Furry friends bring fun and fitness health - China Daily

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Furry friends bring fun and fitness health

By Raymond Zhou (China Daily)

Updated: 2004-04-16 23:27

 

 

A diamond may be a girl's best friend, but a pet is

definitely an empty-nester's best pal.

 

That's according to the latest research jointly

conducted by the Psychology College of Beijing Normal

University and Companion Animal Research and

Information Centre (CARIC), a non-profit organization

that promotes responsible pet ownership.

 

The study polled 719 Beijing families whose members

are elderly people with children or grandchildren no

longer living under the same roof. Known as

" empty-nesters " , some of these families added furry

friends while others did not. The result, which was

released on Thursday to a crowd of 200 experts or

healthcare professionals, was eye-opening both

psychologically and physiologically.

 

" Pets have always played a role as loyal assistants

and companions for humans. In the last 30 years, there

has been more and more research in other countries

that proves companion animals can increase

self-respect and survival ability in humans. This new

study has set a precedent in China, " says Amy Liu,

CARIC's director.

 

Side benefits

 

While mental support provided by pets is easily

understandable, the conclusion that pet owners

generally have better physical health is a little

surprising. The study made sure that gender,

occupation or income did not play a significant role

in the disparity.

 

Bruce Headey, a Professor at the Melbourne Institute

of Applied Economic & Social Research, University of

Melbourne, is not surprised at all. He has conducted

similar research in Australia and Germany. The Beijing

study confirms and contributes to growing

international findings that pet owners, especially

pet-owning empty-nesters, comparatively speaking, tend

to be healthier and happier with their lives, he says.

 

 

This could have long-term ramifications in the control

or reduction of healthcare costs. Further research

will shed light on it, says Headey, whose own study

puts the amount of national savings in Australia or

Germany at billions of dollars. (See sidebar)

 

Pele came to Liu Aihua at the lowest point in her

life. Liu, a teacher at Beijing-based China

Agriculture University, had just gone through a

terrible divorce and was suffering from depression.

Pele, named after the great soccer star, is a cross of

Beijing pug-dog and Tibetan pug-dog. " He brought my

life back to normal. He's been like a grandson to me, "

Liu said.

 

Liu has two daughters, but at that time she would not

talk about her distress to them for fear of having a

negative effect on the young children. " But Pele

understood me. When I wept, he would come to me and

lick my cheeks. If I didn't cheer up, he would look

downcast, too. "

 

That was 11 years ago. Liu and Pele have been

inseparable ever since. When Liu does not plan to come

back home at night, Pele is able to tell and would lay

on the bed and not say goodbye. And then he would

starve himself until " Grandma " came home again.

 

Pele understands her verbal instructions and facial

expressions. Liu said one night she had a sudden

stomach ache and was repeatedly going to the bathroom.

Sensing something wrong, Pele scratched the door of

her daughter's room until she woke up and took care of

her mother.

 

Now nearing retirement -- her two daughters having

left long ago and visit her at weekends, Liu

attributes her good spirits partly to the puppy. " I

cannot accurately gauge the health effect, but Pele

definitely keeps me on the move all the time, and I

love it, " she says.

 

Not yet a pet's paradise

 

However, owning a pet in urban China is no stroll in

the park. For a long time, strict municipal

regulations and high fees made it difficult for the

average citizen to have a legal furry companion. In

Beijing, the initial registration fee for owning a pet

used to be 5,000 yuan (US$602), exorbitant for all but

the very wealthy. As a result, most people simply

opted for unlicensed pets.

 

Liu Aihua remembers a time when she had to send Pele

into hiding for 80 days in the countryside. " You

cannot imagine what kind of anguish we went through,

both Pele and I. When I finally went to fetch him, the

scene was so touching that everyone around us had

tears in their eyes. "

 

Since she did not pay fees, she dared not take Pele

out for walks at normal times. " I walked him at

midnight when there was hardly anyone on the lawn, "

Liu says. " I always keep him on a leash and bring a

poop bag and cleaning tissues. "

 

Pet adversaries contend that most Chinese cities have

high population densities and pets have to share

cramped space with humans, making it hard to maintain

public hygiene. When severe acute respiratory syndrome

(SARS) broke out last year, some owners dumped their

pets for fear of catching the virus. A high fee, argue

some, is an effective means of keeping pet ownership

low.

 

" I feel pets are only suitable for those who live in

single houses, " says Lin Minquan, a retired worker in

Guangzhou. " A dog barking at night is a nuisance to

the whole neighbourhood, to say the least. " Lin

suggests banning pets at all public areas except a few

designated locations.

 

Surprisingly, Lin's view was not echoed by many people

who attended a public hearing in Guangzhou last year,

held by the provincial legislative body. Many defended

pets as having certain rights of access to lawns and

sunshine.

 

" The current restrictions on pets are too strict and

encompassing, " says Zheng Lin, an official at Shenzhen

Statistics and Information Bureau. " We humans believe

we are the masters of the universe, but pets are our

friends, especially to the senior citizen or the only

child with no brother or sister to play with. "

 

Amid all the controversy, a film played a crucial role

in highlighting the social function of pets. " Cala, My

Dog " portrays a Beijing blue-collar worker whose dog

is impounded because he has not paid the proper permit

fee. He is faced with the dilemma of pilfering his

son's education fund or losing the furry family member

who gives him self-respect.

 

Effective from October 15, 2003, city departments in

Beijing reduced the fee from 5,000 yuan to 1,000

(US$120). The number of registered dogs shot up to

410,000 citywide. Experts estimate that the new number

roughly represents 90 per cent of the total number of

dogs in the capital.

 

Since then, Liu Aihua has happily paid for the

license, and now her daughter even drives Pele to the

Great Wall.

 

" Some people need pets more than others, but they are

not necessarily the rich, " says Liu.

 

China's overall pet ownership rate is still very low.

" Pets bring us so much joy, but they also entail

responsibilities. Every pet owner, while giving loving

care to the pet, should understand the pet's needs and

master all the knowledge about caring for them, " says

CARIC's Liu.

 

As people age, there are a lot of changes in their

bodies as well as in the environment.

 

Companion animals can help ease the transition.

 

" The human-pet bond is one of attachment and loyalty.

When we as a society pay attention to it, we can also

benefit from it by improving the quality of life for

at least some social strata in very tangible ways, "

says Zheng Richang, professor of psychology at Beijing

Normal University, who supervised the pet study.

 

" Hopefully our research can help the government in its

pet-related regulations. "

 

 

 

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Friends of dogs

http://www.friendsofdogs.net

Dogs brighten our life with their gift of love. It is our turn to help our dogs.

Please help organisations who are fighting to get dogs out of the food chain.

 

http://www.koreananimals.org/

http://www.animalsasia.org/

http://www.linisgobyerno.org/special_projects.htm

 

 

 

 

 

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