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Humans’ best friend

Loyal bonding A pet can change your life

After a hard day, as Gayatri Rao returns home fatigued, it takes only a few seconds to get relieved of her tiredness. She does not have any magical equipment to de-stress her. The secret lies in the eight poodles that she and her mother Ila Rao have been keeping as pets in their house. Their affectionate warm lick or the naughty wag of their tail rejuvenates her in a jiffy.

Historians and anthropologists have pointed out that the concept of having domesticated animals have been present since time immemorial. Among the domesticated animals, dogs are the most common and world over they are regarded as humans’ best friend.

“Having a dog or any pet for that matter at home is the most beautiful thing to have. Dogs are great companions, and they never give you the feeling of loneliness. They are faithful, loyal and you would find them always by your side till the last day. They not only become part of the family, but also occupy a special place. We rejoice when a new one comes and mourn for years with a loss,” says the former Head of the Department (English), Andhra University, Dr. Ila Rao.

Author Gene Hill once said, “A dog can show you more honest affection with a flick of his tail than a man can gather through a lifetime of handshakes.”

Most pet lovers say that pets can change one’s life. Mrs. A. Gayatri Rao adds that they can be your best friends and that friendship is irreplaceable.

The Rao family introduced two pups into their family two years ago on the advice of a common friend to help recover one of their daughters from a mild setback. She recollects with tears in her eyes and in a choked vocal, “From the very first day, the pups became a part of our family. They grew up together and left us together on the same day. But during the brief period, they showed us how to live as better human beings. Within a week after bringing them home, our daughter recovered and she excelled in her career and work. The dogs practically communicated with us and they were in the thick of affairs at home. In one word, I can say that they changed our lives. Their love in return is manifold to us.”

Both she and her husband now take care of dogs whenever their masters leave the town on holidays or assignments.

A senior vet D.S.V. Kumar says dogs are the most faithful of all domesticated pets. “They wait for the master till his return. Does not take food and greet him at the door the moment the bell rings. Five minutes of play with the dog de-stresses you and makes you forget all your worries. During the playtime, a lot of good hormones get released and that helps in controlling your blood pressure. In western countries, doctors prescribe for having pets, especially dogs, to hypertension patients and to people suffering from chronic heart ailments,” he says.

A medical research in the US suggested that pets can decrease your blood pressure, cholesterol and triglycerides. They can force you to work more and make you laugh longer. They can not only help recover from a heart attack quickly but also cut the risk of having one. Pets can cheer up the mentally sick and reduce the routine of medication and other therapies.

Since 1919, pet programmes proved to be effective in producing psychological benefits over other alternative therapies. In the west, there are several cases where masters have left behind a fortune in the name of their pets. The noted among them was the billionaire hotelier Leona Helmsly who was nicknamed as ‘Queen of mean’ for her tyrannical behaviour, but left behind a fortune worth 12 million USD in the name of her white maltese dog.

Many pet lovers in the city say that there is a lack of proper vet care and they have to depend on a handful of private practitioners. The government set up is grossly handicapped of staff and equipment. But it is not the same in big cities like Chennai, Delhi, Bangalore or Mumbai where there are well-equipped hospitals, specialised diagnostic centres and loads of qualified doctors.

Mark Twain once said, “If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man.”

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