This study analyzes the decision making that underlies the choice of terms we use to refer to companion animals. Three focus groups were developed, including participants from different demographic backgrounds who answered questions about their experience cohabitating with companion animals. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed using Thematic Analysis, carrying out a progressive refinement of the semantic contents until abstracting general themes. This study organizes the results based on three themes: (1) What you mean to me, contemplating human–animal relationships such as multispecies family, pet–owner relationship, human-like relationship, and objectivization; (2) Others’ surveillance, encompassing the role of social pressure in decision making; and (3) A good solution (here and now), focused on the strategic decisions made to balance the prior questions. The analysis shows that companion animals are usually considered part of the family, but that importance is not always freely communicated outside of the household. Often, participants try to nuance the importance of their companion animals, mask this relationship behind jokes, or tend to isolate themselves to avoid hostile social attention. These findings show the dilemmas faced by people who live with animals and point to the urgency of revising hegemonic discourses to improve the integration of these new family models in Spanish society.

This study provides information about the role of companion animals in the life courses of the family from a developmental approach, conceiving the bond between species as the intersection of journeys of humans and companions. Three online focus groups were conducted. A thematic analysis was performed, using an experiential and constructivist perspective. Four themes referred to moments of co-existence: 1) the arrival of the companion, 2) the joint maturation of the relationship, 3) changes related to family transitions, and 4) the end of the relationship. These themes describe how the selfhood of the companions and the identity of the family coevolves along the life-course and highlight the challenges the families face. These findings contribute to the literature that questions dominating social discourses and show emerging models of multispecies families

«Un hocico prodigioso» es una cautivadora exploración de la profunda conexión que los seres humanos han forjado con los perros a lo largo de 15 000 años. Desde los primeros lobos que se acercaron a los campamentos humanos hasta los perros que hoy en día llenan nuestros hogares de alegría y compañía, este libro revela cómo estas criaturas han pasado de ser simples compañeros a convertirse en miembros esenciales de nuestras familias. A través de un enfoque psicológico, se desvela el proceso de selección y adopción de estos animales, mostrándonos cómo se integran en el concepto moderno de familia y cómo organizamos nuestra vida alrededor de ellos. Más allá de su papel como compañeros, los perros se convierten en centinelas de nuestras comunidades y en catalizadores de relaciones sociales. Su influencia en nuestra salud física y emocional es innegable, promoviendo un estilo de vida más saludable y un bienestar mental fortalecido, pero ¿es así en todos los casos? El vínculo humano-perro no está exento de desafíos. Javier López-Cepero también aborda las posibles cargas emocionales que surgen de esta relación tan estrecha, incluyendo el dolor de la pérdida cuando nuestros amigos de cuatro patas llegan al final de su ciclo de vida. Este libro es una obra imprescindible para cualquier amante de los perros o para aquellos interesados en entender cómo esta relación ha moldeado y sigue moldeando nuestras vidas y sociedades. Con un enfoque accesible y profundamente humano, invita a reflexionar sobre uno de los vínculos más duraderos y significativos en la historia de la humanidad. "A Wonderful Snout" is a captivating exploration of the deep connection that humans have forged with dogs over 15,000 years. From the first wolves that approached human camps to the dogs that fill our homes with joy and companionship today, this book reveals how these creatures have gone from being simple companions to becoming essential members of our families. Through a psychological approach, the process of selection and adoption of these animals is revealed, showing us how they are integrated into the modern concept of family and how we organize our lives around them. Beyond their role as companions, dogs become sentinels of our communities and catalysts of social relationships. Their influence on our physical and emotional health is undeniable, promoting a healthier lifestyle and strengthened mental well-being, but is this the case for everyone? The human-dog bond is not without its challenges. Javier López-Cepero also addresses the potential emotional burdens that arise from this close relationship, including the pain of loss when our four-legged friends reach the end of their life cycle. This book is an essential work for any dog lover or for those interested in understanding how this relationship has shaped and continues to shape our lives and societies. With an accessible and deeply human approach, it invites us to reflect on one of the most lasting and significant bonds in the history of humanity.

The presence of non-human animals in Spanish homes has registered a sustained increase over the past few decades, and their status within families has risen to the point where they are considered full-fledged members. However, these social transformations have given rise to debates about the limits of interspecies relationships. These debates are reproduced at different levels of analysis. From a social and cultural perspective, the literature shows inconsistencies between the status and guarantees granted to various animal species, which do not appear to correlate with their cognitive and emotional abilities. In terms of the home, research finds numerous examples of difficulties in integrating companion animals into family dynamics, including the choice of terms, limits of reciprocity, and respect for the ethology of dogs, cats, and other animals. Finally, events such as death are receiving increasing attention, framed within the field of comparative thanatology. This presentation reviews the current state of these debates, presenting information extracted from various studies conducted on the Spanish population over the past few years. The presentation will highlight especially those aspects in which omparative psychology plays a relevant role in the development of multi-species families.

Introducción. El duelo por animales de compañía es un fenómeno común parecido con el experimentado por la pérdida de seres humanos. Un instrumento específicamente desarrollado para su evaluación es el Pet Bereavement Questionnaire (PBQ). Éste consta de 16 ítems que valoran tres reacciones: tristeza, ira y culpa. Hasta donde alcanza nuestro conocimiento, dicho instrumento no ha sido validado en nuestro contexto. Objetivos. Este trabajo aporta datos psicométricos sobre la validez y confiabilidad de la adaptación española del PBQ, así como información sobre la intensidad del duelo en población española. Método. Contamos con N=333 participantes españoles mayores de edad (M=31.5; SD=11.6), mayoritariamente mujeres (76.3%; 1,8% no binarias). La validación de la estructura combinó un análisis factorial exploratorio (AFE) mediante matrices policóricas y rotación oblimin, y otro confirmatorio (AFC), repartiendo la muestra en dos mitades. Resultados. El AFE ofreció una solución que retuvo 15 de los 16 ítems originales, aunque asignados a dos factores en lugar de tres. Esta solución presentó adecuados indicadores de ajuste (RMSEA=.048; CFI=.991) y fiabilidad (alphas= .917 y .932), con un 62% de varianza explicada. Sin embargo, el AFC mostró que la estructura original de tres factores (tristeza, culpa e ira) ofreció mejores indicadores de ajuste que la estructura bifactorial en la segunda mitad de la muestra. La comparación de medias en función del género mostró medias superiores entre las mujeres en comparación a los varones en las escalas de tristeza e ira. El 70% de los participantes reportó signos de duelo intenso en la escala de tristeza. Las personas identificadas como no binarias presentaron medias descriptivamente superiores a las de varones y mujeres (tamaños de efecto d = .49-.85). Conclusiones. Los resultados obtenidos muestran adecuadas cualidades psicométricas del PBQ, poniendo a disposición de profesionales sanitarios una herramienta de evaluación de la intensidad del duelo en muestra española.