Sunday, February 7, 2010

Alexander Solzhenitsyn once stated "that it is not the level of prosperity that makes for happiness but the kinship of heart to heart and the way we look at the world". Most often kinships are defined by the recognition of the importance in relationships between persons. However, many now are appreciating the expansion of this term to include our devotion to our beloved pets. Our love affair with animals has enjoyed increased attention and support over the last thirty years, especially as we are now realizing the health benefits that animals provide us. Companion animals are no longer found only in homes but are partnered in a variety of settings ranging from nursery schools to nursing homes, detention centers to residential centers. Even Freud had a dog that sometimes attended his therapy sessions. Perhaps, the one population where animal companionship seems to be particularly the most helpful is with children.

In a similar fashion that young children rely on their parents, pets in a family must depend on their human companions for continual care. This care includes feeding, walking and overall protection from dangerous situations. It is quite simple to observe this phenomenon in our homes, where many families find themselves caring and doting upon animals. In the home, parents use pets to teach children how to nurture and be responsible. Children are taught how to correctly feed, groom, and exercise their pets to keep them healthy. Now, because of the diminishing size of the American family and reduction in sibling caretaking, children in North America and Western Europe are more likely to have a pet than a younger sibling. Boys and girls equally often describe companion animals as siblings and cast them in a sibling role. Pets also have been found to play numerous roles including being a friend, a confidante, or even a family member.

Interestingly, there does not appear to be strong evidence documenting any significant differences between the way boys and girls positively relate and respond to pet companions.

The roles of humans in relationships with their pets often parallels the roles of human-human relationships, especially that of child and parent. Bonding is the forming of close, specialized human relationships, such as the link between parent and child, husband and wife, friend and friend. The humane community adopted the term human animal bond to capture the spirit and connotation of the "infant-parent bond." Those who care about animals want to imply the relationship is healthy and natural. While some argue that the bond with animals does not emulate all the psychological implications of human-human bonding, the general public uses the term both in its literal meaning and as a metaphor for the many roles animals play in our lives.

Martin Buber, the famous philosopher, once stated, "An animal's eyes have the power to speak a great language". It is this gentleness and their non-verbal manner of communication that allows animals to make such a major impact in the lives of many, especially children. Although not a panacea, the kinship that is shared between children and their pets could provide a healthy addition to their emotional and psychological growth as well as providing them with healthy, loving, life experiences, which could lead to their resilience in life.