Editing Pet (section)

=== Victorian era: the rise of modern pet keeping ===

Throughout the 17th and 18th-century pet keeping in the modern sense gradually became accepted throughout [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Britain]]. Initially, aristocrats kept dogs for both companionship and hunting. Thus, pet keeping was a sign of elitism within society. By the 19th century, the rise of the middle class stimulated the development of pet keeping and it became inscribed within the [[bourgeois]] culture.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Beastly Possession: Animals in the Victorian Consumer Culture|last=Amato|first=Sarah|publisher=University of Toronto Press|year=2015|location=Toronto|page=25}}</ref>

==== Economy ====
As the popularity of pet-keeping in the modern sense rose during the [[Victorian era]], animals became a fixture within urban culture as commodities and decorative objects.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Beastly Possessions: Animals in Victorian Consumer Culture|last=Amato|first=Sarah|publisher=University of Toronto Press|year=2015|page=6}}</ref> Pet keeping generated a commercial opportunity for entrepreneurs. By the mid-19th century, nearly twenty thousand street vendors in London dealt with live animals.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Animal Estate: The English and Other Creatures in the Victorian Age|last=Ritvo|first=Harriet|publisher=Harvard University Press|year=1987|location=Cambridge|page=86}}</ref> The popularity of animals also developed a demand for animal goods such as accessories and guides for pet keeping. Pet care developed into a big business by the end of the nineteenth century.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Beastly Possession: Animals in Victorian Consumer Culture|last=Amato|first=Sarah|publisher=University of Toronto Press|year=2015|location=Toronto|page=48}}</ref>

Profiteers also sought out pet stealing as a means for economic gain. Utilizing the affection that owners had for their pets, professional dog stealers would capture animals and hold them for ransom.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Animal Space, Beastly Places: New Geographies of Human-Animal Relations|last=Philo|first=Chris|publisher=Routledge|year=1989|pages=38–389}}</ref> The development of dog stealing reflects the increased value of pets. Pets gradually became defined as the property of their owners. Laws were created that punished offenders for their burglary.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Animal Space, Beastly Places: New Geographies of Human-Animal Relations|last=Philo|first=Chris|publisher=Routledge|year=1989|page=41}}</ref>

==== Social ====
Pets and animals also had social and cultural implications throughout the nineteenth century. The categorization of dogs by their breeds reflected the hierarchical, social order of the Victorian era. The [[pedigree (dog)|pedigree]] of a dog represented the high status and lineage of their owners and reinforced social stratification.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Beastly Possession: Animals in Victorian Consumer Culture|last=Amato|first=Sarah|publisher=University of Toronto Press|year=2015|location=Toronto|page=55}}</ref> Middle-class owners valued the ability to associate with the upper-class through ownership of their pets. The ability to care for a pet signified respectability and the capability to be self-sufficient.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Beastly Possession: Animals in Victorian Consumer Culture|last=Amato|first=Sarah|publisher=University of Toronto Press|year=2015|location=Toronto|page=10}}</ref> According to Harriet Ritvo, the identification of "elite animal and elite owner was not a confirmation of the owner's status but a way of redefining it."<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Animal Estate: The English and Other Creatures in the Victorian Era|last=Ritvo|first=Harriet|publisher=Harvard University Press|year=1987|location=Cambridge|page=104}}</ref>

==== Entertainment ====
The popularity of dog and pet keeping generated [[animal fancy]]. Dog fanciers showed enthusiasm for owning pets, breeding dogs, and showing dogs in various shows. The first [[Conformation show|dog show]] took place on 28 June 1859 in Newcastle and focused mostly on sporting and hunting dogs.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Animal Estate: The English and Other Creatures in Victorian Age|last=Ritvo|first=Harriet|publisher=Harvard University Press|year=1987|location=Cambridge|pages=7–8}}</ref> However, pet owners produced an eagerness to demonstrate their pets as well as have an outlet to compete.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Animal Estate: The English and Other Creatures in the Victorian Age|last=Ritvo|first=Harriet|publisher=Harvard University Press|year=1987|location=Cambridge|page=98}}</ref> Thus, pet animals gradually were included within dog shows. The first large show, which would host one thousand entries, took place in Chelsea in 1863.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Animal Estate: The English and Other Creatures in the Victorian Age|last=Ritvo|first=Harriet|publisher=Harvard University Press|year=1987|location=Cambridge|page=66}}</ref> The [[Kennel club|Kennel Club]] was created in 1873 to ensure fairness and organization within dog shows. The development of the ''[[Stud book|Stud Book]]'' by the Kennel Club defined policies, presented a national registry system of purebred dogs, and essentially institutionalized dog shows.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Animal Estate: The English and Other Creatures in the Victorian Age|last=Ritvo|first=Harriet|publisher=Harvard University Press|year=1987|location=Cambridge|page=104}}</ref>