The Importance of Companion Animals or Why People Ship Their Pets

Anyone who has ever owned a pet has experienced the emotional benefits which come from forming a special bond with another. Some are better at expressing it than others, but most agree it exists.

The July, 2008 American Journal of Critical Care contains an excellent article titled “The Healing Power of the Human-Animal Connection”. This article is a review of scientific studies that document the effects of animal-assisted therapy and animal companions on humans. It is yet another study which shows significant health benefits in many situations.

There are some truly remarkable findings, including:

• Among human cardiac patients, having a pet is correlated with increased likelihood of one-year survival.
• Interacting with pets helps improve blood flow patterns in humans with heart failure.
• Pet visits in a hospital setting cause patients to report less pain.
• Hospitalized children report that animal-assisted therapy motivates them to get better.

Even more remarkable is that such positive perceptions were not limited to patients and families. The study reports "Nurses believed the presence of animals made the work environment happier and more interesting, with no negative impact on space or work flow."

The paper goes on to point out that not only do the presence of pets aid in healing, but owning a pet may make it less likely that a person will end up in the hospital in the first place.

People who own companion animals report a highly significant reduction in minor health problems and significant improvements in psychological well-being in the first month after acquiring an animal. Households with dogs also showed an increase of 400% to 500% in walking.

Truly remarkable.