Our Pets are More Than That: The Companions we Live With
Contributed by Jeff Winke
The other day, I was talking with a guy who I just met, who seems likable and could be added to my collection of friends. We were exchanging information to get to know each other better….. working? married? children? All the typical cordial stuff to better acquaint each other. And then he asked, “Do you have any pets?”
I must have bristled when I responded, “We have two cats that we consider our companions” in a tone that was a bit brisk.
He stepped back a bit and I thought, where did that come from? I said, “Where did that come from—Sorry man, that came across pretty harsh.”
We talked further until things smoothed out. My unconscious reaction to calling my pets reveals something that all pet owners know, and those that don’t have a dog, cat, bird, or animal in their lives, have a difficult time understanding—our pets are more than pets. They are true companions. They are always there for us, no matter how happy or blue we might be. They can be our best friend or feel like our children.
My thinking as of late has been that referring to them as pets is a bit demeaning. My cats, and the dogs I grew up with, have personalities that make them each distinct. They are individuals.
Yeah, I know, I may be talking crazy and I have friends who will agree, but somehow referring to these companions as pets, to my way of thinking, puts them in the same category as a Pet Rock you might display on a shelf.
Cats, dogs, and other animals have personality traits in much the same way humans do, says a University of Texas at Austin psychologist who is working toward developing a new field in animal personality.
Dr. Samuel D. Gosling has said “there is no unified body of research on animal personality. Some of the early pioneers of psychology studied personality in animals, and then the subject disappeared. I suspect that psychologists thought it didn’t sound very scientific. Scientists have been reluctant to ascribe personality traits, emotions and thoughts to animals, even though they readily accept that the anatomy and physiology of humans is similar to animals."
Gosling went on to say, "Darwin himself argued that emotions exist in non-human animals, and his evolutionary theory suggests that behavioral traits, including personality, can evolve in just the same way as fins, wings and arms. We should realize that studying the personality of animals could help us understand a lot about human personality."
So, I guess what I want to say is that it’s OK to think of your animal companions as being more than pet rocks. They do exude personalities and do exhibit fondness for you that’s as real as a close relative or friend. Go ahead and give them a hug and a kiss. They’ll appreciate it and you’ll feel better too.