Petting a dog, a camel or an elephant can reduce feelings of loneliness and stress. Assuming of course, you don’t get spat upon, peed on, bitten or squashed.
It’s not that animals have magic vibes coming out of them. It’s about giving people a sense of life beyond what they ordinarily experience.
Quotation from William Banks, Saint Louis University
Elephant Therapy and Equine Therapy Programs are used as tools for gaining self-understanding and emotional growth in adults and children, and are especially effective for children with Asperger’s and Autism.
for sure!!! i was trying to tell my husband that you could feeeeeeel my dog’s innocence and love when you touched her tummy when she is not growling or irritated, he didn’t believe me, but it’s sooo true. did you read ‘half asleep in frog pajamas’ by tom robbins? the guy in it had autism that was cured by dolphin touching
yes, still life with woodpecker, etc are his too… maybe he’s an aquired taste lol… i used to want to swim with dolphins, i was convinced it would help EVERYTHING that ailed me, now i’m far too anxious to do that, dolphins are BIG lol
Animals exhibit an essential nobility and harmony that’s rarely found in people.
Hmmm…. the placement of the solitary car in the offside wing mirror, the underground parking lot….you’ve either become a PI, or you’re stalking someone, Sera! ha ha
Animals are givers of unconditional love (not all species of course, I mean if you walk up to a Polar bear or a Grizzly, or a thirty foot great white and ask for a group hug, the darn thing’ll rip your head off), and domestic cats and doigs for example, sense when we are unwell or low, and come and sleep by us or give us attention. An ex of mine was the complete opposite, and every time I was ill or low she would leave me and go out!
I’ve always had cats, and could not be without them and I believe ours is a happier house because of them, although I still really would love a Polar bear or grizzly as company, Guess I’d better brush up on my group hug skills……
well i used to be incredibly new age lol and the stories of dolphins curing things are just as abundant as near death experiences, now i don’t believe in either, besides, i died on the operating table once, and there was nothing but black!
nope, no tunnel and white light! but i’m a Christian, so of course i believe in life after death, but we are supposed to be ‘dead’ until Jesus returns, then we rise again, so it’s black for now, but we won’t even notice it when we die and DON’T come back with a sore chest from getting your heart paddled lol
I love that approach!
The donkey is friend with a lovely cat…
And with the cat it’s impoossible to be a lonely donkey, cat has somthing to ask you!
Yes…we ‘people’ have an unspoken bond with our four-footed friends. The relationships we form can be both healing and inspiring.
I think the word that springs to mind here is anthropomorphism. Call me cynical if you will. I don’t deny that pets can fulfil a need in certain people. That is one thing. Laying human emotion on them is something completely different.
Chuckle, nicely done, and agreed upon, I have three cats…they’re worth every scar
PS posted a reply to you on my blog. Don’t know if you get notified or not, but I’m guessing not. Nice little details on your top shot. Like the ‘No Stroking’ sign.
I enjoy your talented and creative expression in your comic presentation. Especially with what this one represents. There is no better therapy (my opinion) than the effect of bonding with an animal, they can calm the soul and spirit giving mortals a new perspective to cope. My cat Katie gives me unconditional love and looks after me, especially when I am down. My other buddy Quaker (a parrot) who I recently lost after 21 years gave me more than I ever knew having a bird could.
I guess my ultimate experience with petting an animal was the 13 foot alligator that I hand fed and stroked it’s massive tail at an alligator farm. Just a few steps away in the pit were up to 100 alligators all no less than 10 feet long. Now in this case you must be calm. But I was in awe that I had the experience.
Love the comic and the programs you mentioned are great tools to help folks!
super comics with so many details (the lonely car in the outside mirrors)..
I have cats and dog … that’s my comment
Bien à toi !
beautiful composietie
The Therapeutic Horsemanship programs I have seen are amazing for what they do for adults and children alike. A great point, Sera!
I believe in anything and everything …
As I read this comic, my 160 Lbs great dane mix mutt snores, Its very comforting to have an animal around. i wonder what he thinks of when I am snoring?
It takes a lot to make me laugh out loud in the morning but you managed it.
I now know what pachyderm means. thank you.
lol
Interesting view,
I think pets can reduce stress… Really !
I’ll stick with smoking Camels, when I can find them because Canada only sells Canadian cigarettes.
My grandma smoked camels without filters all of her adult life and didn’t get cancer. My dad smoked expensive filtered cigarettes all of his life and died at the age of 64 before my grandma, his mother died of old age instead of cancer from smoking the unfiltered camels. BTW, the quote on my site is IRON ORE, not IRONING:-)
i have a cat. that does count?
Hmmm….pets do have much more to offer than most people know! well done Sera:)
yes i do see what you mean, but it’s fiinished construction now, and it’s a convenience store, not a buddha shrine lol… same principle tho i guess, get your junk food here *smile* my bracket keys aren’t working lol i can’t smile…
sorry, didn’t mean to spook you with my sky, and it is MY sky once it’s captured in my picture, MINE!
I’m not a people person. I prefer dogs or cats.
a little sprinkle of me wets the sidewalk when i’m not wearing my depends hehe… did you know that sid hartha didn’t want to be worshiped and buddhism is supposed to only be a ‘science of the mind’, and only a couple sects of buddhism act like there was some kind of god like quality to buddha… it’s a completely godless ‘religion’ and they would probably worship a burrito more than anybody else, coz a burrito could be a reincarnated…. somebody that mattered lol
Besides of which, if you really need to laugh, just ride a camel! Eons ago, when my kids were young, we rode camels at the Wildlife Park outside San Diego. I laughed hysterically the entire time beause it was a sensation I had never before experienced. Tell me THAT isnt therapeutic!
hey sara, thanks for the lovely comments! I wish you too a great and very inspired 2010!!
science is only beginning to take a serious look at what pet owners have known for millennia. …but it can be weird too. i was recently refused grant money for Habitat for Humanity from a gov’t body that claims to want to contribute to community development programs that change lives. what did they give their money to? hockey teams and kids reading to horses.
Funny sequence, and some nice wisdom to it, animals are so nice and trusting and really help on the mood.
I don’t know how therapeutic dogs are but they are fun to have around.
If petting camels really reduced stress, then there’d be less Jihadists in the world.
Loved the “No stroking” sign on the wall in the first shot. And yes, IMHO pets are definitely of great therapeutic value.
Grat pun. Just the way I like them.