14 DAY TRIAL // Many pet owners do not look at their animals as simple distractions, but consider them indispensable members of the family. They are irreplaceable companions and many people cannot imagine having their little ball of fur, or scales in some cases, being taken away from them. And a growing body of research is also showing the fact that animal companionship can be a tremendous help for child development, elderly care, mental illness, physical impairment, dementia, abuse and trauma recovery, as well as for the rehabilitation of incarcerated youth and adults, AlphaGalileo reports.
In two new studies, experts analyze how pets can assist their owners, and how they boost human resilience, especially in times of crisis. Even through persistent adversity, pets, especially dogs, are always there to support their masters. Their effects on people who have just experienced relocation, divorce, widowhood, adoption, and other such disruptive transitions are well known, and the numbers of those saying that it was their pets that kept them going is not small at all.
The two papers, entitled “Human-Animal Bonds I,” (focused on the benefits of companion animals), and “Human-Animal Bonds II,” (focused on their role in couple and family dynamics and family therapy), appear in the latest issue of the respected scientific journal Family Process. Both of them are authored by researcher Dr. Froma Walsh. “The powerful meaning and significance of companion animals is underestimated,” the expert says, as a conclusion to her new studies. Mental-health professionals are especially at a loss, never considering pets to improve the quality of life that their patients have.
Playful pets can provide their owners with almost everything they need, therapy-wise, from stress reduction to loyal companionship, affection, comfort, security, and unconditional love. The sole condition is that their owners do not abuse them, in which case all of the above does not stand. Pets have become so important, that they are even included in family fights. There are many cases of domestic violence in which women do not leave their husbands because the men threaten to harm the women's favorite pet.