The Human-Animal Connection: A Guide for Non-Pet Owners
While images of agitated activists hurling paint at fur-clad
celebrities may not present animal lovers in their best light,
the relationship between humans and animals has many fascinating
aspects that even non-pet owners may find intriguing. More than
little fur balls requiring intermittent petting; animals make
numerous contributions to the human world and reveal compelling
insights about our humanity. Enlightening and sometimes
disturbing, the human-animal connection has significance that
reaches far beyond the kennel to the realm of the psychiatric
community, Congress and even the FBI.
Though many are familiar with the roles of guide dogs,
assistance animals enrich human lives in ways that almost defy
imagination. Their contributions are vast and varied. Therapy
animals have been documented as lowering blood pressure, anxiety
and distress in humans. They have frequently been used in
hospitals, nursing homes, even mental institutions. They are
also used in disaster situations. In the September 11 tragedy,
many victims and rescue workers at the World Trade Center found
comfort and solace in therapy dogs that were sometimes able to
connect with humans more directly than human counselors. The
duties they performed at Ground Zero put a new perspective on
this type of therapy.
Such animals work with abused and traumatized children or help
the disabled learn motor skills everyday. Sometimes the therapy
is induced by the simple petting or companionship that an animal
can offer, but other forms are more specific. Equitherapy is a
form of therapy assisted by horses that means