This study investigated whether children have more intense relationships with pets which are behaviorally similar to humans and whether the child-pet relationship patterns differ by gender and age. Dogs and cats are examples of pets behaviorally similar to humans; fish, birds, and mice are not.
Two age-groups of Austrian children participated in this study: 6 - to 10-year-olds (Group 1) and 11- to 14-year-olds (Group 2). All participants completed a questionnaire focusing on their relationship with their pet. The questionnaire assessed both bonding type and attachment quality. There were 72 completed questionnaires for the younger age group; 84 for the older age group. All pet species were vertebrates, ranging from fish to higher-order mammals, such as cats and dogs. Only one child had insects.
The data of the two age groups were first analyzed separately; then for the entire sample. Additional analysis compared data between Group 1 and Group 2. The attachment quality of 6- to 10-year-old children varied in relation to the behavioral proximity of the pet species to humans. Children in this group with dogs or cats for pets rated the attachment with their pet higher than children in this group with other types of pets. This attachment quality was not found in the 11- to 14-year-old group. Children in the older group (Group 2) reported similarly high scores of attachment with their mouse or iguana as with their dog or cat. Girls in both age groups reported more intense relationships with their pets than boys; and children without siblings had stronger attachment to their pet than children with siblings.
This research confirms earlier studies indicating that people have more intense relationships with animals which are closer to humans behaviorally than other animals. This research indicates, however, that the phenomenon is more complex than previously thought. Age and gender make a difference in the child-pet relationship. The age differences may be due to a change in children's mental relationship representations, in that the older (11- to 14-year-old) children may no longer make attachments to pets based on them being behaviorally similar to humans.
These findings suggest that a pet dog or cat seems to be optimal for the formation of high-quality relationships in younger children, but that children from 11 years of age may attach to other pet species.
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