By: Hettie Basil Lighttower
So, how do our little furry friends make our lives better when we are having to always look after them, clean up after them, and put up with their shenanigans? Well, underneath all the chaos is a little thing called connection. We get connected to them emotionally in all the good, bad and ugly ways we can get connected. Let’s break this down…..
Since I am primarily a dog person, I will be using the reference of dog, but you can replace it or the scenario with whatever pet is your preference in your mind as you read. This information I am about to share will sound similar to things we have already talked about along the subject of energy and frequency; all those intangible ways to connect because of this invisible field of energy that we are a part of. And then of course, there are a few tangible ways.
When your dog goes outside its paws are in the grass, on the earth’s surface. Even if walking on a sidewalk, the walk is made of sand, lime(stone) and stones which are all natural earth items. As your dog is playing or laying or walking on any of these surfaces, it is soaking up healthy negative ions directly from the earth. He or she gets all charged up like a battery. They then enter your home after said activities. Your home is not directly on the earth and is full of positive ions. Your dog is actually now, clearing the air and balancing the energy of your home: cancelling out the unhealthy ions.
And isn’t it noticeable when your dog is present, you just feel lighter and better? Or after you have gone for a walk together, how much lighter and brighter your world seems to be? This is why! This intangible field we live in is always moving with energy we cannot see. But we, and especially our pets absorb this healthy energy from the earth called negative ions when we spend time on it. Your dog lays in the grass(and so could you! forget what your neighbors think haha)….but your dog absorbs so much everyday and brings it to you. And I suspect that when cats rub up against you this might be what they are doing. Cats are very sensitive to the unseen world of energies. For centuries cats have been thought to help with healing and dream interpretations. I was taught that they are putting their scent on you to “claim” you when they rub on you. But now that I know all I know, my hypothesis is that they are changing your energy!!! They can feel when you need more or less negative ions. Have you ever noticed that the one person in the room that does not like animals is the one person that the cat or dog will gravitate to and start rubbing on them. Sometimes the human brushes them away, they might even kick them away. Then the animal goes directly right back to them! They can repeat this several times. What is your theory about this? I’d like to hear your thoughts. Tangibly we get jumps, hugs and licks from our pets. We pet their fur, twirl their ears, rub their bellies, tug their tails and even wrestle with them! This is called tactile stimulation!! New born babies benefit from tactile stimulation, but so do we. Our skin(a neurotransmitter) is our largest organ and collects information about our world and sends it to our brain. When we feel soft fur, or their heart beat, or their breathing (the breathe or the movement of their rib cage rhymically) that is comforting to us. This sends a signal to our brain that we are safe, we are loved, and we are okay. When the brain gets these signals, it relaxes and sends out all our good chemicals(neurochemicals) that we need for health and healing. These would include dopamine, serotonin, melatonin, acetylcholine and gamma-aminobutyric acid(GABA). You see, our pets are very scientific! They don’t know these big words, but this is what they help our body do “fur” us. And you can look up and research each of these neurochemicals and even these two…. glutamate and norepinephrine which also get released and do good things for our health. These good chemicals mentioned are specifically and scientifically how our pets lower our blood pressure, reduce stress, and improve our mood. Pets can even have a sense of humor and make us laugh. They can even do silly things we find to be humorous. When we laugh, we are also releasing all those good chemicals. This is why you have heard that “laughter is the best medicine”! Our pets do all of these things for us. Lastly, I will mention that whether we are playing fetch, going for a walk with them, cleaning up after them, or just goofing off with a little hide and seek game….. this is providing exercise for us! I probably could go on a little more with other benefits and especially about unconditional love, conversationalists, service dogs and just good company but I am out of space here. I hope you have enjoyed this and give your pet a big hug for all they do for you. Send in your notions and comments to [email protected]. I will include them in the next available column as per their arrival relative to the publication deadline of Tuesday by 12 p.m. of the same week. If you wish to be anonymous let me know. Kindness is contagious~