Second Chance: Pet Parenting for More Meaningful Living

10 Dec Second Chance: Pet Parenting for More Meaningful Living

Pets make us more human. That is the simple reason why we include them in our lives. It is not a practical or a tangible reason and in fact  it defies logic. When you think about the commitment, the responsibility, the financial costs, etc. of pet parenting we wonder why people do it. But they do – millions of people: it is estimated that 70-80 million dogs and 74-96 million cats are owned in the United States – and for a variety of reasons that usually have nothing to do with linear reasoning.

Whiskas

Choosing to include a pet in your family is sort of like deciding to have a kid: faced with the facts, no rational human being would choose to go for it, but those who do experience a level of love and joy that is hard to imagine and which no other experience could ever hope to replace. It is this truly profound, but undefinable human-pet bond that drives the research of Lori Palley, the assistant director of veterinary services at Massachusetts General Hospital’s Center for Comparative Medicine.

Her latest research involved scanning the brains of mothers while they were looking at images of their own children and their dogs. Surprise: similar areas of the brain were activated — regions involved in emotion and reward — whether it was the kids or dogs on view. Though obviously not definitive, the work does seem to suggest this thing we have with our pets goes deep.

Our bodies understand it even if our minds don’t. According to the American Heart Association, pet ownership may lower your risk of cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in the U.S.,

“Overall, pet ownership of any kind tended to be independently associated with survival. Dog ownership was strongly associated with decreased mortality, with the likelihood of mortality being 4.05 times greater for dog non-owners than for dog owners (independent of physiological measures or the severity of CVD).”

In the coming years, Palley says she hopes her work might shed light on what, precisely, happens in the brain when we engage with our pets and why this relationship might be so beneficial. She feels it may even have profound implications for our understanding of human bonds and disorders such as autism and schizophrenia and that it will forward the increasing number of animal assisted therapy modalities that are gaining momentum nation-wide.

In the meantime, let’s all give up trying to figure it out and give in to the inner urge to adopt a new pet into our lives. If you want your emotion and reward brain centers activated and super charged come meet Whiskas. A gentle little 16-week boy who loves to cuddle, this terrier mix will kick on the oxytocin switch and have you feeling like the world is a beautiful place in no time. Whiskas is a bit timid at first, due to his rough start at life surviving on his own, but his young age will allow him plenty of time to grow into a confident guy…

Amber

And Amber, another cuddle-bug at only 8-months-young, she is prepared to provide a lifetime of loving to the lucky family who adopts this lovely feline. Amber, who will brighten your Holiday Season, is hoping that Santa will give her a new home for the holidays…

Editor’s note: It’s no secret. The Telluride region is dog heaven. Well, pet heaven. Unless you are one of our furry friends who gets caught in the maw of neglect and abuse. Then heaven is on hold until Second Chance Humane Society comes to the rescue. Second Chance is the region’s nonprofit dedicated to saving animals’ lives and promoting responsible pet parenting and human-animal bond. In her weekly blog, executive director Kelly Goodin profiles at least one, generally two of the many animals now living at the no-kill shelter, Angel Ridge Shelter, a dog and a cat, hoping to find them loving permanent homes. The column is sponsored by Ted Hoff of Cottonwood Ranch & Kennel, who from time to time exercises his skills as a dog whisperer, partnering with Kelly and her staff to help train a particularly challenging animal.

Ted Hoff & Mae

By the by, there is no better place to park your pup than Cottonwood whenever you head out of town (for locals) or are heading to town and staying somewhere that does not allow pets. Consider joining Ted’s Very Important Dog (VID) Club for added benies. (Details on Ted’s website.)