by Maria C Collins

Created on: October 03, 2009   Last Updated: January 06, 2011

Humans have had animal companions since Stone Age times. People continue to have rewarding relationships with pets. Many pet owners feel that their pets understand them, more than other humans. Children learn about love and responsibility by caring for an animal, and they learn how to care for themselves, and others. A cat, dog, or bird, is the only companion many an elderly person has. Pets have saved families from fires and other dangers. In the United Kingdom, animals even have their own medal for gallantry. The

Dickin medal is awarded to brave animals, who show gallantry in war.

Everyone knows about guide dogs for the blind, assistance dogs for the disabled, rescue dogs, and dogs that help man with his work such as sheep dogs, police dogs, and dogs who search for drugs and explosives, but do pets do much more for humankind? Do they make people healthier?

Myriad Scientific studies have shown that there are many beneficial health effects to owning a pet. Pet owners go to the doctor less frequently; they often have lower blood pressure, suffer fewer heart attacks and are less likely to suffer from mental health difficulties. Other studies have shown that stroking a pet releases hormones and endorphins, such as serotonin, that actually make people feel better, both during the stroking and for a short time afterwards.

In the United Kingdom, as well as some other countries, there is a charity scheme called PAT pets, Pets as Therapy, where specially selected and trained pets are taken by their owners, into institutions, such as hospitals, hospices, retirement homes, and schools for people with special needs. They visit the inhabitants of institutions where inmates might miss pets. Some remarkable results of these visits have been anecdotally reported, and even patients with serious illnesses benefit from these visits. This was the same for both adults and children. The PAT scheme in the UK has been running since 1983, and requires the co-operation of health professionals. Would they really co-operate  unless there were benefits, would the scheme still be running after all this time?

Patients with dementia often have nutrition problems, because they cannot concentrate long enough to eat properly. One study showed that, when the patients sat in front of a large tank of tropical fish they were able to concentrate, and ate much better.

Animals may even know that people are ill before they do. Dogs can warn epileptic patients

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