There are people who don’t quite understand what it is we get from animals. It’s something I’ve heard before, not a new thing or uncommon but something I’d like to offer my thoughts on. I figured I’d give you a survivor’s point of view of why animals are so important to us and how they help us. I hope this helps you understand a bit better.
What we love about them is their need for us without judgment. I think we also like their dependence on us. They give us purpose, make us feel needed. They’re soft, they cuddle safely. They’re innocent like babies and children with no ill will. They’re also a target for those who need to dominate or use them for impure purposes such as dog fighting, punching bags or unnecessary experimentation. This causes those of us who are survivors to see ourselves in them and rescue them and our younger selves. Connection with the defenseless and voiceless is a way to protect them and heal ourselves. In partnership is how animals offer help and are helped.
We see animals as living, breathing, feeling things that are here for more than service and food.
Animals are in general happy creatures who take joy in simple things. They’re thrilled to get breakfast and think a tossed out item is the best toy ever. They’re sensitive and funny. They have full range of emotion like us but are not ruled by it. They show neediness and strength, fear and tenacity all without being ashamed of it. I think humans see this and are not just intrigued but inspired. The complex simplicity of them is quite amazing.
People are not solitary beings. We need other living things around us in order to survive. When we don’t trust other humans and feel pained by their presence the natural course to take is to pair with the pure heart of an animal. This way we can do what is natural to us which is give of ourselves and share our existence.
Animals in captivity is an unnatural thing, humans in captivity is just as unnatural. I see myself held against my will by PTSD and my cell mate is my dog. We do our time together and make the most of it as friends who give and take.
NOTE: Any comments on this entry should be to explain how you feel about animal connections or how you don’t understand the connection. Comments that slam another person’s point of view WILL be deleted without exception. If you decide to say something along the lines of “Something is wrong with “non-animal lovers”, they aren’t to be trusted” then expect me to hit the delete button. Despite how true it is that “animal lovers” can sometimes act like rabid dogs and can be human cruel, if you comment like that I’ll delete it. This is an explanation entry, not an entry to pass judgment or decide who is wrong or right…. cause we all know it’s me 
Play nice.
Austin
I think it was your blog I posted on earlier about this when you wrote about your dog. I don’t think I wrote about my daughters. Well, really my oldest daughter. I’ll get to that…
I was brought up by my mother to be afraid of animals. But, still, I remember my father brought home a bunny once, called Lisa, and I was very much into that little bunny which stayed in a hutch in the shed in my backyard. I then remember being about 10 and found a stray cat. I brought him back to our home and kept him under the back porch. I took the little change I had and bought the cat some food and I remember, well I’m really reporting, that I was so invested in this cat and had the same feeling you describe: about taking care of a living think without the judgement.
The cat didn’t last long. My mother, years later, told me he got out and was hit by a car. I don’t know if I believe her.
I think this event forever changed me inside.
Fast forward to June 2003, my wife gets 2 one-year old cats from the shelter. They are supposed brothers. I was so scared of them and they had this habit of coming up to me and rubbing against me. I couldn’t get used to being surprised like this all the time. I had a strange internal reaction to them.
That went away. Now they are part of our family. My oldest daughter, who is now 10, is an admitted “cat lover”. In school, practically every story she writes is about cats, leopards, lynx, etc. I look at her, and to a lesser extent my younger daughter, and realize that getting them was a really wonderful thing. I see them both develop a love for animals that I was never allowed to have.
Granted my wife got them while I was in the hospital and it was against my wishes. But in this case I’m very glad they forced me outside of my comfort zone.
No matter what time my kids go to bed, the cats will be right there by their side. It’s uncanny how they know. Every single night. Now, when my older daughter was sick with a 24 hour bug the other day, her cat did NOT spend the night next to her in her bed. The cat must have known something was different. I cannot help but realize how amazing this human-animal relationship really is.
Thanks for bringing this up.
Paul
The entry was in fact in response to your comment. I figured my response warranted a bit of detail so I went ahead and made it an entry.
I have to wonder why you were raised to fear animals. I was raised to fear and hate cats. To my surprise I love cats. I’m more of a dog person but I like cats a lot. They’re calm nature offers something different than my ever panting, always ready to play and up for anything dog. They’re adorable companions.
Thank you for your response
Austin
Excellent entry! Thanks for sharing.
I love both dogs and cats as well but prefer the more “social” dog to the independent cat as a pet. Cats provide me with a means of comforting another being just to a point (the point usually decided by the cat). Dogs force me to get up, get out and be a part of the world, if only because they need to walk. Thanks for dogs I’ve managed to lose 100 pounds mainly due to walking them. As I take them to a public park the walks have also helped me overcome my social phobias and react with the people we see on our walks.
I’ve had many pets over the years and they have been so incredibly important to my well being. When I was being abused the dogs and cats were a source of comfort and escape. A huge part of my survival. One dog did also save my life once…biting me for the first and last time when I was falling asleep at the wheel of my car on a long awful journey.
I cannot imagine life without an animal being a part.
Again, thanks for the entry and the opportunity to yak!
I love animals but I’m afraid to love them. My childhood pets disapeared when they got to be too much trouble or too old to take care of. I fear getting attached to them – like people too.
Yup, dogs mean exercise. They take a lot more to care for than cats but I really like what my cat has to offer. I like the totally different energy and thinking process she has. She’ll let me sleep all day (if I were able to do that she would let me) but having Gus means I have to get up and focus. I have to get dressed to leave the house and walk him. I have to pick up the brush once a week and brush him as well as focus enough to clip his nails and brush his teeth. My boy doesn’t have a dental plan so heck yeah I brush his teeth. The amount of doting on the dog is rather healing for me and he enjoys the attention. I think having a routine for his grooming helps too.
A long time ago when Captain was living I had a severe panic attack. I wasn’t doing well at all so I went down to a neighbors house to sit and get myself together. While down there it got even worse. Captain got up in the Lazy-boy chair, which was reclined, and laid across me. He laid on me until I calmed down and was able to go home. My neighbor and I talked about that day for a long time. Gus hasn’t done anything like that but his presence lets me sleep and that in itself is worth gold.
Thanks for sharing your story. I hope this entry gets a lot more comments about small acts of heroism and large. It would be nice to see a host of stories that show how animals assist those in any kind of recovery.
Smiles to you and yours,
Austin
Hi,
Studies show that pets help people. They can increase their positive attitude. They can make them happier. They can make them less lonely. They can help us to feel emotions like love and trust. They can bring us joy. They can help those in pain to use less pain medication, all kinds of things. On another level, it really doesn’t matter, we are not alone when we have another being with us and that means all the world to some and can be especially helpful and healing for survivors of trauma.
I believe that we don’t choose animals, they choose us. So I think that they have made a decision to be in our life, no matter where we are in our path. Good and healing animals to us all.
Kate