Celebrate the Love: Praise for the Human-Animal Bond

Praise for the Human-Animal Bond

                This week, we celebrate Valentine’s Day.  What more appropriate time to acknowledge the unconditional love our pets bring  and to say thank you to all of Patton Veterinary Hospital’s pet parents out there who want the best for the animals that share their lives?

 The human-animal bond is a sacred thing.  It is recognized by the American Veterinary Medical Association as, “… a mutually beneficial and dynamic relationship between people and animals that is influenced by behaviors considered essential to the health and well-being of both. The bond includes, but is not limited emotional, psychological, and physical interactions of people, animals, and the environment.”   But how can we distill the feelings we have when we are with our pets into a scientific definition?  Everyone who has ever owned a pet knows instinctively the meaning of the human –animal bond. 

We all know that when we come home tired after a long day, the only thing that might get us out the door again is the expectant look in our dog’s eyes that says he wants to play in the yard or go for a walk.  Or, when we are ill and all we want to do is sleep and our cats curl up next to us like furry hot water bottles.  Even reptiles, pocket pets and others like goats, pot-bellied pigs or birds all have special relationships with their owners.  Our pets want to be near us.  They seek out our touch.  They depend on us for food, shelter and care.  But we depend on them for love, companionship and emotional support just as much.  It is why they bring us so much daily joy, and why they cause us so much pain when at last they pass from this life. 

As veterinarians, we are entrusted with making sure this bond lasts as long as possible.  We strive to provide the best care for your pets to keep them healthy from infancy through adulthood and into their golden years.  We need animals in our lives as much as they need us.  There is a quote by Anatole France that says, “Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.”  How beautiful and how true.

This Valentine’s Day, give your snake an extra pat on the head, kiss your kitty and hug your dog tight.  And, to all those who have lost a pet, remember that a part of them remains always within your heart. 

Happy Valentine’s Day from Patton Veterinary Hospital!

This blog brought to you by PVH serving Red Lion, York and the surrounding communities. 

Source:  www.AVMA.org