By Veronica Clements
Round Table reporter
Coming home from a long day at school, she walks through the door into her room and sighs. It was a difficult day, full of three-page essays, sports practice and drama among friends. Suddenly, she feels a bump against her leg and turns to find her dog smiling playfully at her. Beaming back, she crouches down and starts making baby noises, rubbing her dog’s head. In that instant, the day has turned for the better.
Throughout history, man has seemed to have always been with an animal of some kind as a pet. Stories of unbreakable bonds and unconditional love between pet and master have been passed down for centuries.
A classic example of the tight bond between man and animal is the timeless story of Hachiko. It tells of an Akita dog that waited ten years for his owner who never returned.
Steven Speilberg’s adaptation of the play War Horse, which is about a young man and his horse living in England during World War I, who are forced apart when the horse is taken to the British cavalry, and the mission both take to find one another.
The impact that pets have on their owners can ultimately change lives, in some ways for better or for worse.
According to an article from WebMD.com, “pets can be good for people’s mental and physical health.”
Studies conducted by Cambridge University in England and at the University of California in Los Angeles concluded that pets are able to improve health and owners have to make fewer medical care visits for themselves.
HealthyPets states that, “The calming effect of animals…has a more general application as protection against loneliness, depression and anxiety in people whose circumstances make them vulnerable to emotions.”
For many Middletown High School students, pets can be great comforters. MHS junior Isabel Geisler believes pets are able to bring better comfort at times than people.
“Family members try to solve your problems, and sometimes you don’t want that,” she said. “Sometimes, you just want somebody who’ll listen and not say anything.”
Dr. Philip Palmer, head veterinarian at Palmer Animal Hospital in Myersville, agrees that pets can be a comfort.
“They [pets] certainly are better listeners, and rarely give unwanted advice…you can share your troubles with your pet without being judged.”
Palmer also added that pets bring “extra comfort” to their owners in major times of grief, such as when a person loses a loved one.
“…Often the family pet becomes their link to that person. They find extra comfort and feel close to their lost one by having the pet around.”
Although pets can sometimes improve a person for the best, at times, pets can have a negative impact on owners.
“Sometimes pets can be like little kids,” said MHS sophomore Jennifer Desimone. “My dog can get really annoying with his barking, and it’s frustrating when he doesn’t stop.”
Palmer also added that there can be difficulties with pets.
“You can have owners that are allergic to pets and have difficulty being around them,” he said. “There are also some cases where the pet may be difficult to handle and even post a risk of physical injury to the owner,” said Palmer.
Still, there is no doubt that pets have a strong impact on their owner, no matter what they may do.
“Pets provide people with…what many call ‘unconditional love’,” said Palmer. “I think this is one of the reasons people can develop such close bonds to their pets.”
