From Our Feature Article:
The Healthy Pleasure of Their Company: Companion Animals
and Human Health
Karen Allen, School of Medicine, State University of New York at Buffalo
Although some pet owners are happy and fulfilled alone with their pets, other pet owners find their companion animals are important in helping them meet and interact with other people. Certainly meeting other people is a precursor to developing relationships that can grow into meaningful, health-enhancing, social support, and several studies have focused on the role of pets as social facilitators. For example, Hunt, Hart, & Gomulkiewicz (1992) explored the role of small animals (rabbit and turtle) in social interactions between strangers in a park. This study found that in a community setting, without special effort or obvious need on the part of the experimenter, the presence of small animals initiated approaches to their owners by unfamiliar children and adults and conversations between them.
In a related ethnographic study Robins, Sanders, & Cahill (1991) looked at the dynamics of inclusion among dog owners in a public park. The authors conclude that dogs expose their owners to encounters with strangers, facilitate interaction among individuals previously unacquainted, and help establish trust among the newly acquainted. Dogs, then, can be an antidote for the human anonymity often found in contemporary society, and can help build friendships. One explanation for such behavior is that civil inattention is breached when there is some obvious similarity between individuals. A logical extension of this is that even people who are dissimilar in race, education, or socioeconomic status can find common ground for understanding and relying on each other.
In recent decades a wealth of information has been gathered in support of the value of companion animals to human health. Although much of the evidence is correlational, some studies have begun to use more rigorous experimental design and theory testing, and have increased understanding of the meaning and value of pets in our lives. In the current environment for research funding, the interdisciplinary nature of research about health effects of the human-animal bond is one of its strongest points and should be encouraged. Clearly what is needed is a synthesis of the best theoretical approaches from nursing, medicine, psychology, anthropology, physiology, and other health-related professions. Together we can achieve far more than the sum of our individual efforts, and dramatically increase our understanding and appreciation of our relationships with animals.
More than two decades of research focused on human-animal relationships has produced considerable evidence that pets add an important dimension to our lives. We know that our pets help us handle stress, survive heart attacks, and even live with the effects of AIDS. Yet, although it has been documented that pets are often the only solace in the lives of people who are socially isolated, it is often very difficult to find a place to live with a beloved pet. Can the evidence of the health benefits of pets be used to influence decisions made by landlords, housing authorities, and public policy makers? The material and resources in Companion Animals in the Community addresses this question in a practical way. Creativity, perseverance, and the use of this material will hopefully lead to an increased community recognition of the benefits of pets.
Photo credit: Nikki Gannon, London. ©1999.
