The Animal's Companion

The earliest evidence of a human and a pet can be traced as far back as 26,000 BC in France where a boy and his 'canid' took a walk through a cave. Their foot and paw prints were preserved together on the muddy cave floor, and smoke from the torch the boy carried was left on the walls, allowing archaeologists to carbon-date their journey. And so, the story unfolds, from these prehistoric days all the way up to the present, of humans' innate and undeniable need to live in the close company of animals.

In The Animal's Companion, acclaimed social anthropologist and author of Red: A History of the Redhead, Jacky Colliss Harvey turns her keen eye for cultural investigation and compelling storytelling skills to the history of animals as our companions in the everyday and in adversity. She explores the development of our interest in breeding and accessorising our pets; the connection, in the early nineteenth century, of animals and childhood (from Black Beauty to Lassie); our desire to mourn our pets and send them to the afterlife; and the when, how, and why all of these attitudes have developed over time.

Along the way Colliss Harvey regales us with wonderful stories of famous, endearing, and sometimes eccentric pet owners throughout history.