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Antonio Gonzales
Theresa Simonsen
English 1010
August 3, 2015

Clearing the Rumors

Do animals benefit children? I have heard people ask this question many times. I got my dog
Vanilla when I was eight years old, I had hoped and wished for a dog up to the day I got her.
Having a pet to grow with changes the way you learn life lessons. While growing up it taught me
lessons on how to treat others as well as other animals. The things I learned while having an
animal was compassion, respect, and loyalty. While most people will agree having animals is
generally healthy, most don't realize that they help allergies in humans be almost non-existent,
they increase the capacity in humans to have a better more creative social life, they teach
children companionship and to have more respect for all living things, and they provide a good
working physical exercise routine. I believe animals are positive influences in children's lives.
Others may not agree with animals being a positive influence for children. I have seen my
own family members be terrified of animals as adults because of experiences they have had or
seen while they were children. My aunt had a dog run and jump on top of her which scarred her
for life because she wasnt expecting the dog to do that, and she had never had encounters with
animals to feel safe around them. She is not willing to try and conquer her fear of animals
because she doesnt see the benefit of having one. Another reason why people may not want to

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have an animal is the responsibility that comes with raising an animal. You need to train it, care
for it, give it attention, and the money it costs to have a pet. Having a pet for an adult is like
raising another child which can be stressful.
Are pets healthy for our children? Are there any positive social aspects that come with having
an animal around? These are frequent questions asked by skeptics when it comes to animals and
humans. But as British Medical Journal (BJM, 2005) states, that in the 1980s questions started
rising as to if pets have benefits to owners health? The evidence has found that not only are
animals beneficial for health reasons, but also to physical, and emotional/mental reasons. The
connection between an animal and a human can influence how each act towards others. The
social act an animal gives to its owner leads them to grow more as an individual. Hand in hand
all these reasons prove the benefits an animal can contribute to a human.
Many studies have been performed on children to research the benefits that pets have on
children. From these studies there is interesting health benefits that come with the ownership of
an animal, when children are born and brought up around animals they have less allergies. A
study by researchers at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, was performed by
monitoring children until the age of three to examine maturation of the immune system in
relation to allergic disease. All of the children lived in rural areas of the Vstra Gtaland Region,
half of them on farms that produced milk. The study found that children on dairy farms ran a
much lower risk of developing allergies than the other children. With this study examining
children and the health benefits of being around animals, it provides information for those who
oppose the idea of animals being a problem.

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Having animals around you while you are growing into adulthood can help teach you
vital lessons for your life. The European Pet Food Industry Federation (FEDIAF, 2014) states
that, children growing up with a pet gives them social skills that helps them greatly throughout
the rest of their lives. It also says, If a child has the respect for the quality of life for their
animal they will have greater respect for all living things around them. The loyalty of an animal
teaches the compassion they need to have for everything around them. Many studies have been
performed to make these statements true.
A study performed with 37 elementary urban and rural schools in Australia found that
the presence of cats not only improved children's knowledge of responsible pet ownership, but
also increased class cohesiveness and the general atmosphere. The study, presented by Jonica
Newby from the PetCare Information and Advisory Service, then also discovered that the cats
generated a calm, orderly environment, modified disruptive behavior and reduced friction.
Another study that was researched with preschool children, psychologists at Oregon State
University found that teaching children to care for a puppy enhanced their social skills. It made
them more willing to be cooperative and to be able to share. (Goleman, 1990). I agree with
these studies being done because it is providing information for people to feel more comfortable
with the idea of animals around their children.
For every child having a stable environment is what helps them thrive when growing into
adulthood, but for others who dont have the possibilities for that type of environment having an
animal can be a comfortable asset for them. An animal is always there to comfort you when you
need it, they are there to listen when you need it, and it is the only living thing that gives you
unconditional love.

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The companionship of an animal can be a very vital thing to have when you have a child
with special needs. While a child with special needs has the ability to interact with a pet it can be
a positive impact on the quality of life. The quality time with an animal can enhance the
development of a child after having a serious illness. The trust of a child can be developed early
on with an animal, after a child bonds with an animal a behavioral change occurs and benefits
their outlook on life and finishing the goals they strive to accomplish in therapy. This makes
animals great co-therapists. (Dawn Oakley OTR/L and Gail Bardin, OTR/L, 2014)
Physical exercise is an important part of life to maintain. Owning an animal increases
physical activity with children. They are more motivated to do sports, chores, hobbies, or clubs
anything to get their body moving. The energy an animal can produce while playing with a child
or going on walks during the day is a positive influence on children to be more active which
makes a healthier lifestyle as well.
Animals have left a great impact on humans throughout time, with the bonds animals and
humans experience by having one another the questions that have been asked since the 1980s
have been answered. They have given us so many reasons to think of them as beneficial. The
health factor of having an animal as children grow up have been proven by studies to have a
positive outlook, children will have less allergies. The social aspect of animals make childrens
social life grow immensely they become more confident, loyal, and have greater respect for the
living things around them. The physical activity an animal helps you obtain is what helps
humans have more of a healthy more active lifestyle.
The companionship animals have shown towards humans proves that animals truly do
benefit children, a special relationship was discovered a few years ago in Israela 12,000-year-

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old human skeleton buried with its hand resting on the skeleton of a 6-month-old wolf pup. The
bond between animals and humans is part of our evolution, and its very powerful, says Dr. Ann
Berger (National Institutes for Health, 2009). They have given us so many reasons to think of
them as beneficial. The health factor of having an animal as children grow up have been proven
by studies to have a positive outlook, children will have less allergies.

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Reference Page
BMJ (2005, November 26). Pet ownership and human health: a brief review of evidence and
issues. British Medical Journal. Retrieved from
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1289326/
Chan, L. Amanda (2012, July 9). Pet health benefits: Study shows that dogs and cats may make
kids healthier. Huffington Post, Healthy Living. Retrieved from
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/09/health-benefits-pets-respiratory-infectionhealthier-kids_n_1659424.html
Dawn Oakley OTR/L and Gail Bardin, OTR/L (2014). The Potential Benefits of Animal
Assisted Therapy For Children With Special Needs. St. Marys Children Hospital.
Retrieved from
http://www.kidneeds.com/diagnostic_categories/articles/animalassistedtherapy.htm
FEDIAF (2014). Pets in society benefits for children. Learning about life. Scientific Studies.
The European Pet Food Industry Federation. Retrieved from
http://www.fediaf.org/pets-in-society/overall-benefits/
Goleman, Daniel (1990, January 11). HEALTH; Children and Their Pets: Unexpected
Psychological Benefits. New York Times, Archives. Retrieved from
http://www.nytimes.com/1990/01/11/us/health-children-and-their-pets-unexpectedpsychological-benefits.html

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National Institutes for Health (2009, February). Can Pets Keep You Healthy?. NIH, News in
Health. Retrieved from http://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2009/February/feature1.htm