THE world seems to be a very bleak place these days if constant reminders to be positive are anything to go by.
We have positive thinking, positive quotes, positive effects, positive lifestyle… and the list goes on.
Reading the paper one day, an advertisement on pet food caught my eye.
It was everything about pawsitive living. I thought the play on words was very clever indeed.
I am a huge advocate of keeping pets. Not being able to have a pet as a child, I allow my children to have any pet they want (with the exception of snakes and tarantulas) on one condition — that they mind them.
So far, our home has welcomed many creatures big and small — dogs, kittens, guinea pigs, birds, fish, iguanas, hedgehogs, sugar gliders, rabbits and hamsters.
Even wild birds nest in our porch.
If I could, I would have loved a baby elephant as well.
Pet ownership has a number of proven health benefits – physical, mental and emotional.
According to studies done by University of Wisconsin-Madison pediatrician James E. Gern, having a pet in the home can actually lower a child’s likelihood of developing related allergies by as much as 33 per cent.
In fact, his research, published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, shows that children exposed early on to animals tend to develop stronger immune systems overall. An interesting finding indeed.
Owning a pet encourages the development of social skills.
For us who need motivation in the exercise department, a dog can be our personal trainer.
Animals can be an instant icebreaker, whether they are with you or when you’re just talking about them.
I have countless occasions of meeting and chatting with other pet owners in the park when I walk my labrador, Hachi.
Truth be told, the tendency of pet owners is to look at the pet first and then the human who is walking the pet.
I feel sorry for children who have not been brought up to enjoy the companionship of pets.
Sometimes parents transfer their fear of animals to their children.
I had a visitor who started screaming in fear when she saw my chinchilla because she did not like small furry creatures and her children who had never seen a chinchilla before, followed suit and screamed as well.
Pets teach us responsibility. The owner becomes the carer.
Cleaning the cage and making sure there is water and food are all part of caring.
Children who throw stones at animals or taunt them in zoos obviously never had much bonding with pets.
Gail F. Melson, professor emeritus of developmental studies at Purdue University in Indiana, the United States and the author of Why the Wild Things Are: Animals in the Lives of Children, says that “Nurturing isn’t a quality that suddenly appears in adulthood when we need it”.
According to Melson, “you don’t learn to nurture because you were nurtured as a child. People need a way to practise being caregivers when they’re young”.
When a pet falls ill and dies, it is a lesson on empathy, grief and moving on.
Pets also provide companionship and relieve stress, especially among the sick and elderly.
Many hospitals and nursing homes use Animal-assisted Therapy (AAT) or Pet-facilitated Therapy (PFT) on a regular basis.
According to my daughter, Trinity College Dublin has an “exam de-stress canine therapy” room. These animals of all shapes and sizes help students forget their exam troubles.
A pet is an addition to the family and should be treated with love and respect.
Most of all, it should be age-appropriate. I have seen parents being coaxed by a child to buy a pet — only to end up minding the pet when the novelty wears off.
A pet is not for a day or a week. It is for a lifetime.
Pets should also suit the owner’s temperament and lifestyle. I heard from a friend that a family acquired a big dog, but had no time for it and confined it to a small space.
Over time, the dog became restless and bit their child.
So, they had the dog put down. Now, whose fault was it?
Yes, nothing beats pawsitive living. While I’m still at it, I’m going to give my pet a day of pawsome pampering.
I might even consider treating my pet to a pet spa and a photoshoot if he behaves...
DR KOH SOO LING was a lecturer at
Universiti Teknologi Mara and now spends her days enjoying life as it is