The Human-Animal Bond - What & Why?
The Human-Animal Bond – What and Why?
The “human-animal bond” is a term that was developed to categorize and describe the attachment some people have for their pets. It was established for several reasons. One, of course, is that the psychologists and psychiatrists of the world have to have a name for every possible human emotional condition. More importantly, however, it was established to validate and explain the complex and often indescribable love that humans can have for their pets.
Love, of course, is a subjective term that means many things to many people, and is often dependent on the situation. For example, I love my new Keen brand shoes. Would I risk my life for them? Absolutely not. I also love the actor Gerard Butler. I’ve never actually met him, and I’ve heard he smokes – a habit I dislike – but I do enjoy his work (especially Phantom of the Opera!). How do those feelings of “love” that I have compare to the “love” I have for my animals. That’s simple – there is no comparison.
The realm of attachment that people form to their pets is highly variable. As a veterinarian, I have seen too often that a pet can be loved until it becomes inconvenient – the pet becomes too old, too sick, too destructive, or too expensive. It may have been well taken care of for many years, but then the bond is so weak that the pet can be relinquished to a shelter when it becomes more trouble than the owner wishes to deal with. On the other hand, I have many clients that wouldn’t part with their pets under any but the direst circumstances. There are some individuals that could even be considered “pathologically” attached to their pet. The designation of “pathologically attached” implies that the relationship is or has become unhealthy in some way. The so-called pathologically attached are the ones who love their pets like children, to the extent that were it possible, they would donate one of their own organs to their ailing pet if it would save its life.
Despite putting a name to the condition, the human-animal bond encompasses as many questions as answers. Who is it that determines if an emotional bond between a human and an animal is so extreme as to be “unhealthy”? Is it wrong or abnormal to love pets as much as humans? If so, who determines that?
The question that baffles me most is what exactly it is that allows some people to develop an intense loving relationship with their pet while others don’t. Is it nature or nurture? Is there some innate genetic component in some of us that allows us to unconditionally love our pets while our siblings, family members or friends may not share or even understand this attachment? Is it a result of our experiences throughout life that allow this bond to develop?
I often think of pet lovers as being sensitive and empathetic people. I also know a very sweet couple who have devoted their lives to family, children, and charitable work, and yet have relinquished a family pet they had had for years because it just “didn’t bring them any real joy”. No one could call them cold or insensitive, but for a pet lover it is incomprehensible that you could live with a pet in your house and as part of your family for years and yet not form any real attachment.
As medical technology continues to advance, perhaps one day there will be an explanation as to why some of us form deep, permanent and loving relationships with animals, while others don’t. Regardless of whether I know how or why, I am happy to enjoy the life-enriching joy, love and fulfillment I get from having pets.