Livestock and Pets: Validation of 72 Pairs of Photographs Depicting Dogs, Cats, Miniature Rabbits, Pigs, and Cattle

ABSTRACT

This study had a correlational design and aimed to develop and validate a database of dual-perspective (entire face and ¾ face) face-focused photographs depicting pets (dogs, cats, miniature rabbits) and livestock animals (pigs and cattle). Participants (n = 268, 82% women, M_age = 28.2, SD = 8.5) viewed 72 pairs of photographs and evaluated each animal’s similarity across two photographs, as well as their valence, typicality, familiarity, cuteness, and dangerousness. The results confirmed that livestock animals received lower ratings in terms of similarity across the two photographs and were perceived as less positively valenced, less typical, less familiar, less cute, and more dangerous compared with pets. Furthermore, individual characteristics were found to be related to the perception of animals. Compared with non-owners, pet owners rated both livestock and pets more positively valenced and cuter. Additionally, the frequency of meat consumption was associated with perceiving livestock animals as less positively valenced, less cute, and more dangerous. The database provides realistic and valid stimuli, which have the potential to facilitate investigations into animal perception and recognition within the context of human–animal relationships.

KEYWORDS:

• Animal perception
• animal photographs
• human–animal interaction
• livestock
• normative data
• pets

Acknowledgements

We express our gratitude to Asylum for Pigs “Chrumkowo,” the Association of Helping Rabbits in Sopot “Uszakowo,” and the Rabbit Asylum Foundation in Toruń for generously granting us permission to photograph their residents.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Science Centre, Poland, grant awarded to Aleksandra Rabinovitch (Grant No. 2019/33/B/HS6/02830).