Pet Histories and Wellbeing

宠物历史和幸福项目将开发从AHRC宠物和家庭生活项目在辩论的宠物及其主人的幸福的背景下研究，与家庭博物馆和慈善机构蓝十字合作。家庭博物馆是唯一一家以批判性的深度探索家庭理念的国家博物馆。蓝十字是一个全国性的慈善机构，帮助生病，受伤，被遗弃和无家可归的宠物，并提供建议和教育，为当前或未来的宠物主人和宠物丧亲之痛和支持。2021年，博物馆将举办一个关于宠物历史的临时展览-为一个相关项目寻求资金，该项目将使合作伙伴聚集在一起，探索过去和现在的宠物和福祉。这项合作将产生创意产出和公众参与活动，这些活动将与展览一起举行，以及一些永久性的产出。宠物是英国社会，文化和经济的重要组成部分。2019年，英国政府和PDSA的一份报告估计，50%的英国成年人拥有宠物。宠物是家庭生活的一部分，也是英国经济的重要组成部分。2019年，Pets at Home商店的半年税前利润为4500万英镑。与此同时，人们在获得服务和公共对话方面的心理健康意识是前所未有的。据估计，英国每年约有四分之一的人会遭受心理健康问题，心理健康问题是英国残疾的最大单一原因。最近的研究表明，宠物与人类福祉之间存在密切联系。2019年蓝十字报告发现，宠物可以通过提供爱和陪伴，增加社交互动，激励，锻炼和分散注意力来帮助患有心理健康状况的人。在2020-2021年期间，蓝十字将开展一项活动，提高公众和政策制定者对宠物在促进福祉方面的潜在作用的认识。MoTH正在从2020年开始运行一个健康季节，该项目将与之相关联。宠物与其监护人建立强烈情感依恋的能力也是宠物和家庭生活项目的一个主要主题-虽然物种受欢迎程度，宠物饲养实践和文化框架随着时间的推移而变化，但对动物的情感投资具有显着的长期连续性。历史研究强烈支持宠物可以对个人幸福做出重大贡献的论点。将开发历史解释和档案材料，为一系列活动和产出提供创造性基础，包括：一部探索过去和现在有心理健康状况的宠物之间关系的电影;一个身临其境的环境，重现动物在家中的存在;一个辩论论坛，从当代和历史的角度探讨主人和宠物的福祉;旨在提高动物福利意识的展览解说计划;学校自助游;带狗的儿童暑假阅读小组;当地历史悠久的观鸟之旅和一家快闪店宠物丧亲咖啡馆。图尔斯。历史学家还将与博物馆合作，提高永久收藏中动物的形象，一些产出将可供长期使用。

The Pet Histories and Wellbeing Project will develop research from the AHRC Pets and Family Life Project in the context of debates on the wellbeing of pets and their owners, in collaboration with the Museum of the Home and the charity Blue Cross. The Museum of the Home is the only national museum to explore the idea of the home in critical depth. The Blue Cross is a national charity that helps sick, injured, abandoned and homeless pets and offers advice and education for current or future pet owners and pet bereavement and support. In 2021 the museum will stage a temporary exhibition on the history of pets - funding is sought for a linked project that will bring the partners together to explore pets and wellbeing in the past and present. The collaboration will produce creative outputs and public engagement activities that will sit alongside the exhibition, and some permanent outputs.Pets are an important part of Britain's society, culture and economy. In 2019 a UK Gov and PDSA report estimated that 50% of UK adults owned a pet. Pets are part of family life, but they are also an important part of the British economy. In 2019, the store Pets at Home reported half-year pre-tax profits of £45 million. Meanwhile, mental health awareness is unprecedented both in terms of people accessing services and public dialogue. It is estimated that approximately one in four people in the UK will suffer a mental health problem each year and that mental health problems are the largest single cause of disability in the UK. Recent research has demonstrated a strong link between pet animals and human wellbeing. A 2019 Blue Cross Report found that pets can help people with mental health conditions by offering love and company, increased social interaction, motivation, exercise and distraction. During 2020-2021 Blue Cross will run a campaign to raise awareness amongst the public and policy makers of the potential role of pets in contributing to wellbeing. MoTH is running a Wellbeing Season from 2020 which the project will link to. The capacity of pets to forge strong emotional attachments with their guardians is also a major theme of the Pets and Family Life Project - while species popularity, pet keeping practices and cultural framing changed over time, there was significant long-term continuity in emotional investment in animals. The historical research strongly supports the contention that pets can make a significant contribution to individual wellbeing. Historical interpretation and archival materials will be developed to provide the creative basis for a series of activities and outputs including: a film exploring the relationship between pets people with mental health conditions in the past and present; an immersive environment recreating the presence of animals in the home; a debate forum exploring the wellbeing of both owners and pets in contemporary and historic perspectives; an interpretation plan for the exhibition designed to raise awareness of animal welfare; a self-guided tour for schools; summer holiday reading groups with dogs for children; historic birding tours of the local area and a pop-up pet bereavement café. The historians will also work with the museum on raising the profile of animals in the permanent collections, and some outputs will be available for longer term use.