Hello chickies! I scratched the hunger/transgenic crops idea (couldn't bring it into tight enough focus) so I wrote about the benefits of pet ownership. I'm just pasting it in here instead of adding it as an attachment because frankly, I hate reading .txt files and don't want to inflict it on any of you!
If anyone would like to read my paper and comment on it, I'd love to hear your comments. I'd especially appreciate comments in the following areas:
1. grammar, punctuation, and other technical details
2. construction- are the transitions good? does it flow well? is my thesis clear? is it well supported?
3. is it interesting to read?
4. any comments on support or lack thereof, anything that is unclear or strays from my point, and so on.
BTW - it's primarily about dogs and cats, especially dogs, with a bit about equine therapy - nothing against other pets, there just isn't much out there about the therapeutic benefits of python or tarantula ownership!
Thank you a million times over to anyone who has time to make a few comments!
Heather Bird
Professor White
English 271
11/21/2005
The Beauty of the Beast
"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened."
(Anatole France, author, 1844-1924)
Our society grows increasingly impersonal as people try to accomplish increasingly ambitious goals. With little time to spare, people become progressively more tense and stressed. Vacations offer a welcome change, but most cannot afford the time or the expense of travel often enough to alleviate all the stress in their lives. Since the majority of people are strained to meet all their obligations, both financially and temporally, most people simply are unable to help their fellow-creatures to bear their burdens; they have their own heavy loads to carry. The strain under which society operates evinces itself in the types of crimes that are prevalent: homicides, robberies, assaults, road rage, and drug-related crimes, just to name a few.
To whom can one turn, then, when one feels overwhelmed and in need of some comfort and affection? Where can we find unconditional love and acceptance—regardless of our appearance, or education, our financial situation or social status—given freely and with no strings attached? Who has the time to listen to the pettiest, the most trivial of our complaints without expressing boredom or irritation? The answer is simple: our pets. Pets offer us unqualified companionship, which in turn nurtures our physical, psychological, and emotional well-being.
The health benefits of pet ownership have been researched and documented over the past few decades. Dr. Karen Allen’s research found that pet ownership not only lowered heart rates but also found “clear evidence that having a pet (especially a dog) is associated with prolonged life after a heart attack” (Baker). In addition, the National Institutes of Health reported in a 1987 study that pet companionship appears to lower blood pressure and “reduce the demand for care for medically nonserious problems” (National Institutes of Health). Some additional research into the effects of pets on people with heart disease include a study conducted by Dr. James Lynch of the Life Care Foundation which concluded that pet ownership improved the odds of long-term survival after heart surgery, and another study by the Baker Medical Research Institute in Melbourne, Australia, which indicated that pet owners enjoyed lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels than non-pet owners. While additional research into the effects of pet ownership on the human constitution needs to be done, the relationship between pet ownership and health is certainly intriguing.
Besides beneficial effects upon mankind’s physical well-being, pets also have been shown to have a positive effect on man’s psyche. A study published in The Journal of the American Geriatrics Society in 1999 reported that older individuals who owned pets enjoyed such benefits as improved physical and emotional health over those who did not (Best Friends Animal Society 1). Pets provide unconditional love, and often they seem to sense just when their owners need it the most. Pets are extremely therapeutic, and they can provide individuals who feel they have no purpose to their lives with new meaning. Studies have shown that simply petting a dog relieves anxiety and lowers blood pressure. An attachment to a pet has been found to benefit “older persons in situations of personal stress who were without adequate human social support” (National Institutes of Health). Additionally, Dr. Meredith Wells of Eastern Kentucky University found that employees of businesses which allowed pets in the workplace believed that animals reduced stress and improved both physical and emotional well-being (Best Friends Animal Society 1).
Animals have provided therapeutic benefits in other ways. There are many programs across the world which provide handicapped individuals with equestrian activities. These activities provide therapeutic exercise to both children and adults. According to the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association, “[b]ecause horseback riding gently and rhythmically moves the rider's body in a manner similar to a human gait, riders with physical disabilities often show improvement in flexibility, balance and muscle strength.” Perhaps more importantly, however, the riding activities promote a sense of connection to a fellow-creature and provide a newfound self-confidence. When the world is viewed from the back of a great, gentle horse, who wouldn’t feel ten feet tall?
Still another way in which pets provide people with much-needed emotional boosts is via therapy dogs. Therapy dog programs train and screen potential applicants carefully in order to ascertain that the dogs (and sometimes other pets) are temperamentally suited to the task. The pets trained through these programs are then eligible to visit nursing homes, hospitals, and other institutions to offer therapeutic visits the elderly, sick, disabled, and others in need. These individuals then can receive the benefits of having a pet to love even when they are unable to have a pet themselves. According to Therapeutic Paws of Canada, “[t]he petting and stroking of a pet helps to calm the most agitated resident and stimulates wonderful conversations about the pet they once owned. Recovery from surgery is quoted as being accelerated when there is continued contact with a pet.”
Another important role which pets play in our lives—one which must not be overlooked—is that of friend, peer, and protector to our children. According to Delta Society, pets teach children many important skills. They bring children out of themselves and teach them to focus outwardly on others rather than inwardly to themselves. Pets teach children empathy and socialization skills, provide children with unconditional acceptance, and teach children to be nurturing. Animals provide entertainment, mental stimulation, and a source of physical contact which might otherwise be deficient in their lives—that is, they provide children with something soft and warm to love and hold tightly, a sort of living teddy bear or security blanket. They also establish a rapport with children, teaching them about mutual trust and providing a sense of connection.
Truly, pets play a vital, if often underrated, role in our daily lives. Their requirements are minimal: food, water, shelter, occasional veterinary care, and as much time and love as we can spare. For such a minimal investment, the returns are indeed impressive: unconditional love, trust, and devotion. As an additional bonus, pet owners can expect improved physical and emotional health. And as if those weren’t enough, pets also provide our children with invaluable life lessons. So much in return for so little: such is the beauty of the beast.
Works Cited
Baker, Lois. “Deconstructing the Pet-Effect on Cardiovascular Health.” News Center. 2004. University at Buffalo, State University of New York. Nov. 17, 2005. <http://www.buffalo.edu/news/fast-execute.cgi/article-page.html?article=65360009>.
Best Friends Animal Society. The Benefits of Pets. Nov. 16, 2005. <http://www.bestfriends.org/theanimals/pdfs/allpets/benefitsofpets.pdf>.
Delta Society. Introduction to Animal-assisted activities and therapy (AAA/AAT). 2005. Animal Health Foundation. Nov. 18, 2005. <http://www.deltasociety.org/AnimalsAAAAbout.htm>.
National Institutes of Health. “The Health Benefits of Pets.” NIH Consensus Development Program. 1987. Nov. 17, 2005. <http://consensus.nih.gov/1987/1987HealthBenefitsPetsta003html.htm>.
North American Riding for the Handicapped Association. About NARHA. 2005. Nov. 18, 2005. <http://www.narha.org/WhoIsNARHA/About.asp>.
Therapeutic Paws of Canada. Home page. 2004. Nov. 18, 2005. <http://www.tpoc.ca/Default.asp>
OT: soliciting critiques for my paper on pets
