The Tribune

By Kirkland Pratt

Suffice it to say, most Bahamians have chased a stray potcake out of their yard as a child before caring for one as an indoor or yard pet. It would appear that there are ingrained in many of us automatic responses to animals which are curious and concerning at best. See a snake? Cut its head off then dice the headless body into bits leaving it in the street for all to see in a diabolical and trophy-esque way. See a cat? “Them things give you tissick man!” My father constantly reminds me about my three Persians when he visits; for the life of him he can’t imagine cats dwelling in a home with people.

Why is it so commonplace to see people throwing stones at independent felines and their canine counterparts? Conditioning, perhaps? With so many strays roaming our island maybe it is hard to imagine dogs with pet potential instead of as nuisances.

Any of the aforementioned animals may easily enhance the quality of life for the unsuspecting pet-lover.

Three recent correlation studies expanded on this in the March 2012 issue of the Journal of Psychology. They examined the correlation between mental health and sociability between pet owners and non-pet owners. In one study, researchers had students write about an experience in which they felt socially alienated or rejected. The researchers found that writing passages about pets was just as likely to alleviate feelings of exclusion as writing passages about human friends.

In the second study, researchers at Miami University and St. Louis University issued questionnaires to 217 randomly selected participants. The questionnaires examined variables such as depression, loneliness, illness, self-esteem and activity-levels. The data gleaned revealed that participants with pets scored better on all measures and tended to have higher self-esteem and less loneliness.

In the third experiment, researchers examined whether dog owners experienced greater benefits when their pets were seen as fulfilling their social needs. The authours posited “to the extent that their dogs fulfilled needs related to belongingness, self-esteem, meaningful existence, and control, owners enjoyed a range of better outcomes (i.e., less depression, less loneliness, greater self-esteem, greater happiness, and less perceived stress).”

In the absence of statistics as to the number of Bahamian pet owners, the Bahamas Humane Society has confirmed that they process pet adoptions and have a variety of personable healthy animals. In my experience, I have found that within Bahamian homes, either the occupants have sometimes up to five dogs and/or cats; or as a family, they have an aversion to the thought. A friend joked with me one weekend saying that he couldn’t make sense of anybody owning so much as a gold fish. When I asked him why, he said that all animals are unpredictable. Whatever his rationale is, I hypothesize that the exact opposite may be true.

Animals who by extension make up a human family offer each member an opportunity to foster growth and contribute to the upkeep of their pet. Love for the same is exemplified by the adoring pet owner who shamelessly collects the scraps from the office garbage to take to an eager potcake at the end of the day.

I talk to my pets (I’m sure I am not the only one). Many of us enjoy a good chat with a pet who may respond with loving behaviour but never words. As a rule of thumb in behavioural professions, listening is a powerful dynamic in communication.

Adopting a pet may change you for the better.

Keep thinking though, you are good for it.