IT IS a matter of some amazement to me that, even though human beings domesticated animals over 10,000 years ago, a large section of the world’s population has managed to resist the charms of furry creatures to this day. Can it really be that there are still people in the world who are either indifferent to animals or positively dislike them? If this is because they are unexposed, we can only blame their parents for not keeping pets in the house. If this is because they cannot relate to someone who does not speak, we can only view their emotional limitations with some disdain. If they are allergic to animals — well, in that case, we will have to make some allowances!

The psychological and emotional benefits of having a pet in the house are well-known. The unconditional love and companionship animals offer act as an effective counter to stress, loneliness and fatigue. Pets are known to draw out children emotionally, to teach them how to love, how to express their feelings and to care for other people. They provide a window to their owners — both children and adults — to a world without pretension and regulation. To that extent, they bring us face to face with what Freud called the Id, the unconscious, unstructured part of our personalities consisting of basic drives and instincts.

The immense psychological impact a pet has on a person and a family became clear to me only after I brought home my cocker spaniel puppy over eight years ago. Einstein grew within the family as a separate and complete individual in his own right. He took on a personality of his own within the

family structure.

Like wolves, who are highly social, dogs too relate to other beings with a sense of order and develop distinct relationships with different people. Non-pet owners are often baffled by the intense relationship that exists between animals and their masters. When pet owners call animals their ‘babies’, someone who has never owned a pet may well roll her eyes. Feeling affection for an animal is easy to understand but comprehending the integration of an animal within a family can only be experienced.

A strong attachment to animals can also translate into very different ways of relating to them. Amongst those of who join animal organisations and work proactively towards enhancing the welfare of animals, one can easily distinguish two types: Those of are moved by the eyes of a stray puppy and adopt it immediately, and those who work towards broader wildlife conservation. For the former, the life of each individual animal is invaluable. For the latter, what is most important is the preservation of a species or prevention of cruelty to a category of animals, and not to a particular animal that one has formed a bond with.

Whatever the type of attachment, some kind of relationship with creatures other than homo sapiens seems essential to develop one’s emotional spectrum completely. As Anatole France once said, ‘until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.’ Whether it is a pet dog, a neighbourhood cow, a kitchen cat or a species at large, caring for an animal rewards and thrills in ways that no other relationship can.