National Dog Day: The Side We Don’t Speak About

National Dog Day is August 26, and normally we hear all about the fluffy feel-good stories; however, there is another side to the story that needs to be spoken about more.

At Syracuse University, the Social Work and the Human-Animal Bond class is listed as one of the 14 coolest classes at SU. This course is not all about the feel-good experience, though. Yvonne Smith, Ph.D., an associate professor at the School of Social Work at Syracuse University’s David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics, says “We cover all aspects of human-animal interaction that relate to the social work profession, including animal maltreatment, zoophilia, dogfighting, pet loss, and racism. Yes, we pet dogs and discuss possible benefits of pet-keeping and animal-assisted interventions, but that’s only one part of the learning.”

Smith says she is committed to the realism about human-animal interaction, and not just the feel-good stories. This is a side that is not focused on enough, and I believe this may be worth a bigger story.

If you’d like to request an interview with Dr. Smith, please reach out to me at vrmarque@syr.edu.