Pet Ownership: Support or Burden? Exploring the Perceptions and Experiences of Pet Ownership for South Africans Living in Poverty.

Domestic pets include animal companions in the home environment. Whilst pets such as dogs may have working roles in that they serve as security for the household in which they reside, and cats and dogs alike may have a role in rodent control, pets are otherwise non-working or income generating. Domestic animals potentially provide invaluable companionship, emotional and social support to their human counterparts. Just under half of South Africans households include pets, however the ways that obligations and relationships between humans and pets are constructed differ socioeconomically and culturally. This presentation explores the social norms of pet ownership for South Africans living in poverty through a small qualitative study conducted in a semi-rural settlement.