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Furry friends bring fun and fitness health
A diamond may be a girl's best friend, but a pet is definitely an empty-nester's best pal. That's according to the latest research jointly conducted by the Psychology College of Beijing Normal University and Companion Animal Research and Information Centre (CARIC), a non-profit organization that promotes responsible pet ownership. The study polled 719 Beijing families whose members are elderly people with children or grandchildren no longer living under the same roof. Known as "empty-nesters", some of these families added furry friends while others did not. The result, which was released on Thursday to a crowd of 200 experts or healthcare professionals, was eye-opening both psychologically and physiologically. "Pets have always played a role as loyal assistants and companions for humans. In the last 30 years, there has been more and more research in other countries that proves companion animals can increase self-respect and survival ability in humans. This new study has set a precedent in China," says Amy Liu, CARIC's director. Bruce Headey, a Professor at the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic
& Social Research, University of Melbourne, is not surprised at all. He has
conducted similar research in Australia and Germany. The Beijing study confirms
and contributes to growing international findings that pet owners, especially
pet-owning empty-nesters, comparatively speaking, tend to be healthier and
happier with their lives, he says.
This could have long-term ramifications in the control or reduction of
healthcare costs. Further research will shed light on it, says Headey, whose own
study puts the amount of national savings in Australia or Germany at billions of
dollars. (See sidebar)
Pele came to Liu Aihua at the lowest point in her life. Liu, a teacher at
Beijing-based China Agriculture University, had just gone through a terrible
divorce and was suffering from depression. Pele, named after the great soccer
star, is a cross of Beijing pug-dog and Tibetan pug-dog. "He brought my life
back to normal. He's been like a grandson to me," Liu said.
Liu has two daughters, but at that time she would not talk about her distress
to them for fear of having a negative effect on the young children. "But Pele
understood me. When I wept, he would come to me and lick my cheeks. If I didn't
cheer up, he would look downcast, too."
That was 11 years ago. Liu and Pele have been inseparable ever since. When
Liu does not plan to come back home at night, Pele is able to tell and would lay
on the bed and not say goodbye. And then he would starve himself until "Grandma"
came home again.
Pele understands her verbal instructions and facial expressions. Liu said one
night she had a sudden stomach ache and was repeatedly going to the bathroom.
Sensing something wrong, Pele scratched the door of her daughter's room until
she woke up and took care of her mother.
Now nearing retirement -- her two daughters having left long ago and visit
her at weekends, Liu attributes her good spirits partly to the puppy. "I cannot
accurately gauge the health effect, but Pele definitely keeps me on the move all
the time, and I love it," she says.
Liu Aihua remembers a time when she had to send Pele into hiding for 80 days
in the countryside. "You cannot imagine what kind of anguish we went through,
both Pele and I. When I finally went to fetch him, the scene was so touching
that everyone around us had tears in their eyes."
Since she did not pay fees, she dared not take Pele out for walks at normal
times. "I walked him at midnight when there was hardly anyone on the lawn," Liu
says. "I always keep him on a leash and bring a poop bag and cleaning tissues."
Pet adversaries contend that most Chinese cities have high population
densities and pets have to share cramped space with humans, making it hard to
maintain public hygiene. When severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) broke out
last year, some owners dumped their pets for fear of catching the virus. A high
fee, argue some, is an effective means of keeping pet ownership low.
"I feel pets are only suitable for those who live in single houses," says Lin
Minquan, a retired worker in Guangzhou. "A dog barking at night is a nuisance to
the whole neighbourhood, to say the least." Lin suggests banning pets at all
public areas except a few designated locations.
Surprisingly, Lin's view was not echoed by many people who attended a public
hearing in Guangzhou last year, held by the provincial legislative body. Many
defended pets as having certain rights of access to lawns and sunshine.
"The current restrictions on pets are too strict and encompassing," says
Zheng Lin, an official at Shenzhen Statistics and Information Bureau. "We humans
believe we are the masters of the universe, but pets are our friends, especially
to the senior citizen or the only child with no brother or sister to play with."
Amid all the controversy, a film played a crucial role in highlighting the
social function of pets. "Cala, My Dog" portrays a Beijing blue-collar worker
whose dog is impounded because he has not paid the proper permit fee. He is
faced with the dilemma of pilfering his son's education fund or losing the furry
family member who gives him self-respect.
Effective from October 15, 2003, city departments in Beijing reduced the fee
from 5,000 yuan to 1,000 (US$120). The number of registered dogs shot up to
410,000 citywide. Experts estimate that the new number roughly represents 90 per
cent of the total number of dogs in the capital.
Since then, Liu Aihua has happily paid for the license, and now her daughter
even drives Pele to the Great Wall.
"Some people need pets more than others, but they are not necessarily the
rich," says Liu.
China's overall pet ownership rate is still very low. "Pets bring us so much
joy, but they also entail responsibilities. Every pet owner, while giving loving
care to the pet, should understand the pet's needs and master all the knowledge
about caring for them," says CARIC's Liu.
As people age, there are a lot of changes in their bodies as well as in the
environment.
Companion animals can help ease the transition.
"The human-pet bond is one of attachment and loyalty. When we as a society
pay attention to it, we can also benefit from it by improving the quality of
life for at least some social strata in very tangible ways," says Zheng Richang,
professor of psychology at Beijing Normal University, who supervised the pet
study.
"Hopefully our research can help the government in its pet-related
regulations." |
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