My last column was about how having pets in your life has been shown to make people live longer. It was based on an amazing 70-year study published in 2019 by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association Journals which confirms what many of have known for ages.
I got a couple of surprising relies to it. The first email admonished me for not mentioning cats or other pets in the column. I had to go back and review, and the writer was correct, I did only mention dogs. But that was because the study only mentioned dogs, and I was quoting the study. The rest of the column, I used the generic terms “pets” or “companion animals”, but did not mention any specific pets, not even dogs.
I should have expanded my description to include any living critter we choose to share our lives with. Not everyone can have dogs in their home. Many have allergies, some have housing restrictions, some just can’t afford the time or expense.
That doesn’t preclude them from having an animal companion. Having worked with people who have animals of all types, from Betta fish to pot-bellied pigs, I know that any animal can create joy in the appropriate circumstance, where both the person and animal’s needs can be met.
The wonderful thing about animals is that there is pretty much a perfect animal for everyone out there. If you can handle the proper care of an aquarium, they can be huge stress reducers, recommended by many cardiologists as therapy. I know that when I was in a high-pressure tech sales job, coming home to sit by my 180-gallon Amazon River-themed aquarium drained all the stress out of a hard day.
Birds can be either appreciated for their appearance and songs or their interactivity, like some budgies, or many parrots, who can end up being life-long, bonded partners.
Fuzzy critters, such as hamsters, guinea pigs or rabbits, are often the pets of our younger years, but many adults also choose them. Domestic rats aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but they can be amazing companions, albeit for only a few years. If rats lived 10 years or more, I bet they’d be a top choice as a pet for many people.
Lizards and snakes also make great pets. Low maintenance, when properly housed, many can be very interactive. Many geckos are easy to care for and can be handled safely, most snakes are also great companions for those so inclined.
Cats, of course, are great companions. They can be sources of joy and exasperation, sometimes both at the same time. Regardless, having them in your home provides both company and purpose.
The second email I received about my last column questioned my motives, saying that my job selling food for pets made my endorsement of pet ownership biased. I think it is exactly the opposite. I have a job helping people take better care of their animal companions because I know how they add to our lives, and that they deserve the very best.
The writer also opined that no one should have a pet, because some people abuse them. While animal abuse tragically happens, the vast majority of animal companions are loved and cherished and we have laws and by-laws that hold abusers accountable for their actions. These laws are getting stricter all the time, and people are getting more likely to report abuse. And that is a great thing.
