Geographies of Care in Pet-Keeping: The Case of Pet-Pigs

In recent years, pigs have become increasingly popular pets, however, UK animal welfare organisations
report an increase in the number of pigs in need of rescue as their owners cannot provide adequate care.
This issue is intensified by the zoonotic disease risk associated with poor pig welfare.
This research will respond to these concerns, exploring the geographies of care in pig pet keeping. This
questions how meaningful relationships develop between pigs and owners, focussing on the formation of
care responsibilities and the challenges in performing these. Interviews with owners will uncover
discursive constructions of pig welfare and the challenges faced in providing care. Video 'pet diaries' will
utilise visual methods, providing an opportunity to move beyond traditional human accounts of animal
lives and to document evolving pet-owner relationships. Ethnographic research at pig rescue centres will
supplement these methods and will attend to the role of animal agency in these relationships. Working
with experts in the field will also allow insights from animal welfare science to inform the findings.
The research has the potential to inform educational material on responsible pet ownership, an integral
element of sustainable animal welfare. Additionally, the focus on an 'unusual' pet hopes to expand
human-animal studies and responds to calls for animal agency to be taken seriously in research. This is
particularly important, as existing studies on domestication focus largely on 'traditional' pets. A pig,
however, may present unique ethical dilemmas to owners due to conflicting identities as both companion
and livestock animals.