QUESTION: Is it true that there is a healthy advantage to having a pet?

ANSWER: Introducing a pet into the household isn’t as much stress as a baby, but there will be extra responsibility and expense on someone’s part, and it’s often mom or dad. However, if you don’t have allergies, research at the State University of New York has shown, interestingly enough, that a pet is an even better source of social support than family members and friends.

In a study, 480 people performed a variety of stressful tasks on their own, with their spouse present, or with their dog in the room. The blood pressure and heart rate of the participants rose the most when a husband or wife was nearby and the least when only their dog was with them. Typically, participants’ heart rates were 30 beats a minute slower in the company of their dogs than with their spouses.

Pets are “non-evaluative.” That is, pets don’t give us any useful advice-but they are not critical of our mistakes, either. Because our own actions cause or add to the stress we feel, it’s comforting to have a non-judgmental animal around.

In another study, done by the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California, 242 young pet owners were asked to draw a picture of themselves, their pet and a family member. The researchers found that most of the children placed their pet significantly closer to themselves than the family member. Pets do not scold, criticize, or demand behavior changes. They serve as playmates and companions, giving and receiving attention — as well as adapting to being ignored.

Remember, of course, that there are a variety of possibilities for a valuable pet. Besides dogs and cats, I know lots of kids, and adults, too, who enjoy rabbits, hamsters, gerbils, parakeets and white mice. Actually, at our house, my son’s first pet was a chameleon named Dragon. He was so important, that when he died his body was placed on cotton in a small white box and put in the freezer for a year.

Important lessons of love, as well as dependability and responsibility, can be learned through caring for pets. Learning to recognize non-verbal “cues” is an extremely valuable skill in all relationships. Helping children recognize what an animal needs or wants by its behaviors is a way to develop and practice empathy – learning to observe and respond appropriately to meet needs other than our own.