Animal companion

The cat and the dog, the most popular pets or pets in the world.

A companion animal or pet is a domestic animal kept for the purpose of providing companionship or for the enjoyment of the caretaker. Unlike laboratory animals, animals for breeding or livestock, animals for transport or animals for sport, companion animals are not kept for economic or nutritional benefits, although they are for personal benefit.

Companion animals are selected for their behavior, adaptability, and for their interaction with humans, possibly being used as hunting or security tools. Owning a companion animal can bring health benefits, since daily care makes many people forget about other types of concerns, prevents depression, and makes us feel useful. The most popular companion animals are dogs and cats.

The companion animal is also characterized by being friendly. It can be said that most of these animals become domestic if the person they live with teaches them good manners in daily life, not forgetting their animal nature.

A companion animal adapts to the environment of a human being regardless of its nature: it adheres to a group, family or society, which provides it with everything necessary for its development.

In adaptability and behavior, dogs are said to outperform most as companion animals. Its adaptability has helped man in various social, cultural, and recreational fields, such as its therapeutic use in hospitals, as guides for blind people, as police support, and in complicated people's rescues.

The company of any pet always evokes tenderness, companionship and friendship, qualities that intensify when loneliness seeks to seep into people's lives; It is in these moments when the pet acquires a more important role, feeling part of the family and even more, as a friend.

Most people show a positive attitude through their relationship with a pet or companion animal, especially those who suffer from psychological or physical problems.

History

The lady of the armor by Leonardo da Vinci.

The origin of animal domestication was established around 9000 B.C. C. in the event of human sedimentation known as the Neolithic revolution. Animals began to be used for food purposes, but later it was discovered that they could be used as hunting tools or hunting companions, adopting a more productive value as such as food. The animals were constantly related to the identity of the different social classes in history, since the economic capacity allowed to possess valuable and exotic species of animals and plants.

The origin of the domestication of animals is inaccurate, but it is believed that it began when human beings realized that they needed to establish ties between themselves and nature for their survival and development. Dogs, one of the earliest domesticated animal species, are estimated to have been bred as companion animals for around ten thousand years. Around the year 3500 a. C. the domestication of cats began in Egypt.

Popularity

A large percentage of the world's population owns a companion animal: ^{[citation needed]} it is estimated that only 62% of the US population owns a pet. companion animal. The most popular companion animals around the world are cats, in any variety of the species.

Health

Beatrix Potter with his dog, c. 1881.

Effects on animal health

Owning a companion animal is frequently translated as an acquisition of responsibilities in which the animal must be provided with everything necessary for its proper development. For the care of a companion animal, correct nutrition and constant care is needed to avoid some diseases, as well as medical care and imitation of its natural environment.

Effects on human health

Positive effects on health

Owning an animal as a companion animal can bring positive effects on human life. Lowering of high blood pressure and lowering of cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood are positive physical effects that owning a companion animal can bring. mental stress, depression and feelings of loneliness, leading to a placebo effect, which improves the health of the owner.

People petting a cat

In addition, recent studies in Japan show that chronically ill people who own pets (whether they have fur, feathers, or scales) appear to have healthier hearts than those who live without a pet.^{[citation required]}

In results published in the American Journal of Cardiology, researchers who studied nearly 200 people found that those who owned a companion animal had greater heart rate variability than those without a companion animal. home^{[citation required]} (reduced variability is associated with a higher risk of dying from a heart problem^{[citation required]} ); which means their hearts are more responsive to the demands of bodily changes, such as pumping faster during stressful situations.^{[citation needed]}.

Negative effects on health

Among the negative health effects caused by a companion animal are mainly the respiratory and skin responses of allergies and asthma. Another possible risk is the attack of the species that is kept as a companion animal (bites, poison injection, clawing, etc.). The fear or phobia towards a certain species must also be taken into account. In addition, various diseases can be acquired from pathogens transmitted through animal contact, such as cat scratch disease, stomach infections, ornithosis acquired from contact with some bird species, and salmonellosis.

Legality

Supermarket in Rome, where pets are restricted (a sign appears).

Because animals can be considered "dirty," there are strict laws around the world.

Among them, are to enter a country (some countries ask for Electronic Identification) and also to enter stores or restaurants because they can bring diseases. Making it difficult for an owner to walk his pet.