As you can probably attest, animals are truly best friend material. They keep you company, make you feel useful, and usually provide cuddle opportunities on a regular basis. Although you speak a different language than your pet, most animal enthusiasts will agree that love has a universal dialect. So how do your four-legged family members fit into your life? Let’s explore a few different trends.
Treating them like your children
If you already have companion animals, you may have noticed loved ones can’t always relate to how deeply you care for them. But, ultimately, if you decide to bring an animal into your home, it begs to argue that you should consider them part of your family. Dogs are often even compared to two-year-old human children.
That means you can probably imagine them having similar needs (particularly when it comes to unconditional love). Many “empty nesters” in particular have a tendency to focus significant attention on their companion animals—perhaps because they have more time and affection to spare.
Raising them with your children
Who can resist the image of children bonding with their companion animals? In fact, growing up together is often considered very beneficial for both. Having a pet teaches children responsibility, empathy, and compassion. It can help improve both their mental and physical health, as well as reduce stress and the likelihood of developing allergies and asthma.
Having a child around, in turn, offers animals even more attention, companionship, and excuses to play. In many ways, they are similar to each other in navigating the world for the first time, so they might just literally stop to smell the roses together.
Having animals instead of children
Some individuals or couples simply elect not to have children. But caring for a dog, cat, rabbit, hamster, etc. can also offer a great deal of comfort, love, and satisfaction. Although parents to only “human kids” may debate the similarities, having a living being who relies on you is an important responsibility either way.
The above notion of treating pets as children (as in the first example) often rings true for people don’t have human ones. There is actually a growing movement of individuals deciding to get companion animals in lieu of having children—whether because animals are considered more independent, less expensive, or less time-consuming.
No matter how your beloved companion animals fit into your life, we understand your devotion and the importance of ensuring they are well cared for at all times.
Whether you are sending them along separately on a trip, or relocating to another country, Worldwide Animal Travel can help you ease the stress of making complex travel arrangements. Contact us today to learn more.
Recent Comments