Companion Animal Ethics : Studi Mixed-methods pada Pemilik Hewan di Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta

Afghan Azka Falah, Prof. drh. Sitarina Widyarini, M.P.., Ph.D.; Dr. Dra. Retna Siwi Padmawati, MA

2026 | Tesis | MAGISTER BIOETIKA

Hubungan antara manusia dan hewan peliharaan telah berkembang menjadi hubungan pendampingan (companionship) yang mendalam. Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta (DIY) dipilih sebagai lokasi studi karena memiliki kepadatan penduduk tinggi serta dinamika sosial-budaya yang kompleks. Penelitian ini bertujuan mengidentifikasi profil demografi pemilik, mengukur tingkat kelekatan, serta menginterpretasikan etika interaksi sehari-hari antara pemilik dan hewan. Metode yang digunakan adalah mixed methods dengan concurrent design. Pada tahap kuantitatif, data dikumpulkan melalui survei menggunakan adaptasi Puerto Rico Comprehensive Companion Animal Survey dengan teknik purposive sampling dan analisis deskriptif. Pada tahap kualitatif, wawancara mendalam dilakukan untuk memperdalam, memperluas, dan menjelaskan hasil temuan statistik tersebut menggunakan pendekatan analisis tematik.

Hasil penelitian menunjukkan pemilik hewan di DIY didominasi perempuan lajang usia muda (19–30 tahun), berpendidikan tinggi (S1/mahasiswa), menetap di Sleman dan Bantul, dengan pendapatan mayoritas < Rp5 juta per bulan. Secara kuantitatif, tingkat kelekatan (pet attachment) tergolong sedang-tinggi yang berbasis pada keseimbangan aspek animal welfare dan general attachment yang adaptif. Uji Spearman Rank membuktikan mayoritas variabel sosiodemografi tidak berhubungan signifikan dengan pet attachment, kecuali jenis kelamin (perempuan lebih tinggi) dan tipe tempat tinggal (faktor terkuat terkait proksimitas ruang). Secara kualitatif, human-animal bond termanifestasi melalui zooeyia, anthropomorphism, dan baby schema yang berakar pada filosofi "Wawasan Kejogjaan" (Hamemayu Hayuning Bawono, Manunggaling Kawula Gusti, Sangkan Paraning Dumadi), sekaligus menjembatani mazhab etika modern (deontologi, utilitarianisme, virtue ethics, dan ethics of care). Meski demikian, masih terdapat ambivalensi moral di lapangan berupa bias religiusitas, paradoks konsumsi daging anjing (carnism), dan speciesism yang membuat implementasi kearifan lokal tersebut masih bersifat selektif dan situasional.

The relationship between humans and companion animals has evolved into deep companionship. Yogyakarta Special Region (DIY) was selected as the research location due to its high population density and complex socio-cultural dynamics. This study aims to identify the demographic profiles of pet owners, measure their attachment levels, and interpret the everyday ethics of human-animal interactions. A mixed-methods approach with an concurrent  design was employed. In the quantitative phase, data were collected through a survey adapting the Puerto Rico Comprehensive Companion Animal Survey via purposive sampling and analyzed descriptively. In the qualitative phase, in-depth interviews were conducted to deepen, expand, and explain the statistical findings using thematic analysis.

The findings indicate that pet owners in DIY are predominantly single, young adult females (19–30 years old), highly educated (undergraduates/students), residing in Sleman and Bantul, with a majority monthly income of < IDR 5 million. Quantitatively, pet attachment levels fall into the moderate-to-high category, driven by an adaptive balance between animal welfare awareness and general attachment. Spearman’s rank correlation test demonstrates that most sociodemographic variables bear no significant relationship with pet attachment, except for gender (females scoring higher) and housing type (the strongest factor related to spatial proximity). Qualitatively, the human-animal bond manifests through zooeyia, anthropomorphism, and the baby schema effect, all of which are deeply rooted in the local philosophy of Wawasan Kejogjaan (Hamemayu Hayuning Bawono, Manunggaling Kawula Gusti, Sangkan Paraning Dumadi). This cultural framework harmoniously bridges modern ethical theories, including deontology, utilitarianism, virtue ethics, and the ethics of care. Nevertheless, moral ambivalences persist in practice—such as religiosity biases, the meat paradox (carnism), and speciesism—rendering the implementation of local wisdom selective and situational.

Kata Kunci : companion animal, pet ownership ethics, human-animal bond