{"id":3822,"date":"1989-07-01T01:00:00","date_gmt":"1989-07-01T01:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/about-us\/history\/letter\/vol-70-no-4-july-august-1989-pets-and-human-beings\/"},"modified":"2022-11-27T02:30:38","modified_gmt":"2022-11-27T02:30:38","slug":"vol-70-no-4-july-august-1989-pets-and-human-beings","status":"publish","type":"rbc_letter","link":"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/about-us\/history\/letter\/vol-70-no-4-july-august-1989-pets-and-human-beings\/","title":{"rendered":"Vol. 70, No. 4 &#8211; July\/August 1989 &#8211; Pets and Human Beings"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"layout-column-main\">\n<p class=\"boldtext\">The love affair between man and                     animals has gone on since the dawn of time, and it is growing                     ever more important. Humans need pets. They need their devotion.                     The question we should consider is: Are we returning the devotion                     we owe to them?<\/p>\n<p> Archaeologists have documented that the dog was the first                     animal to be domesticated, at least 10,500 years ago. Primitive                     man originally used this widely-found canine to help in hunting                     and to carry loads. Then, sometime in the void of prehistory,                     the moment came when a man, woman or child (probably a child)                     first patted a dog (probably a puppy) and the dog wagged its                     tail in appreciation. Whenever and however that happened,                     it was a breakthrough in the progress of the human race.<\/p>\n<p>It meant that <em> homo sapiens <\/em> were no longer alone                     in the world. He now had an ally to stand by him and a companion                     to cheer him. By taming an animal, he became a little tamer                     himself. To keep his new friend, he had to become less savage,                     more gentle. With that first pat and wag of a dog&#8217;s tail,                     civilization was on its way.<\/p>\n<p>The first civilization we know much about was in ancient                     Egypt. There, some 5,000 years ago, people tamed African tabby                     wildcats to serve as hunting retrievers and to keep down mice                     and rats. Perhaps because of their usefulness, cats went on                     to be pampered and worshipped. Needless to say, cat-lovers                     have been pampering and, less formally, worshipping these                     animals ever since.<\/p>\n<p>In <em> The Merchant of Venice<\/em> , Shakespeare writes about                     a &#8221; harmless, necessary cat.&#8221; The bard, as usual, found precisely                     the right words to express a concept. For there is no doubt                     that pets of all kinds, from turtles to horses, are indeed                     necessary to human wellbeing.<\/p>\n<p>This applies even to those of us who are not pet &#8220;owners,&#8221;                     a convenient but inexact way of describing the relationship,                     since the animal often seems to rule its so-called master                     or mistress. The German pet book writer Helga Fritzche suggests                     it would be more appropriate to refer to cat-owners as &#8220;co-cats&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>Pets lend a touch of graciousness to all our lives, because                     they tend to bring out the kindest and most generous impulses                     of humanity . As early as the 1880s, educational authorities                     in the United States introduced primary school courses in                     the humane treatment of animals as a way of building character                     in the young. One definition of the word &#8220;humane&#8221; is &#8220;tending                     to civilize and confer refinement .&#8221; Another is &#8220;marked by                     compassion, sympathy or consideration for animals and <em>                     other human beings<\/em> .&#8221; Benevolence towards animals and                     benevolence towards people go hand in hand.<\/p>\n<p>The fundamental reason for our need for pets lies in the                     simple fact that they are different from us. Being in touch                     with creatures outside our own species helps us to see the                     human race in perspective. Their presence reminds us that                     humans occupy only a small place in the grand scheme of existence;                     that we are part of the natural order and not the dictators                     of it. Pets promote a state of peaceful coexistence between                     humans and the rest of creation. They keep us from believing                     that we and the material things around us are the be-all and                     end-all of the earth.<\/p>\n<p>The presence of a pet makes an excellent antidote to the                     pride that goes before the fall. A cat may indeed look at                     a king, and not make any distinction between His Majesty and                     any of his subjects. In fact , royal personages have always                     been notoriously fond of pets, perhaps because the animals                     love them for themselves and not for their positions. Among                     their human hangers-on, they can never be sure that the affection                     shown is sincere.<\/p>\n<p>Sincerity is the trait most commonly associated with pets.                     &#8220;The one absolute, unselfish friend that a man can have in                     this selfish world , the one that never proves ungrateful                     or treacherous, is his dog,&#8221; said the American Senator George                     Graham Vest in a much-quoted eulogy . In a world in which                     people are constantly withholding their thoughts and feelings                     from each other, animals are innocent of duplicity.<\/p>\n<p>Being so simple, they encourage us to take a simpler approach                     to life ourselves; to cut through the extraneous thickets                     of complexity that surround us and get back to basics. In                     moments of personal confusion, we could do worse than pause                     and emulate the 18th century poet Christopher Smart: &#8220;For                     I would consider my cat Jeoffrey,\/For he is the servant of                     the Living God&#8230;&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>To an animal, there is no such thing as hypocrisy, which                     is surely one of the least noble of human characteristics.                     Though he was looking down his aristocratic nose when he said                     it, many people today would nonetheless identify with the                     Compte d&#8217;Orsay: &#8220;The more I see of the representatives of                     the people, the more I admire my dogs.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h3>&#8216;The kids need a pet.&#8217; So does everyone                   in the family<\/h3>\n<p>But though we appreciate the differences between them and                     us, we are also impressed by the similarities. That may be                     why we give them human names. They are certainly able to communicate,                     even goldfish, which make a burbling sound on top of the water                     when they want to be fed or have their water changed. Though                     it has been said that human beings are separated from other                     creatures by their ability to laugh, cats and dogs in particular                     show a sense of humour . Like the good friends they are, they                     like to share this with their two-legged companions. They                     will deliberately clown for our benefit &#8211; especially, it seems,                     when they sense we need cheering up.<\/p>\n<p>The fact that pets are entertaining is usually why a child                     is first given one. It is considered a plaything. But there                     is much more than play involved in the age-old friendship                     between animal and child. Psychologists say that pets play                     a transitional role in childrens&#8217; ability to go from loving                     their parents to loving other people. They provide an outlet                     for the development of the nurturing instinct. Caring for                     pets helps to develop a child&#8217;s sense of responsibility.<\/p>\n<p>Animals frequently come into a home because parents agree                     that &#8220;the kids need a pet.&#8221; More likely, pets are needed by                     the whole family. At a conference of the Society for Companion                     Animals in Paris in 1982, Anne Ottney Cain, professor of psychiatric                     nursing at the University of Maryland, reported on a study                     of 60 families with pets ranging from cats and dogs to skunks,                     monkeys and goats. She reported that families drew closer                     together as soon as an animal became part of the group. Children                     argued less and co-operated more , deflating the tension for                     everyone in the household. The parents got along better, too.<\/p>\n<h3>Are pets sensitive to human emotions?                   It looks that way<\/h3>\n<p>People have known all along that pets are good for the soul,                     but it has been left to modern science to confirm that they                     are good for the body. In a series of experiments which brought                     a new degree of seriousness to the study of the place of companion                     animals in society, Dr. Aaron H. Katcher, professor of psychiatry                     at the University of Pennsylvania, established that pets contribute                     to physical health.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Katcher and his associates began by studying a group                     of people who had returned home after suffering heart attacks.                     After a year they found that the ones who kept pets survived                     significantly more frequently than those who did not have                     them. Researchers then measured the blood pressure of subjects                     when they were with their pets. It was considerably lower                     than otherwise. The pressure went down when they merely talked                     about their pets.<\/p>\n<p>The soothing effect companion animals have on people is                     accentuated by being able to talk to them. While blood pressure                     rises when people talk to each other, it lowers when they                     talk to animals. Dr. Katcher is quoted in <em> Science Digest                     <\/em> as comparing the comforts of talking to an animal to                     the comforts of prayer. &#8220;Prayer,&#8221; he said , &#8220;is frequently                     accompanied by sensual enrichment such as incense, music,                     special body postures, the touch of folded hands or rosary                     beads, just as dialogue with an animal is accompanied by the                     enrichment of touch, warmth and odour. In both instances the                     talk is felt to be &#8216;understood.'&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Of the 98 per cent of dog-owners in a survey who talked                     to their pets, 75 per cent believed their dogs were sensitive                     to their moods and feelings. (In a similar study, it was found                     that 96 per cent of people who live with cats talk to them.)                     The sense that pets understand one&#8217;s state of mind is of growing                     importance to people in today&#8217;s urban environment. We are                     members of &#8220;the lonely crowd,&#8221; which is characterized by impersonality                     and alienation. People are reaching out for identity, for                     something that confirms their uniqueness. By strongly identifying                     with their owners, pets meet this need.<\/p>\n<p>Current social trends in western countries have made the                     need for pets greater than an any time in history. The lonely                     crowd is getting lonelier as the society grows more diffuse.                     With an increasing number of family break-ups and people marrying                     later in life, more and more of them are living by themselves,                     without constant human companions. Those who live in pairs                     often decide not to have children, or to have them relatively                     late in their lives. Such is the mobility in a country like                     Canada that family members are likely to be scattered across                     the country. This makes for loneliness among older people                     whose children have &#8220;left the nest.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h3>Animals have a wonderful way of relieving                                       damaging stress<\/h3>\n<p>&#8220;That pets should be necessary to fulfil our needs is surely                     a symptom of man&#8217;s increasing isolation from his fellow man,&#8221;                     said John Hoyt, past president of the Humane Society of the                     United States . An increasing number of people are realizing                     that necessity. The number of cats and dogs in Canada, currently                     estimated at 3 million , is growing at a rate of eight to                     nine per cent a year.<\/p>\n<p>Animals have a wonderful way of relieving stress, the source                     of so many of the health problems in our high-pressure society.                     A survey of pet-owners in England showed that owners attached                     special importance to animal greeting behaviour, which is                     another way of saying how gratifying it is to have &#8220;someone&#8221;                     glad to see you after a nerve-shredding day at work. They                     allow people to let off nervous pressure which might otherwise                     be bottled up by inhibitions. Human beings are known to have                     an innate need for touching, but in the North American and                     British societies at least, people tend to shrink from touching                     one another. It&#8217;s &#8220;all right,&#8221; however, to hug or stroke a                     pet.<\/p>\n<p>The positive effects of animals on psychological health                     was forgotten about for a long time, only lately to be rediscovered.                     As early as 1700 an English mental institution called York                     Retreat was using animals to help patients overcome withdrawal                     and detachment. Somehow the program was subsequently dropped.<\/p>\n<p>Work in what is now called &#8220;Pet Facilitated Therapy&#8221; (PFT)                     was revived in earnest in the 1960s, largely through the efforts                     of New York City clinical psychologist Boris Levinson, who                     in 1972 published his <em> Pets and Human Development<\/em> .                     Dr. Levinson hit upon his future speciality when he was treating                     a severely withdrawn little boy.<\/p>\n<p>The doctor&#8217;s dog Jingles happened to be in his office on                     the boy&#8217;s first visit. The boy ran over to the dog and hugged                     him; from then on, Dr. Levinson included the dog in his therapy                     sessions. Because Jingles wished to include his master in                     the relationship, the child accepted the psychologist. The                     three-way friendship which centered on the dog led to the                     successful treatment of the boy.<\/p>\n<p>Pet Facilitated Therapy moved into an institutional setting                     when, in 1978, a patient at the State Hospital for the Criminally                     Insane in Lima, Ohio, found an injured bird and tried to nurse                     it. Other patients who had been severely withdrawn took an                     interest in the project, catching bugs to feed the bird, and                     began talking about it to each other and the staff.<\/p>\n<p>Seeing the results, the staff psychiatrists installed an                     aquarium in its men&#8217;s lounge, and found that patients began                     to relate better to the staff and to one another. Cockatoos,                     parakeets, gerbils and guinea pigs followed. Previously violent                     men showed tenderness towards the animals, and became more                     amenable to treatment. The pets acted as catalysts for communication                     and trust between patients and staff therapists.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Animals are such agreeable friends,&#8221; George Eliot wrote.                     &#8220;They ask no questions, pass no criticism.&#8221; This is an unscientific                     way of explaining why Pet Facilitated Therapy has recently                     become so successful in various types of therapy. Animals                     accept a person unconditionally. They don&#8217;t care how you look                     or talk or are dressed ; they don&#8217;t care how young or old                     you are. Their only criteria is the goodness they find in                     a person, and they seem to be able to detect a core of goodness                     in almost anyone.<\/p>\n<p>To capitalize on this advantage, non-human &#8220;therapists&#8221;                     have been put to work throughout the western world to break                     through psychological barriers and re-motivate apathetic patients.                     Pets are being used to help the mentally handicapped learn,                     and help stroke victims recover their speech without being                     held back by self- consciousness.<\/p>\n<p>Physicians are also capitalizing on the fact that pets make                     people feel good in the psychological sense, and a sick person                     who feels good mentally is likely to get better faster. There                     has been a proliferation of volunteer programs to bring pets                     regularly into hospitals, where they cheer up patients. Pets                     are also being used to comfort the dying. In many palliative                     care units, it is now standard practice for patients to have                     animal &#8220;family members&#8221; with them in their rooms.<\/p>\n<h3>Love is what&#8217;s behind it, and what                   the world                   needs is love<\/h3>\n<p>The therapeutic role of companion animals is bound to expand                     as the average age of the population keeps rising. Often,                     when people are left alone in old age, the only strong emotional                     attachment they have left is to a pet. Having &#8220;someone&#8221; to                     care for gives meaning to life, a reason to get up in the                     morning. Pet satisfy the need to be needed, an emotion which                     runs deeply in all of us, at any age.<\/p>\n<p>Considering how valuable pets are to our society, it is                     surprising how badly some people treat them. Outright abuse                     and neglect are distressingly common; short of that, animals                     are subject to shocking thoughtlessness and callousness. Many                     thousands of healthy animals are &#8220;put to sleep&#8221; every year                     because people no longer want them.<\/p>\n<p>Humans have nothing to be proud of their attitude towards                     pets. Domestic animals are often regarded not as companions,                     but as status -building possessions. Men and women can be                     seen on city streets &#8221; wearing&#8221; a great dane or a poodle the                     way they would wear designer clothes. Dogs, cats and horses                     are bred for aesthetic or convenient characteristics. In fact,                     they are frequently over-bred, resulting in a congenitally                     temperamental animal or one that has physical defects that                     keep it in pain.<\/p>\n<p>In the sensation over pit bull dogs, the tendency has been                     to blame the dogs. In an article in the Toronto Humane Society&#8217;s                     magazine <em> Humane Viewpoint<\/em> , Vivian Singer-Ferris points                     out that some pit bulls are deliberately bred and trained                     to bring out maximum ferocity. &#8220;The issue can only be fully                     understood and humanely dealt with when considered in its                     historical and sociological context, a context which refocuses                     attention from the dog to the dog owner. For the pit bull                     controversy is, to a large degree, tied up with the problem                     of irresponsible pet ownership,&#8221; she writes.<\/p>\n<p>One controversy over pets concerns the amount of food they                     consume. Pet food in Canada is a $2.8 billion industry. Should                     we in the developed world be feeding all this to animals when                     people are starving in underdeveloped countries?<\/p>\n<p>There is indeed something disconcerting about those long                     rows in supermarkets devoted to nothing but feeding &#8211; and                     in many cases, over-feeding &#8211; domestic animals. It has been                     pointed out, however, that most pet food is made from waste                     products which we would not eat anyway. The point has also                     been made that desperately poor people in underdeveloped countries                     commonly keep pets and share food with them. Often a pet is                     their only &#8220;luxury.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>People, of course, can be silly about their pets, going                     to such excesses as buying them expensive jewellery. The most                     that can be said about such cases is that &#8211; sensibly or not                     &#8211; we all have our own ways of showing our love. Love is the                     prime mover in the human relationship with pets, and as the                     popular song goes, the world can never get enough of it. But                     there can be no real love without responsibility. We all share                     a responsibility for the general welfare of pets in repayment                     for their contribution to the welfare of humankind.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":79,"featured_media":0,"template":"","categories":[1],"rbc_letter_theme":[],"rbc_letter_year":[76],"class_list":["post-3822","rbc_letter","type-rbc_letter","status-publish","hentry","category-uncategorized","rbc_letter_year-76"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.2 (Yoast SEO v27.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Vol. 70, No. 4 - July\/August 1989 - Pets and Human Beings - RBC<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rbc.com\/en\/about-us\/history\/letter\/vol-70-no-4-july-august-1989-pets-and-human-beings\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Vol. 70, No. 4 - July\/August 1989 - Pets and Human Beings - RBC\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The love affair between man and animals has gone on since the dawn of time, and it is growing ever more important. Humans need pets. They need their devotion. The question we should consider is: Are we returning the devotion we owe to them? 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Humans need pets. They need their devotion. The question we should consider is: Are we returning the devotion we owe to them? 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