Welcome to Unit 3!
Below is Chase's Cultural Trend Essay for you to use an example. Please let the TA's know if you have any questions!
Who Needs Kids?
I waited on the front porch as my aunt’s new puppy awkwardly flung herself out of the parked car and came running down the sidewalk to greet me. I saw a blur of raspberry colored sweater as she excitedly darted through my legs. Her figure eight around my ankles wasn’t exactly the epitome of graceful. I congratulated my aunt on the newest member of her family and before I had a chance to invite them both inside, my aunt was already showing me the report card from her puppy’s training class. A bright red “A” was circled on the top of the page and my aunt was bursting with exuberance, as if she expected her little dog to one day become a doctor or scientist. My aunt doesn’t have any children, but I can’t imagine her being anymore proud of an accomplishment. For my aunt, a puppy is an ideal alternative to a child, and she is not alone in this mindset. This modern trend is becoming more popular and pronounced, and even though dogs have taken a special place in mankind’s heart for thousands of years, for the first time in history the role of the dog is changing. Whether the cause be from the “white picket fence” image in the 1950s, the personification of dogs in movies in the 1970s, or even the recent change in the pet industry that allows dogs to be raised like children, it’s becoming increasingly common for dogs to take a place in American homes, not just as a pet, but as a family member.
Domesticated dogs got their start in Egypt around 3,000 B.C. It all began when the half-man, half-jackal god Anubis was introduced to Egyptian mythology. As Anubis rose in popularity, his dog-headed image became iconic in art. The portrayal of Anubis looked very similar to the Ibizan Hound, a breed of dog domesticated from wolves. The Ibizan Hound quickly became a must-have for the royal and noble, a status symbol of their wealth and connection to the gods. Archaeologists discovered the relationship between families and their pets was deeper than originally thought when they uncovered part of a cemetery in Abydos set aside just for dogs.
In the United States, pet dogs increased in popularity after World War II. According to Andrew Rowan, Ph.D., director of Tufts University Medical School’s Center for Animals and Public Policy, “Pet ownership as we know it today is a post-World War II phenomenon” (Gingold). As suburbanization grew, Americans developed ideas of what the perfect family looked like. This “white picket fence” image included a dog. Evidence of the newly flourishing relationship between Americans and their dogs lies in the change of dog food. Dogs weren’t being fed leftovers anymore, people were actually coughing up the cash to pay for actual dog food- something that was unheard of ten years earlier. On September 5th, 1960, Time Magazine reported that over 61% of the U.S. dog population -more than 26 million dogs- were eating prepared dog food. [www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,826590,00.html]. Companies like Friskies and Purina made a hard advertisement push in the early 1960s which continued to propel this thriving market forward. [www.vintageadbrowser.com/animals-ads-1960s/7]. Between the 1950s and 1960s, pet food in America had made so much progress that the average life expectancy of dogs increased by two to three years. [www.aspca.org/about-us/history.aspx]. The change in dog food was the first of two big changes in the trends of dogs in the US.
The second trend hit a few decades later in the 1970’s and 1980‘s when anthropomorphism, the attribution of human characteristics to animals, caught way in movies and television. Major players in the entertainment industry, such as Walt Disney Studios, began producing films that appealed to pet owner’s emotions. Movies like “The Fox and The Hound” and “101 Dalmatians” personified pets and made their owners more cautious and aware of the human-like characteristics their doggy companions had.
In the New York Times article “‘For the Dogs’ Has a Whole New Meaning”, journalist Andrew Martin takes a look at the pet industry. Martin uses a quote by Bob Vetere, president of the American Pet Products Association that stands out: “Pet owners aren’t just looking to provide a home for their pets. They are investing in their pets’ quality of life.” [www.nytimes.com/2011/06/05/business/05pets.html?pagewanted=all] This widespread trend begins to influence the economy when Americans start to search retail stores for the pet supplies they need to keep their pets happy. A brand new kind of retail store comes into play with the opening of Petsmart in 1986 and Petco grows to a major player in 1988. This finally gave Americans a place to find a variety of pet products such as leashes, toys, and grooming accessories. Petsmart’s and Petco’s sales skyrocketed, along with many other smaller pet retail stores, launching a new era of pet care. [about.petco.com/press-room/company-backgrounder/].
With inflation and the rising costs of raising a child at the turn of the century, Americans who want to hold off on children finally have the option for a substitute.
Citations
Alfred, Gingold. Dog World: And the Humans Who Live There. New York: Broadway Books, 2005. Print.