Best Friends
By Terri Estes
Why do we love our pets so much? Especially our dogs and cats. Hundreds of studies have been done on this subject, and most of them have similar outcomes. These studies will tell you that petting a dog or cat lowers your blood pressure and releases a hormone in your brain that relaxes you. They will tell you that interacting with pets is shown to reduce stress levels and improve mental health. If you are a dog or cat owner, you already know the real reasons why they are such an important part of our families.
Nobody knows exactly when the canine/human relationship began, but the earliest remains of a human buried with their dog dates over 14,000 years. Evidence of the cat/human relationship is not far behind, dating back over 12,000 years. Back then, and even much more recently, dogs and cats served a purpose. Whether it was to keep rodent populations down, or help hunt for dinner, they probably earned their keep.
As the need to hunt for food or kill rats in our homes grew less, our alliance with these other species might well have dissolved. If you didn’t need a hunting dog, or herding dog, and fewer and fewer people did, why continue paying for their food and shelter? And yet, the exact opposite happened. We developed an even stronger bond. More people than ever have dogs and cats as pets in this country. There are over 80 million dogs in the U.S., and more than 58 million pet cats in the country with anywhere from 30 to 100 million feral cats. The average pet owner spends over $2,000 a year on food, medical bills, toys and other miscellaneous expenses for our beloved four-legged family members.
Almost any dog or cat owner will tell you that the reason we love our pets so much is because they love us so much! It is their unconditional love and devotion to us that keeps them so near and dear to our hearts. They don’t care how much money we make, or if we are having a bad hair day. They don’t even care if we have questionable taste in the latest fashions. They just love us! Yes, love. You pet owners know what I am talking about. You see the love and adoration in their eyes. And so, we love them back. They provide companionship and emotional support and forgive us for our bad behaviors without a harsh word. They recognize our moods and emotions and provide us comfort. How could we not love them back?
Side note: This article was written right after cleaning up the massacre of a Christmas dog toy that was de-stuffed, de-squeaked and shredded all over the living room. Yup, I still love them!
