How much pet cuteness can you handle? The answer is a lot.

Dogs, cats, birds, snakes, lizards, fish, spiders, lions, tigers and even pigs. You name a species and somebody, somewhere, has had them as a pet.

As varied as our pets are, so are our reasons for keeping them. The number one rationale for having pets is companionship, but the truth is that our relationship with them actually starts in our brains.

Why we have pets

Although there’s a big difference between owning a goldfish and owning a Golden Retriever, it turns out people get very similar benefits. Studies such as those conducted at the Beacham Center for Geriatric Medicine at Johns Hopkins in the United States have shown that, whatever their species, animals can help reduce stress, increase empathy, build attachment, teach children responsibility, curb loneliness, and of course expand our social lives as we build adventures and playtime for our critters and other human owners. 

Love for our pets starts in our subconscious

Why? We respond to animals emotionally because of neurons in the amygdala, a brain structure that governs our emotions. In one study done at Hiroshima University in Japan, scientists found that people had a stronger emotional response to images of cute baby animals over pictures of friendly adult animals and then performed better in dexterity challenges as a result. Another brain scan study by US veterinarians discovered that mothers responded to images of their own children and their own pets in a very similar way, regardless of the species.  

Pets can also help kids who have trouble forming social attachments. During a German study, children were given a math test and had either a dog, a friendly human, or a toy dog sit with them as they took it. The kids with a real dog had the lowest levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, while the kids accompanied by a friendly adult had the highest. 

For CAA Member and dog owner, John Tracz, owning his Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy Nico has meant more than having an extra responsibility around the house. Originally intended to be his kids’ dog, Nico now spends more time with John and, according to him, “Nico has become my dog, more than anyone’s. We have a connection, and the deeper it gets as he grows up, the more important he is becoming in our lives.”

John was one of more than 2600 people who submitted their pet photos to a CAA North & East Ontario contest to find a pet ambassador for 2023. In the end, we were overwhelmed by submissions, votes…and the incredible cuteness of our Members’ pets. There were all shapes, sizes, ages and breeds of cats, dogs, horses and even a pet rock submitted to the contest over a few weeks.