The Real Harm of Stereotypes in Animal Work

< 8 minute read >

Stereotypes Series 3 of 5

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Stereotypes are a big problem. They undermine our work by fueling misunderstanding, limiting our ability to support pet families, and prevent us from finding powerful ways of working together.

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Stereotypes Make Our Work Harder By:

• Creating Misunderstanding. Stereotypes make us assume things about people that are often untrue. For example, in the animal welfare industry, there is a harmful stereotype that people from “low-income communities” don’t care about their pets or are irresponsible owners. The reality is that people with fewer economic opportunities care just as deeply about their animal companions as people with access to more resources.   When we approach a conversation with someone and have the wrong information about them, it’s easy for our interactions to go sideways. Assumptions lead to misunderstanding and prevent meaningful, compassionate engagement.

• Imposing limitations: The narratives around stereotypes can be so common that they leave people with incorrect beliefs about themselves. This can be harmful psychologically and make it harder for people to be their true self. For example, stereotypes in the media have been shown to have negative effects on Communities of Color by affecting how individuals think of themselves - impacting self-esteem and identity.

• Stifling Opportunities: Stereotypes can lead us to believe that someone is a problem or isn’t interested in something we care about. For example, if we assume that people don’t care about animals, we can overlook engaging them in programs or community initiatives. Stereotypes can also feel hurtful to the people they are about and make them not want to work with us. For example, if communities sense they are being judged as irresponsible or uncaring, they may distrust us (providers) and avoid seeking help, asking questions, or adopting our animals, even when it’s desperately needed.

• Building Prejudice: Prejudice is when we dislike someone for unfair reasons. For example, stereotypes about the Amish Community, particularly those who engage in breeding dogs for profit, have led to widespread misunderstanding and demonizing of Amish people in the animal welfare sector. Prejudice towards the Amish Community has prevented meaningful dialogue and understanding, resulting in a breakdown of communication and few opportunities to work together to ensure the care and well-being of dogs.  If we don’t know who someone truly is, how we feel about them can easily be based on the wrong information. Unfortunately, we may not even know that our feelings are prejudiced, because dominant narratives have left us believing things that are untrue.

• Driving Discrimination: Discrimination is when the negative feelings we have about people turns into treating them in ways that are unfair. For example, a shelter worker might assume that a person surrendering their animal is irresponsible or uncaring - they didn’t try hard enough to keep their pet. As a result, the worker treats them with judgment and dismissiveness, in a time when this owner is making an extremely hard, often very painful decision. We may treat people a certain way because we believe we are being shrewd in our decisions. Unfortunately, what may seem prudent or justified can be driven by stereotypes, and we behave in ways that are unfair.

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Marginalized Communities and Stereotypes

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Stereotypes about marginalized communities are everywhere all the time, deeply harmful, and difficult to change.

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When people are marginalized they are treated as less significant and have their power undermined. Marginalized communities and individuals are more likely to have their voices disrespected and dismissed. Studies have proven that this is particularly true for LGBTQIA+; Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC); women; and members of other marginalized groups.

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The result is that the individuals who are in the best position to debunk stereotypes about themselves do not have their voices heard. Without the ability to counter stereotypes, untrue information is perpetuated by mainstream media, groups, and people in positions of power.

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Without the full story, stereotypes can be used to justify how people are treated. People may be denied education, employment, housing, and other opportunities. Stereotypes can easily impact how marginalized groups experience our policies and practices around pet adoption, surrender, talking about pet care and behavior, and providing veterinary care.

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For example, here is an excerpt of a story that appeared in the Minnesota Star Tribune:

“Sharon Nordrum, who lives in the north-central Minnesota town of Laporte, said over the years caring for animals, she has encountered blatant bias. An enrolled member of Red Lake Nation, she said a couple of Minnesota-based rescue groups seemed willing to re-home a pet with her until they learned she was Native American. One told her she didn’t want the dog “going to a Native home,” Nordrum recalled.

Strays are more common on reservations, but Nordrum doesn’t live on one. All of her animals are spayed or neutered, and she’s won numerous awards in dog shows and sporting competitions.

Ironically, a breeder once gave her a discount on a Lab puppy because he knew of Nordrum’s reputation working with dogs. She purchased that pup, Valor, who now boasts dozens of titles in scent work and other categories.

“But I’m not good enough to adopt a dog from a shelter,” Nordrum said.”

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Compassion and care for animals has no racial, ethnic, gender, religious, or socio-economic boundaries. Stereotypes about marginalized groups are long-standing, pervasive, and critical to replace. The more we treat everyone with dignity, the more we can accomplish for animals.

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Reducing People to Their Problems

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“Stories are often told where people are reduced to their problems— where nothing more is said about them than some biographical information and a detailed description of the problem for which they sought help. It can happen for all sorts of reasons, most of which are rooted in good intentions. Maybe we think that if we describe how difficult someone’s life is, we can inspire someone to donate, help, or care. Maybe the nature of our interactions or conversations with them have focused so much on problems we haven’t gotten to know who people really are.”

- Kate Marple, Who Tells the Story

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Acknowledging the problems that people experience is an important part of providing support. However, we can cause harm when peoples’ problems are the only thing we talk about.

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Everyone is more than one thing that has happened in their life. Losing a job, losing a home, experiencing poverty, having an illness, struggling with substance abuse, living in a neighborhood with high rates of crime, having an abusive partner - these are common and often serious struggles, but they alone do not define who we are.  

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We often focus on talking only about peoples’ problems instead of describing the full, complex individuals who experience them. We may do this because we’re trying to make a “case” for support and because drama and trauma are memorable and powerful in storytelling. We may also focus on problems if the majority of interactions with someone has been about their challenges, and we haven’t gotten to know them as a full person.

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Reducing people to their challenges contributes to negative stereotypes and reinforces incorrect ideas about who people are. This harms the pet owners, community members, and animal advocates who are being described only by what they lack. No one wants to be defined only by the negative aspects of their life. Everyone is more than the worst things that have happened to us or the temporary situations we’ve lived through.

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For example, here are two versions of a story about Ryan and his animals.

In the first version of Ryan’s story, we hear first about all the things that have gone wrong in his life, trauma and pain. We recognize that he loves his pets but see him as a person who is defined by struggle and hardship. This story doesn’t do anything to replace negative stereotypes about people experiencing homelessness.

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In the second version of Ryan’s story, we first get to know him as a caring, committed pet owner. We learn that he is someone who prioritizes his pets seriously and is thoughtful about money. We learn that he is resourceful in finding a safe place for himself and his animals and actively working on his mental health struggles. This version of Ryan’s story helps us see that individuals experiencing homelessness are far more than their struggles. We see Ryan as a good person who is doing his best in a difficult situation with issues beyond his control.

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Keep Reading

This blog is part 3 in our 5 part series on stereotypes. Check out the next one...

--> Expanding Stories to Shrink Stereotypes

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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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Works Cited

• Ramasubramanian, S., Riewestahl, E., & Ramirez, A.  (2023, January 31). Race and Ethnic Stereotypes in the Media. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Communication. Retrieved 18 Sep. 2024, from https://oxfordre.com/communication/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228613.001.0001/acrefore-9780190228613-e-1262.
• https://www.cultureally.com/blog/what-does-marginalized-mean-and-why-does-it-matter#:~:text=Today%2C%20marginalize%20refers%20to%20the,of%20society%20and%20rendered%20powerless.
• Satterstrom, P., Kerrissey, M., & DiBenigno, J. (2021). The Voice Cultivation Process: How Team Members Can Help Upward Voice Live on to Implementation. Administrative Science Quarterly, 66(2), 380-425.
• Momentous Institute, Why Stereotypes and Harmful.
• Ryan’s story and the details included were based on the description of Ryan Mikesell as told to The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jun/16/homeless-people-pets-animals

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