On the understanding that an animal is intended to be a companion and live its life
in a family environment alongside humans, it is important that it begins its life being properly socialised and conditioned for such a lifestyle.
Alongside this research, there is intervention, epidemiological, sociological and qualitative evidence all suggesting that local
environments are important
in supporting the
family capacity necessary to raise children
in ways that promote good developmental outcomes.6, 7 The neighbourhoods or communities
in which people live appears to impact health and well - being.8 While «neighbourhood» is often used
in other studies,
in the Australian context «neighbourhood» and «community» are often used interchangeably (these terms are further defined on page 9).7 The research into neighbourhood effects on children was originally motivated by the observation that disadvantage seemed geographically concentrated and intergenerational.