Attachment theory proposes that patterns for human relationships are formed from significant childhood attachments. Where these relationships were not supportive, relationship difficulties in adulthood may result. However, these patterns don’t necessarily carry over to human-animal relationships. Furthermore, some human-animal relationships may qualify as significant “attachments,” which creates an opportunity for the development of new patterns in a more emotionally safe context. The impact of such relationships on animals is not addressed.

[Abstract excerpted from original source.]

“The study of nonhuman animals in the context of attachment theory is steadily growing. This paper sought to pull together recent literature in order to review, summarize, and discuss (a) animals as attachment figures, (b) the conceptualization of attachment quality in human-animal bonds, and (c) the role of animals in assisting the development of human-human attachment.”