The Value of (Research on) Animals in Children’s Lives Commentary on Mueller

If numbers are any indication, then it appears animals play an important part in people’s lives. Roughly three-quarters of families with children (and two-thirds of Americans in general) have a pet in their homes [American Veterinary Medical Association, 2007]. The hallowed place of animals is not restricted to modern times. Rather, evidence abounds of the unique place animals – particularly domesticated animals – have held over the millennia, perhaps most canonically in the form of selective breeding of species such as dogs for specific purposes [Shepard, 1997]. While we cannot say precisely at what point domesticated animals stepped over the threshold from instrumental use to social companions (or perhaps these roles have largely co-existed), we can say that many animals are considered to be important members of their human families with many, if not most, of the accompanying treatment and privileges. What role then do animals play in humans’ lives? A cursory response might include something of the following: Animals provide companionship, entertainment, and an opportunity for children to learn responsibility. Yet, as the research on human-animal interaction (HAI) suggests, animals do more than that. The mere presence of companion animals reduces people’s blood pressure and heart rate [for a review, see Wells, 2009]. These benefits are increased with physical contact, such as petting, with even greater physiological benefits in people [Shiloh, Sorek, & Terkel, 2003] and a reduction in animals’ heart rates as well [McGreevy, Righetti, & Thomson, 2005]. Companion animals, particularly dogs, also function as social facilitators, increasing social interactions among people in public settings [Wells, 2004] and in long-term care facilities [Bernstein, Friedmann, & Malaspina, 2000]. These findings have led to the therapeutic use of animals in hospitals, nursing homes, prisons, and inspired further research on the range of therapeutic benefits of