There are a lot of families living with pets these days. In the United States, 68% of the population lives with pets. Most adopt dogs and cats, but the number and variety of exotic pets, such as reptiles, birds, and horses, are increasing.
A brief history of human-pet animal interaction (when, why, how)
According to the paintings discovered by archaeologists, the first animal to create a history of interrelationship with humans is the dog. Dogs have a strong jaw, an excellent sense of smell, and fast speed. Since ancient times, dogs have helped humans hunt by taking advantage of such peculiarities and received warm fire and food from humans. We do not know the exact time, but experts assume that dogs and humans have been closely related since the Paleolithic period. To this day, humans have maintained a brilliant relationship with dogs. In addition, dogs are now considered precious; they are treated as family.
The next animals that became close to humans were horses and cats. At first, horses were used as a means of transportation by humans, but now, they are popular as animals that can communicate. Horses can not only read human emotions but also educate them. However, taming them is not an easy task. Horses can be strong and fierce enough to be called one of the most significant pieces of equipment in old wars. Therefore, professional education is needed for horses, and people also need the education to communicate with horses. For this reason, it costs a lot to keep a horse as a pet. Horses are popular mainly as pets for rich people because they require continuous management, separate housing, and food preparation because they are larger than humans.
On the other hand, it is not clear how cats were domesticated by humans. The reason is that, unlike dogs, they have no social hierarchy. When we domesticate animals, we control them by mimicking their leader’s behavior. However, cats do not like to be trapped or controlled because they do not have hierarchies. As a result, experts say it is highly likely that it was a coincidence or an accident that a person had a cat as a pet.
The communication between pets and “owners”
The most common pet is a puppy. Dogs can communicate with people in five ways. They use their tails, ears, eyes, mouth, and body language to express emotions and attract their owners’ attention. Stiffening the tail or staring without avoiding the eye indicates an attack or dissatisfaction but is closer to drawing attention or concentrating. Dogs are natural pacifists, so they do not use aggressive gestures to their owners but rather use more gestures that show obedience.
The second most popular pet, cats, usually try to communicate with sound. When we touch a cat comfortably, it makes a growling sound. It also means that the cat is satisfied, but in fact, they are saying, “Don’t stop doing it,” “Continue,” or “Don’t leave me.” In conclusion, it is one of the ways of expressing comfort. Another representative sound is “meow.” Cats are said to make sounds so that people can recognize their existence. Therefore, meows can be used for all communication and have a wide variety of purposes.
The last one is the way horses communicate. They communicate a lot through body language. When horses are injured or not in good condition, they can express themselves by refusing to eat. Also, when they are under a lot of stress, they make their ears stiff and widen their eyes and nostrils. Sometimes they raise their tails or react involuntarily. Because horses express their condition through trivial actions, their owners must observe them very carefully. People who want to raise horses have to learn many of their expressions, such as whether their tail is wagging too much or their ears are bent back. Also interesting is that words are good at expressing emotions with facial expressions. As you spend more time and make more memories with them, you can learn from various facial expressions, so people who raise horses must try to be close to them.
The role of pet-human relation in mental health
Studies on mental health show that everything that involve interaction with pets reduces stress. Dogs and cats can increase levels of dopamine and serotonin, the hormones that relax the nervous system, according to a study. In just a few minutes, one can lower their stress level through pet interaction, and eventually, pets are very helpful to people’s mental health.
Pets give so many benefits to humans, especially when they are young. A study was conducted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, which measured and analyzed the level of anxiety in children. The anxiety levels of children who grew up with pets and those who grew up alone were quite different, and in fact, children who grew up with pets had better results in all aspects, including body mass index and physical activity. Studies show that it is very helpful to spend your teenage years healthy and happy, and that it clearly has a positive effect on stress and anxiety.
It is clear that pets directly help people take care of mental illness. Pets encourage mentally ill people to manage and participate in their daily lives. This can help improve control and willpower by giving order and challenge to their daily lives. It can also reduce people’s depression and isolation through active communication. Animals can form love relationships such as owners and families and provide emotional stability. It does not matter if the owner is young or old.
Conclusion
Pets are now the same as family members, and they are established as grateful beings who treat and help people. Although they play various roles, such as guide dogs and police dogs for the blind, the most important thing is their role as family members that can even help with for mental illness. In addition, they share infinite and unconditional love and warm people’s hearts with sadness and joy. Even people say that their stress is reduced because of the happiness of their lovely existence whenever they contact their pets. These facts tell people how helpful and healing pets are.
References
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Jang, j., 2021. Domestication of the horse – Wikipedia. [online] En.wikipedia.org. Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domestication_of_the_horse> [Accessed 27 August 2021].
Jang, j., 2021. Humans and Cats Have a Strange, Complicated History. [online] The Cut. Available at: <https://www.thecut.com/2016/12/how-cats-became-domesticated.html> [Accessed 27 August 2021].
Jang, j., 2021. Dog Speak: How our Dogs Communicate with us and how we can Talk Back. | How I Met My Dog. [online] How I Met My Dog. Available at: <https://www.howimetmydog.com/blog/dog-speak-how-our-dogs-communicate-with-us-and-how-we-can-talk-back> [Accessed 27 August 2021].
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Jang, j., 2021. Interpreting Cat Language – How Cats Communicate | Hill’s Pet. [online] Hill’s Pet Nutrition. Available at: <https://www.hillspet.com/cat-care/behavior-appearance/how-do-cats-communicate> [Accessed 27 August 2021].
Jang, j., 2021. How Horses Communicate: Complete Horse Body Language Guide. [online] Equine Helper | Horseback Riding, Training, & Care. Available at: <https://equinehelper.com/how-horses-communicate/> [Accessed 27 August 2021].
Jang, j., 2021. 10 Ways Pets and Mental Health Go Together | Newport Academy. [online] Newport Academy. Available at: <https://www.newportacademy.com/resources/well-being/pets-and-mental-health/> [Accessed 27 August 2021].
