Animals allow us to totally be who we truly are without criticism or judgment. They are not concerned with our race, color, religion, political preferences, sex, I.Q. how much money we earn or what type of job we hold. I have seen people acting foolish and frolicking with their dog, stop immediately when they realize that a person was watching them. They were embarrassed about being seen behaving that way, concerned about what that person might think about them. Your dog never criticizes you if you are doing something silly, in fact they usually join in with you and share the fun.
People can freely express every emotion they feel with their animals and know they are safe.
They may never feel free to express that part of themselves at that emotional level to another person. Secondly, make a list of all the joys and benefits that sharing your life with an animal brings to you. Besides love, and companionship look at things like getting more exercise, feeling needed, meeting new people and establishing new relationships. I have talked with people, especially elderly people who said that their animal was the only reason for getting out of bed in the morning. Third let's look at lessons that can be learned from animals.