After they saw a little boy talk to Chile, a licensed volunteer therapy dog, other people brought in their pets, hoping to cheer up the victims. One counselor brought in her pet monkey, because it had worked with troubled teens, and pulled them out of depression. After the animals came in, the counselors were able to begin helping the victims express their feelings. The animals also gave the children a sense of control, because the animals were smaller than they were. They were also something for them to look after, and play with.
Pets can reduce feelings of stress in humans.
Karen Allen, a PhD at the State University of New York at Buffalo did a study where 480 people were given stressful tasks on their own, with their mate in the room, or with a dog present. The results of this experiment was that the stress response was highest when their mate was in the room, and it was lowest, when their was a dog with them. Karen Allen believes that the reason for this result is that pets don't evaluate us. Although they can't give us advice, they can not criticize us either. She said that her dog and cats have made her more responsible, because she has to take care of them.