Companion Animals

Abstract

For millennia humans have lived in the presence of numerous other animals and have engaged in complex relationships with many of these other species. Arguably the most complex connection is with those animals who exist in companionship bonds with humans. Of course, this begs the question of the definition of companion animals and how that is distinct from relationships with other animals (those who are “wild” neighbors, for example). Who is a companion animal with humans? This chapter will address that definition/distinction (succinctly) and then focus on how companion animals, thus defined, have been part of religious responses including, but not limited to, blessings, death rituals/observances, thanksgivings, and familial connections.