| Abstract [eng] |
This thesis aims to analyse perspectives towards the relationship between pets and their owners in Lithuania. The relevance of the topic is based upon two aspects: high numbers of pets kept in Lithuania and the lack of sociological research on the similar topic. Statistical data shows that households in Lithuania include a cat or a dog more often than the EU average. This topic, nonetheless, remains largely unexamined by Lithuanian sociologists. Empirical research relies on the theories of sociology of family life or intimate life and the concept of companion species. The main methods employed in this work are statistical analysis of characteristics of Lithuanian pet owners, qualitative social media content analysis and the analysis of focus group discussions organized by the author herself. The research analyses practices demonstrated by the owners, their conceptions towards their pets and the relations between these two aspects. Combining social media content analysis and focus group discussions creates a possibility to look into the topic of the relationship between animals and people from a different angle. This combination is new not only in Lithuania but also in the field of sociological research of pets in general. The research enables some conclusions to be drawn. Statistical analysis shows that having a pet is more characteristic to married people with larger families but being childless or having children is mainly not related to having a pet. However, social media mostly reflects the practices of animal humanization which may include giving a role of a baby to a pet. The analysis of focus group discussions reveals that practices of humanization and objectification may coexist. Finally, findings show that practices of animal humanization, objectification and unicalization may not only be assigned to the theoretical models of animal-family member, animal-friend and animal-companion perspectives but also allows to form a new animal-part of one’s identity perspective. |
