The girlies discuss the rise of pet culture — how we managed to domesticate animals, why we love them so much, and how a pet-centric world may not be best for either of us. Digressions include a heavily edited intro to save us from placement on an FBI watchlist. This episode was produced by Julia Hava and Eliza Mclamb and edited by Olivia Burdette. Research assistance from Penelope Spurr.  Come see us on tour! Find tickets at linktr.ee/binchtopia To see the video version of this episode, access 50+ bonus episodes, mediasodes, zoom hangouts and more, visit patreon.com/binchtopia and become a patron today. SOURCES: A new airline for dogs takes flight Animals Made Americans Human: Sentient Creatures and the Creation of America’s Moral Sensibility A Non-companion Species Manifesto: Humans, Wild Animals, and "The Pain of Anthropomorphism" Are we loving our pets to death? Ask Smithsonian: When Did People Start Keeping Pets? Bulldogs are prone to health problems. New Hampshire could limit their breeding Catland Critical Pet Studies? Dogs and Birds in Plato Dogs and their collars in Ancient Mesopotamia Earliest evidence for commensal processes of cat domestication  Elite Cultures Fido, Fluffy, and wildlife conservation: the environmental consequences of animal domestication From wild animals to domestic pets, an evolutionary view of domestication How the Victorians engineered the dog breeds we love today Hump stump solved: camels arrived in region much later than biblical reference Industry Trends and Stats Leona Helmsley and Her Millionaire Dog? Looking to improve company culture? Offer pet bereavement  MEDIEVAL DOG NAMES Most Americans can’t afford a $1,000 emergency Pawtriats: Our Changing Relationship With Pets Throughout History Pet ownership statistics 2024 Pets: Why do we have them? Prehistoric Puppy May Be Earliest Evidence of Pet-Human Bonding Prevalence of pet anxiety in the U.S., 2022 Show dogs and breeding Speculations on the Role of Animal Cults in the Economy of Ancient Egypt The Benefit of Pets and Animal-Assisted Therapy to the Health of Older Individuals The Cost of Cuteness: Health and Welfare Issues Associated with Brachycephalic Dog Breeds  The Changing Valuation of Dogs The Family Pet The Histories “The Mayor is a dog”: The coming of age of contemporary American pet culture The Meaning of American Pet Cemetery Gravestones The Taming of the Cat The World of Medieval Dogs Women, Pets, and Imperialism: the British Pekingese Dog and Nostalgia for Old China