. David, who had spent his youth as a shepherd and had compassion and affection for such a creature, becomes enraged at the rich man in the parable, only to be told by Nathan, "You are the man!" David, having been thus exposed as a hypocrite, confesses, "I have sinned." This is one of the only instances in
Scripture of an animal being kept for companionship rather than for utilitarian purposes, apart from the acquisition of exotic animals by David's son
King Solomon for a menagerie (
2 Chronicles 9)
Victorian era: the rise of modern pet keeping Throughout the 17th and 18th-century pet keeping in the modern sense gradually became accepted throughout
Britain. Initially, aristocrats kept dogs for both companionship and hunting. Thus, pet keeping was a sign of elitism within society. By the 19th century, the rise of the middle class stimulated the development of pet keeping and it became inscribed within the
bourgeois culture.
Economy As the popularity of pet-keeping in the modern sense rose during the
Victorian era, animals became a fixture within urban culture as commodities and decorative objects. The popularity of animals also developed a demand for animal goods such as accessories and guides for pet keeping. Pet care developed into a big business by the end of the nineteenth century. The development of dog stealing reflects the increased value of pets. Pets gradually became defined as the property of their owners. Laws were created that punished offenders for their burglary.
Social Pets and animals also had social and cultural implications throughout the nineteenth century. The categorization of dogs by their breeds reflected the hierarchical, social order of the Victorian era. The
pedigree of a dog represented the high status and lineage of their owners and reinforced social stratification. Middle-class owners valued the ability to associate with the upper-class through ownership of their pets. The ability to care for a pet signified respectability and the capability to be self-sufficient. According to Harriet Ritvo, the identification of "elite animal and elite owner was not a confirmation of the owner's status but a way of redefining it."
Entertainment The popularity of dog and pet keeping generated
animal fancy. Dog fanciers showed enthusiasm for owning pets, breeding dogs, and showing dogs in various shows. The first
dog show took place on 28 June 1859 in Newcastle and focused mostly on sporting and hunting dogs. However, pet owners produced an eagerness to demonstrate their pets as well as have an outlet to compete. Thus, pet animals gradually were included within dog shows. The first large show, which would host one thousand entries, took place in Chelsea in 1863. The
Kennel Club was created in 1873 to ensure fairness and organization within dog shows. The development of the
Stud Book by the Kennel Club defined policies, presented a national registry system of purebred dogs, and essentially institutionalized dog shows. == Pet ownership by non-humans ==