Animals have so much to teach us about love. The closer we get to animals, the more joy they give us.
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Gina runs a nursing home. She has tried all kinds of things to brighten the days for her senior citizens. What works better than anything else is dogs. The local animal shelter brings in a vanload of small dogs every Thursday afternoon, and the seniors immediately smile.The dogs offer unconditional love, and the residents of the nursing home, who often feel isolated and withdrawn, take that love and are energized by it. Softened by the love, they return it right
back to their furry friends.
"You just have to watch one of these dogs put his head under a listless hand, demanding to be petted, or rest his chin on a patient's chest and stare lovingly into their eyes, or see someone
who wouldn't get out of bed offer to hold the leash and take a dog for a walk down the hall" to see how much dogs can help, according to one volunteer. "You can actually see dogs bring people out of themselves and help them forget their troubles. Blank faces come alive, and eyes uncloud."
Interaction with animals supplies us with both immediate joy and long-term positive feelings, and contributes strongly to our happiness. Those with a loved pet are 22 percent more likely to feel satisfied than those without.
Barofsky and Rowan 1998
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