Last update: Augusts 09, 2016
Until you discover what it means to love an animal, you will not be able to understand what magnanimity is and what it means to experience certain emotions that can even heal the soul. Giving love to a dog, a cat or any living being, however small, restless and singular it is, it means getting rich and discovering that animals have feelings as noble as human ones.
You have all read articles about the benefits of having a pet more than once. What's really interesting is to find that all of this has a clear positive impact on the public health economy. According to some studies, animals save us several visits to the doctor, which, at the end of the year, saves around 3 million euros in countries like Germany and Austria.
“Loving an animal means reflecting yourself in a look that expects everything from you, that asks you for a caress, that brings you smiles and noble emotions. All it asks of you in return is love. "
Each of us can relate with affection the moment in which that special creature entered our house for the first time ... and turned it upside down. The same that he did to our heart. When we adopt a dog, when we rescue a kitten from the street, hungry, dirty and in need of affection, something awakens within us.
It is as if a light comes on deep inside, as if a strange mechanism moves its gears to make us change and make us better people. We invite you to reflect on it.
The "animal-medicine" and miraculous therapies
We begin by citing the case of Claudia, an Alzheimer's patient whose interest in the world has long since died out. None of the activities carried out at her nursing home cause any kind of change in her status, except one of her, ie when the socio-cultural animators bring four dogs trained for such therapies.
Claudia is particularly fond of one of the little dogs. As soon as she sees her, her gaze lights up and her energy releases to connect her strongly to reality. She is always like that. A few seconds later, the patient picks up the animal, kisses him and tells him a multitude of things. Thanks to this interaction, it was possible to reduce the administration of drugs aimed at stimulating the physical, cognitive and emotional response. Animals are real medicines for people.
According to a study published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, this "awakening" could be given by the activation of oxytocin, the famous hormone of love, affection and tenderness. When its levels increase, various psychological and psychophysiological factors appear that allow the subject to be more present and receptive to everything that involves emotional aspects (caresses, hugs, affectionate words, etc.).
The look of our animals
Sometimes with an animal we are able to establish a stronger emotional connection than with a person, thanks to his gaze.
Animals have a truly amazing ability to connect emotionally, both thanks to physical movements and looks. It is well known, in fact, that eye contact between a dog and its owner is so genuine and sincere that it can strengthen their bond.
"There are many types of love, but what we can feel for an animal is something exceptional that brings out the best in us and that pushes us to be great people"
According to an interesting study published in the journal Science, dogs recognize our smile, show empathy and even know how to interpret our emotions simply by looking us in the eye. All this is the result of many years of common evolution, during which an exceptional bond has been created that goes beyond race and size. It emerges directly from the genes and the heart.
We transform ourselves into what we see in the gaze of our animals
It is said that a dog's gaze is the best mirror in which to see our soul reflected. It is a sacrosanct truth, so we want to dwell on it a bit.
- If one of the animals we have raised runs away from us and his gaze contains the reflection of fear, it means that something is wrong. Fear feeds on a negative emotional impact.
- There are few things as therapeutic as arriving home with the mood under your heels and eyes full of tears and then suddenly seeing ourselves reflected in the gaze of our dog or cat. It is as if they hug us and tell us that everything is fine.
- In the eyes of our animals, we are the most wonderful beings in the world, and not just because we feed them: they crave for our affection.
- An animal's gaze is a mirror that stimulates our self-acceptance. His sincere eyes offer us a perspective with which to relativize problems, anxieties and stress. It is enough to hug it to see the world in perfect harmony.
This fantastic dose of oxytocin provided by our pets allows us to connect with reality, to combine affection with the desire to chase away the clouds of everyday life. Because we all have our souls a little sluggish until we find out what it means to love an animal.
