Much of this interest has been confined to the academic community, although pets have a history of use in hospital and other therapeutic situations. Barring several encouraging exceptions, in local government, there has been no consideration given to the benefits of owning pets, other than as a backdrop to balancing the enforcement task. We believe this is an important omission and would like to take the first tentative steps towards defining a new urban animal management that embraces the important positive role that pets can play in cities of the future. But it involves an agenda for local government that is broader than the traditional focus on enforcement and education. The way we see it, the benefits to humans from owning a dog or a cat are precisely those that will be required in cities of the 21st century.
Pets are a simple, drug free way to lower stress and improve health.
They encourage people to enjoy the outdoors. They have been shown to stimulate conversation between strangers and they improve feelings of safety - both in the home and in public places. And, most importantly, pets are wonderful companions, in some cases helping combat loneliness and social alienation. These benefits relate to 'livability', a planning buzzword, but nonetheless an important element in the competitive advantage of urban areas. Essentially the term describes how easy, pleasant and amenable it is to live in a particular place and the extent to which its inhabitants can participate in urban life.