The Paw-suit of Happiness
Queen's researchers explore the science behind pet ownership, uncovering mutual physical and psychological advantages while developing new methods to assess animal welfare.
Over 51 per cent of UK households are proud pet owners. It’s clear just how much our cuddly companions mean to us. With their displays of affection, it’s no wonder we devote so much time to make sure they are happy. But do we ever know how they are truly feeling and do they really love us back?
UNDERSTANDING ANIMAL EMOTIONS
It’s estimated that dog has been man’s best friend for tens of thousands of years (in the case of cats, when they deign to look your way). Research at Queen’s into the human-animal bond has pointed to several mental, emotional and physical benefits for both animals and people, reflected in the University’s advances in animal research.
Dr Gareth Arnott and Dr Deborah Wells, both Readers at Queen's, are conducting groundbreaking research on animal welfare and emotions. Gareth explains that animal welfare encompasses both physical and mental wellbeing. He says:
"A key concept of animal welfare is that it comprises physical and mental wellbeing. Much of my research has focused on studying psychological wellbeing including emotions."
Gareth explains that play behaviour serves as a useful indicator of positive emotional states, particularly in dogs. He says: "Dogs are particularly interesting as they engage in play behaviour throughout their lives, whilst many other species only engage in play behaviour during early life."
Dog owners may recognise the ‘play bow’ behaviour as a signal of engagement and happiness; cats demonstrate contentment through gentle pawing, nudging with their nose for attention, rolling and playful chasing behaviour.
MEASURING ANIMAL WELFARE
Dr Deborah Wells has conducted considerable research aimed at exploring the welfare of animals housed in captivity. She says: “Our studies point to the welfare benefits for kennelled dogs and cats from enrichments including classical music, olfactory stimulation and social contacts. We are developing new techniques, including paw preference testing, as ways of assessing the welfare of animals in these environments.”
When asked how we can tell if our pets are happy, Deborah disclosed that: “It is hard to know for sure if an animal is ever truly ‘happy’, but we can certainly draw inferences from an animal’s behaviour about their psychological health.
“In the home environment, the dog that shows destruction, urination and defecation when separated from its owner is in a poorer state of mental health than the one that snoozes contently on the sofa in its caregiver’s absence.”
Deborah notes that it’s important to recognise the signs, such as acute yawning, lip licking, lowered ears, panting, vocalisations, hiding and aggression.
Gareth says: “Animals engaged in stereotypical behaviour indicates poor welfare. This is defined as behaviour that is repetitive, and invariant, with no obvious goal or function.”
With regards to cats, an increase in scratching the furniture or spending their time hiding away might be an indicator that they aren’t their usual happy selves.
Animals, particularly dogs, could show other behavioural issues indicative of stress when left at home alone, with separation anxiety leading to destructive behaviour.
To enable a strong human-animal bond, Deborah said: “Owners need to be educated on what to expect from any new pets in an effort to manage expectations, encourage appropriate training methods and reduce the chances of behaviour problem onset and subsequent relinquishment.”
HEALTH BENEFITS OF PET OWNERSHIP
There’s no denying how our animals make us feel, but with research into the human-animal bond proving popular with pet owners around the world, what do the findings tell us?
Gareth says that pets have a positive effect on our mental and physical health, confirming that:
“Petting a dog has been shown to lower blood pressure and release bonding hormones such as oxytocin.”
If you regularly find yourself lost in a social media vortex of cute pet clips, don’t worry, it’s apparently good for our health, too. Watching videos of animals can buffer us from stress, helping to lower our short-term heart rate and blood pressure.
Deborah’s research highlights studies pointing to longer term physical health benefits of pet ownership, including improved cardiovascular health and reductions in the number of visits to doctors.
She said:
“Studies have found that dogs, particularly puppies, serve as strong social catalysts, facilitating conversations with other people and helping to promote our feelings of self-worth and self-esteem.”
We can help enhance the bond by spending time engaging in positive social interactions: playing with them and reinforcing them with rewards when training, and sometimes, especially with our cooler than cool cats, giving them some space to help build trust and affection.
It is safe to say that our pets are very important to us, with most dogs and cats regarded as key members of the family we couldn’t imagine living without.
They provide us with physical affection, emotional support, and most of all, they are great entertainment.
To them, we are their whole world, so it is only fair that we do what we can to make sure they lead lives enriched with positive experiences that ensure their welfare needs are met.