By Konstadina Naka – For the past three months, my master’s research has explored the complex world of the modern human-dog relationship in Amsterdam. This ethnographic journey took an unexpected turn. I was initially intrigued by the absence of stray animals compared to the Greek island where I grew up. There, strays command the town center. My focus shifted to understanding how modern human-dog relationships are forged and lived in a Western European country like the Netherlands. My first visit years ago painted Amsterdam as a city of humans and birds; now, I see the deep integration and complication of canine lives within its human fabric.
My research involves connecting with dog ‘guardians’ and various entrepreneurs in the canine economy. These are people working with dogs, for dogs, or, as one insightful trainer suggested, for people who live with dogs. A recurring theme quickly emerged. It is a strong tendency towards what animal studies scholar Samantha Hurn calls ‘egomorphization’. That concept describes investing dogs with a type of human individuality, a specific form of anthropomorphism. It often manifests as guardians treating their dogs akin to human children. For example, in one of the dog daycares I visited, clients bring lunch boxes and extra clothes for their dogs. These are for the cold or in case they get dirty.
I argue that these evolving human dog relationships are profoundly embedded within the modern pet industry and its associated market. The market is demonstrably stratified by social class. The population at the aforementioned dog daycare center illustrates this. Most clients are in their thirties and do not have children. They see their dogs as family and have the financial means to care for them in the best possible way. The pet industry market not only reflects existing social structures but also actively shapes modern human dog relationship practices. It does so by promoting specific goods, services, and standards of care.
However, this is not a one way process solely determined by humans or the market. From the outset of my research, it was clear that pet dogs possess and exert their own agency. Their actions significantly influence human practices, daily routines, and even economies. Pets are not passive objects but active subjects. Through their behaviours, preferences, and interactions, they co create these bonds. Canine agency extends beyond the household. The actions and needs of pet dogs even inspire their human companions to shape the pet industry itself. They found adoption organizations, open specialized dog daycares, or seek employment in dog friendly establishments like cafes. Therefore, these practices emerge from a complex co constitution. It involves human intentions, market forces, and the active participation of the animals themselves.
One example involves the owner of a dog daycare. She started her business because her own reactive dog was unsuitable for traditional boarding facilities. This personal need, driven by her dog’s behaviour, led her to create a different kind of environment. She hired staff from a conventional pet hotel who were dissatisfied with keeping animals in kennels all day. They shared her vision of a space where dogs could freely choose their companions and activities. They successfully established a facility with three large, separate fields. There, dogs can self select social groups, which in turn determines where they spend their time. The entire business operation fundamentally revolves around canine social dynamics.
The influence of individual dogs is also evident daily. Consider Rabbit, a daycare regular who, at only a year old, stands a meter tall and weighs 50 kilograms. Every Friday Rabbit attends, the employee schedule is meticulously planned around him due to his tendency to cause damage and instigate drama. Rabbit effectively dictates his movements between fields and influences which dogs accompany him. At least two employees’ workdays are structured entirely around Rabbit’s choices.
Canine actions can even alter human life trajectories unexpectedly. The owner of a popular dog café recounted meeting a key employee following a minor incident. She had briefly left new staff in charge when she received a panicked call about a dog biting a customer. Fearing the worst, she rushed back to find the customer remarkably calm. The costumer explained she was the dog’s sitter. Before leaving, she asked about job openings. She was hired and has worked there ever since, becoming a close friend of the owner. While one could argue coincidence, the dog’s action was the undeniable catalyst for the employment and the subsequent friendship. It underscores a profound point: while we focus on shaping our dogs’ lives, they are, in countless ways, shaping ours.
Perhaps the most compelling illustration of this intricate entanglement is the story of Romeo, a 13 year old French bulldog with hind leg paralysis, and his guardian, Simon. Romeo’s breed, a product of human design fraught with health risks like Romeo’s Degenerative Myelopathy, forces an engagement with the consequences of human intervention. Simon, instead of succumbing to the difficulty, takes this responsibility and actively enables Romeo’s life. He fashioned a wheeled apparatus for Romeo, granting him mobility. Initially, I perceived Romeo as wholly dependent, yet he navigates the world with considerable autonomy using his wheels, socializing readily at the daycare where Simon works. Their bond is palpable; Romeo cries in a distinct way, dubbed “frenchie talk” by Simon, when separated. They share a deep mutual understanding, reading each other’s movements and intentions; Romeo anticipates Simon’s approach for petting or patiently adjusts his body for the wheels. Their relationship, built on care and mutual understanding across species lines is a form of what Donna Haraway calls “making kin”.
In conclusion, the modern human-dog relationships unfolding in Amsterdam reveal a complex interplay of socioeconomic factors, market influences, human projections like egomorphization and anthropomorphism, and the undeniable agency of the dogs themselves. From shaping daily schedules and business ventures to altering life paths, dogs are active participants in coshaping the human dog landscape. As Romeo and Simon’s story poignantly shows, these human-dog bonds challenge us to recognize our deep entanglement and practice responsible, responsive ways of living together in a multispecies world.
Konstadina Naka is a Master student Anthropology at the VU.