More Than Just Pets

There are many ways that pets and animals can help improve one's emotional and mental health, including assisted day-to-day living. We delve into how interactions with these companions can benefit different groups of people.

- CHELSIA TAN

From taking an alligator on a walk to bringing a peacock on the plane, emotional support animals have been making international headlines. Their owners’ unusual choice of pets is certainly attention-grabbing, but it’s opened up conversations about how animals can become a mental and emotional crutch.

Animals – alligators notwithstanding – have been found to help their owners create better human-to-human friendships. A 2015 study by the University of Western Australia, Harvard University and the Waltham Petcare Science Institute showed that among the 2,700 participants surveyed, 60 per cent of these were pet owners who are more likely to get to know people in their neighbourhoods than those without pets.

In March this year, volunteers from a local community pet Whatsapp group organised Pets in the Park, a casual get-together of pet owners and animal lovers living in Yishun. Nearly 200 residents showed up with their animals in tow – dog owners mingled with attendees carrying cats, terrapins, rabbits and hamsters, while proud owners of parrots encouraged curious onlookers to let the friendly birds perch on them.

Volunteer Ho Shu Huang, who led the event, says the goal of this ground-up event was to “get people together and out of the house”.

“We were brainstorming different types of wellness activities to organise that would be broadly appealing to the community. Several volunteers mentioned animals, being in nature and social interaction with neighbours. So we thought we’d have a simple event where residents could bring their pets out to a park and get to know each other,” he says.