ABSTRACT
This chapter specifically considers human—animal interactions that take place within a veterinary context. It explores the attitudes of Dutch small-animal practitioners towards pet-keeping and pet-keepers, examining the extent to which the boundaries between humans and animals are contested within this cultural context. Indeed, the practice of pet-keeping has often been seen as an extremely potent symbol of ‘man’s inhumanity to man’. By the twentieth century, however, the practice of pet-keeping had trickled down to all strata of Western society; the Netherlands is certainly no exception in this regard. The central issue discussed concerns the lengths to which some Dutch pet owners are prepared to go in order to retain the company of their cherished pets. In such situations one can clearly identify the problematic nature of pet-keeping as the individuals’ actions, taken out of ‘love’, may very well have a negative impact on the health and well-being of the animal.
