Moving Beyond Stereotypes - Seeing People and Pets Clearly

< 8 minute read >

Stereotypes Series 5 of 5

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Moving away from stereotypes is an important part of moving towards treating companion animals and people and fairly and with respect. Our messaging and storytelling are powerful tools to help us overcome assumptions and false information.

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We can counteract stereotypes and build a more accurate understanding of people and pets in four important ways. This blog covers Use Images Wisely, Fact Check, and Know Individuals. Please also read about Building a Bigger Picture.

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Use Images Wisely

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Stereotypes aren’t just what people hear, but also what we see. Images play a powerful role in our memories and they can complement a story to make it stronger. Visuals are a way of perpetuating or contradicting stereotypes.

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For example, shelters across the country vary a lot. Depending on many factors, shelters may end up with more or less money, capacity, and time for each animal. We know that regardless of the resources a shelter has, there are staff who care deeply, work extremely hard, and strive to do their best for animals every day.

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Often, we see and post images of animals in shelters – even our own shelters – that are heartbreaking. Animals look fearful and miserable. Dogs and cats are in kennels that are worn down, barren, and cold. A constant stream of sad pictures perpetuates the stereotype that all shelters are tragic and heartbreaking. It can also drive members of the public (like potential adopters!) away who do not want to come into a sad place. The reality is that while in a shelter environment, animals do go through fear and anxiety, and conditions can be difficult, but in many places that is not the whole picture.

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Animals in our shelters are often surrounded by people who care for them, love them, and put tremendous effort into their health and happiness. We need more images that highlight the love and effort shelter staff invest in caring for animals and making them more comfortable.

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There are many feelings tied to our work, and we deal with animals that are struggling. However, our images need to show a full picture of who we are as animal care and well-being organizations. Images are an essential part of breaking stereotypes around shelters and effectively messaging the good, positive work we do.

Imagery is a way to ensure that the realities of people are seen and understood. Avoid images that preserve stereotypes and use ones that represent a wide array of identities, realities, and experiences. Use better imagery consistently - including one image here and there won’t make a difference. Our audiences need to see better, more accurate images repeatedly.

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→  Putting it into practice:

Regularly use images that capture the positive experiences companion animals have in our care and with people in our communities.

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Know Individuals

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One of the most powerful things we can do to counteract a tendency to believe stereotypes is to get to know more people who have different identities and experiences from our own. We can do this by:

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• ‍Taking the time to listen to people and ask about their experiences rather than rush to judgement. Nothing is more powerful in breaking down stereotypes than getting to know people on a deeper level. When this happens through friendship it can be extraordinarily powerful, but simply tuning in to being better listeners can really help. Check out SPARC’s Guide to Empathic Listening for Animal Care & Well-being for more tips on how.

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• Get out of our echo chamber. Who do you follow on social media? What shows or podcasts do you tune into? What books do you read? Expanding our personal network to include more types of people is fantastic but doesn’t happen overnight. We can open to different ways of thinking in minutes by listening to, following, and watching a variety of perspectives and lived experiences. Be sure to explore stories and experiences that go deep and are personal - we don’t get out of our echo chamber by skimming the surface of someone’s reality.

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• Recognize missing voices. Often, we rely on stereotypes because certain voices and experiences have been missing from the mainstream. When we recognize, locate, and help amplify missing voices we can help everyone move past simple, harmful thinking about who people are. SPARC’s guide on Messaging with Dignity: Amplifying Voices is coming in July (link will be posted here when live!).

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→  Putting it into practice:

The more we get to know people as individuals, the more our brains will break away from simple stereotypes and see complexity in people and situations.

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Fact Check

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If we make claims about a person or group, make sure there is evidence to back it up. Evidence is not an experience you had with a pet owner or even ten of them. Our experiences matter a lot, but our brains are not reliable sources for how likely something is – we need to look at the facts.

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For example, many people believe that if a person and their pet are experiencing food insecurity, they are going hungry because the person hasn’t tried hard enough. The stereotype is that people can’t feed their pets because they are lazy and go to the food bank as an easy way out. The reality is very different. One study found that people experiencing food insecurity work extremely hard to feed their pets, stretch every dollar, and find solutions. Pet guardians often experience emotional distress because they worry so deeply about feeding their animals.

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We can be mindful about not perpetuating stereotypes by insisting on the facts. Unless there is reliable data to back-up our claims about people, don’t repeat the idea.  When we rely on information, we also avoid universal claims like “all of those people…” or “everyone who is…”

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Stating facts from sources we can trust helps us understand the ideas, behaviors, and preferences of people who share certain characteristics. For example, here are some good examples of talking about people and facts:

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• ‍Hispanic and African American households have been shown to have pets more often than non-Hispanic White households. The percentage of African American and Hispanic households owning pets is 54% and 52%, respectively, compared to 44% of White households.

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• Nationally, 50% of women and children experiencing homelessness are fleeing domestic violence. Studies have found that more than half of women seeking shelter from domestic violence reported their pets had been harmed or killed by their abuser.

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• Almost half (45%) of Americans have no access to public transportation, which means many people must have a vehicle to reliably get where they need to go. Even where it does exist, many public buses, subways, and trains either do not allow pets (with an exception for service dogs) or have significant restrictions.

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Check the Source

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Sometimes even “facts” will masquerade as the truth. If you read a statistic, look for the source. If you can’t find one, the idea may be a stereotype in disguise, shared so many times by trusted people that it’s now believed to be a well-known truth.

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For example, there is an often-shared statistic that: “Four out of five rabbits bought as pets for Easter are abandoned or die within a year.” This has been used as a reason not to approve rabbit adoptions around Easter. However, it does not appear to be based on a scientific study. Sometimes it’s attributed to a 2017 National Geographic article, but the statistic doesn’t show up there. In that article, some rabbit rescue groups reported a spike in rabbit surrenders during the weeks and months following Easter, but the author states that “it’s unclear how many rabbits are abandoned in the U.S.—and how many are Easter bunnies.”  

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Dos and Don'ts of Fact-Checking

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• Not all information is created equal. We are surrounded by information and a lot of it is not accurate. Be thoughtful about the evidence you trust. Information should be from a source that is known to have trustworthy practices of gathering, interpreting, and sharing information. Peer-reviewed journal articles and some industry reports are examples of reputable sources of information about pets and people.

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• If a story about someone doesn’t come with reliable evidence, don’t believe it (or repeat it) until you’ve checked the facts. If the data – to prove or disprove the idea- doesn’t exist, then you can’t verify that it’s true and it’s better left unsaid.

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• Read beyond the headlines. If a headline catches your eye, take the time to read the article and then decide if it’s good to share. Headlines were designed to be catchy and dramatic, so we cannot rely on them to be factual or fair. Evaluate an article based on what is written and whether there are links or citations for where the information came from.

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• Be open to learning. We’re not going to get things right all the time and new information will become available that may change our understanding of a situation or group of people. New information can and should update our ideas about what is right and true – be open to learning.  

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Keep Reading

This blog is part 5 in our 5 part series on stereotypes. Be sure to check out the whole series and start here:

--> Why We Stereotype -And Why it Matters for Pets and People

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Acknowledgement

Thank you to our content reviewers and SPARC Advisory Committee, especially Dr. Azalia Boyd of the Critters & Cultures podcast, for ideas and insights contained within this blog and other blogs in the series on stereotypes.

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