We love our pets and sometimes we think they love us back. But why are we so attached to the animals that we’ve chosen to domesticate? What are the benefits of having a pet?
At some point in our evolution, domestication has presented itself as a good solution for humans and animals alike. We gave them food and shelter and they gave us companionship.
Why do we consider a cat or a dog to be our friends? How come we fear the mighty tiger but we sleep in the same bed with our cat? How come we avoid the wolf in the forest, but we have no problem cleaning after our dog?
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Research in the field has shown that domesticated animals have cultivated a personality acceptable to humans.
What we perceive as friendship is actually lack of aggression. They live longer and easier than their cousins in the wild, and they adapt to our environment so that we seek their companionship.
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We do so because they manage to regulate their emotions better than we do and in doing so they calm us down.
Trained dogs are known to help veterans with reintegration in society in dealing with PTSD and other disorders. Dogs have learned to notice their owner’s scent, shivers or gestures and to react in an empathetic way to calm them down.
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We don’t kill pets as we do with other animals, and they help us deal better with our emotions; we learn from them boldness or how to relax after a day of hunt in the urban jungle. People and animals tolerate and mimic each other because cohabitation has proven itself to be mutual beneficial.
Share this with your friends who have and love their pets!
