One woman stated that her two-year old daughter has the job of feeding their pet fish. Family relationships in general benefit from the presence of a pet. A study of sixty families showed that the closer the pet was to the family, the better the family was. The children argued less and cooperated more. The parents also got along better.
Human companionship is critical for emotional well being.
A growing number of older women live alone in isolation. Many Americans first saw therapy dogs at work during the media coverage of the Oklahoma City bombing. Volunteers, as well as dogs, were found helping people in unexpected ways. Some of these dogs performed tricks or dressed up in funny outfits in order to make the people laugh. Other therapy dogs provided people with a chance to cry and grieve.