Why Pets Make Us Feel Better

There’s something special about the sweet connection between humans and their pets. Maybe it’s the way that their paws pounce on the floor to greet you or how they always seem to know when you’re sad. Animals are this quieter comfort that can’t quite be encompassed; they’re soft and understanding, not needing words at all. For some people, pets can be not just animals but part of a loving family.

For lifelong pet owner and Spanish teacher Jennifer Blanton, her dogs Elvis and Presley bring her joy, healing and peace.  

“I think my pets absolutely relax me,” Blanton said. “The first thing I do [after work] is go to the backyard with them. I brush them, I run around the yard with them and I throw their toys.” 

Blanton has had pets all her life, from barn kittens to a Valentine’s gift labrador puppy named Scout. 

“I don’t like being without a pet,” Blanton said. “They’ve always been part of my life.”  

If you’ve ever had a pet lie next to you when you’re upset, you know the feeling; that your pet senses your emotions too. 

After ankle surgery years ago, Blanton shared her experience with animal empathy. “I couldn’t walk for weeks,” Blanton said. “My lab at the time, Sammy, sat with me in the recliner every day. She didn’t leave once.” 

Blanton remembered how Sammy would gently rest her head on her lap, like a reassurance that everything would be ok.  Her soft fur and eyes were medicine that a doctor couldn’t prescribe.

Dogs possess the ability to feel and comprehend human struggle.  

“Dogs can definitely interpret our behavior,” Environmental Science teacher Polly Cunningham said. “They can smell our stress or anxiety, and they can even sense changes in our heartbeat. They’re very in tune with their pack their people.” 

Cunningham’s first dog, Remy, helped her through a rough time when she lost her first teaching job. 

“It was very stressful, because I was looking for a job; I didn’t know where I was going to live, was I going to move, and he was just always like, wanting to be next to me. And it was very comforting. And I just knew that we were going to be like, together, and it was nice to have that support.” 

Beyond emotional support, Cunningham believes dogs can teach an important life lesson.  

“Dogs really force you to live in the present,” Cunningham said. “You can’t dwell on the past when you’re with them. They remind you to focus on the moment.”