We are at a high school rodeo. My daughter is a teen and riding a young horse.
Teens have roller coaster emotions. They are learning to deal with emotions and their environment- control their emotions in various circumstances and respond to them in a healthy way.
Animals allow that in a level below human interaction – without any judgement.
Landry was getting worked up this morning because her horse was not standing still to be saddled.
I quickly reminded her that getting upset at the horse did absolute nothing but feed the horse’s anxiety.
Remaining calm is the only thing that will help this situation. The horse does not understand anything other than you are upset. Then they want to be upset too.
She stepped back, took a breath, and started again.
They had a beautiful, smooth barrel run because they were both calm and collected.
Animals feed off of our emotions. They don’t get upset over what people say. They are a calming influence and only get worked up when they think danger is imminent.
Children and teens do so well in the presence of animal companions.
That’s why there are therapy dogs and ponies that visit hospitals.
That’s why there are reading therapy dogs.
That’s why vet clinics almost always have a clinic cat. The staff needs something there as a constant.
Even caring for cows builds empathy and compassion. When we have a sick calf, even my 17 yr old son will bottle feed and care for it.
Veterinarians and all veterinary support staff are subject to big emotional turmoil because we see the best bonds and the worst neglect.
We go from one owner willing to spend $7,000 on a cat to another owner who barely has $70 to treat an extremely sick pet.
We want to help every owner and every pet. Owners must be educated and have resources to allow us to do our best work.
We thrive on that human-animal bond.
Get involved in helping people and pets. It makes for a better human race.
Dr Vet Sonya 