The Healing Power of Pets
Animals have long been known for their uncanny ability to make people feel better-or even save them. Now research is backing up anecdotes with science.
BY: Valerie Reiss
3/2008
3/2008
A 2003 study in the
American Journal of Cardiology found that
men who had heart attacks were more likely
to be alive after four years if they owned a dog.
In a 1999 study, half of a group of 48 stockbrokers
with hypertension were told to adopt a
dog or a cat. After six months, the pet
owners showed significantly lower
blood pressure than the control group.
How are pets so healing? "Your
dog doesn't judge you," says Stanley
Coren, Ph.D., psychologist, professor
at the University of British Columbia,
and author of Why Does My Dog Act That Way?
(Free Press, 2006). "Pets give you affection and
support, whether you've earned it or not." Animals
can also be a social link to others, provide
companionship to the lonely, and help reduce
stress through physical touch.
A sable collie named Casey helped Lisa
Genereux, a 42-year-old mom from Long Island,
N.Y., battle depression when she was diagnosed
with thyroid cancer in 2002. "He was
so cheerful and playful. It took my mind off
everything," she says. Although Genereux still
struggles with cancer, Casey keeps her hopeful.
A pair of cats, Nelly and Ruby, have provided
unwavering support for Natasha Underwood
(not her real name), a journalist in New
York City, who in the last year has undergone
treatment for a precancerous breast condition.
While the 38-year-old has also turned to family,
her kitties have kept her company through
recovery from three lumpectomies, a mastectomy,
and reconstruction of her left breast.
"They accept you," she says. "My cats don't
care if I lose a boob. They really don't."
