Animal dayThe cat that purrs on your lap when you have had an argument with your partner, the dog that comes running with a toy when you come home after a bad day at work: animals sometimes seem to know exactly how to cheer us up. How can we be there for them too? Nienke Endenburg, researcher in human-animal relations at Utrecht University, gives her best tips for Animal Day.
Humans and animals cannot communicate with each other with words. How can the mutual bond be so strong?
“Petting a friendly-looking mammal causes us to produce the bonding hormone oxytocin. At the same time, the level of the stress hormone cortisol decreases. We feel better and calmer around animals. Hormone measurements have also been made in dogs: after repeated positive contact with a human, they also produce oxytocin. So they also feel good with us. This effect has not yet been studied in birds and reptiles, but that does not mean that something similar cannot happen. You could also build a strong bond with a parrot or a snake.”
Animals are also increasingly used to support therapy. So how can they help?
“That varies greatly per animal species and per target group. What helps in a general sense is that an animal does not judge. People in the area often want to help, but have their own things that they struggle with, or they sometimes say something clumsy. An animal does not lose its patience and does not find you strange or difficult, no matter what bothers you.”
You can’t ask your animal if it is happy, but you can look for signs that it is feeling good and not experiencing pain, discomfort or stress
You are conducting research into the treatment of veterans with treatment-resistant PTSD (post-traumatic stress syndrome, ed.) in a project with horses. How does that work?
“PTSD is an anxiety disorder and causes anxiety, poor sleep and a short fuse, among other things. It can make interaction with family members and the outside world difficult. These veterans know they are safe now, but their brains are still wired for danger to appear anywhere, at any time. By not having to talk about what happened again, but by doing things with the horses and seeing that they can do this, they gain more confidence in themselves and in their ability to build a bond with another living being. Hopefully they can take what they learn from the horses with them to their private situations.”
If interacting with animals is so good for us humans, should we all have a pet?
,,No definitely not. I often see that people bring an animal into their home on a whim, but do not really think about the consequences. That animal needs attention, healthy food, exercise, and medical care. If you are always grumpy when walking the dog because you prefer to stay indoors, or are stressed because the vet bill is so high, this does not promote mutual bond. Such an animal often ends up in the shelter or in a shelter after a few months. Think carefully in advance whether you can offer an animal what it needs.”
This is how you ensure a strong bond with your pet, according to Nienke Endenburg:
1. Recognize a happy animal. You can’t ask your animal if it is happy, but you can look for signs that it is feeling good and not experiencing pain, discomfort or stress: does the animal want to be with you, can you pet it, is it calm, is it eating? does it play well? If this is not the case or if something changes, consult a veterinarian or behavioral specialist.
2. Don’t look for it in food. We humans tend to equate food with love. The vast majority of pets in our country are overweight. What matters to your pet is that it gets attention. You also give this by playing, walking or just spending time together.
3. Combat boredom. No matter how well you take care of it, if your animal is bored then it is not happy. Offer new incentives regularly. You can teach a dog or cat a trick. For rodents you can build a maze in the living room. Be creative!
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