The Human-Animal Bond

By Tia Richardson

I am deeply inspired by the veterinary community and the people who are part of it. Over the last couple of years, I’ve had the chance to work with several of their communities and institutions as an artist. That journey has opened my eyes in a new way to the work they do and what they’re about. As we embark on our journey into the Aquarian Age, I wanted to share a little of what I discovered in that light. 

Before my journey, the image that came to mind when I first thought of the word ‘veterinarian’ was a person with a stethoscope checking out a dog or cat patient in a clinic. I knew they loved animals, sure, but not much else about their interests or values as professionals. If you’d have told me then how much I would come to appreciate them now, I probably wouldn’t have believed you. But did you know they are also scientists, educators, caregivers, and stewards of life on our planet in ways that go beyond imagination? What if from one guided tour your expectations of what an animal doctor was about could inspire you to think about how we relate to animals in a new way? 

One bright sunny day, I was being given a tour of a small animal hospital and veterinary college for a project. There was a beautiful stretch of garden out front. Decorating the paved walkways were bronze statues dedicated to the memory of pets who’ve crossed over ‘the rainbow bridge’, as it’s known among many who have lost a pet. The heartfelt messages people wrote on plaques about their beloved pets moved me to tears. My heart swelled at sentiments, prayers, and feelings expressed by people, which included faculty and staff. Such raw heartfelt feeling, simple and pure yet abundant and rich much the same way a child expresses their love for parents in a handwritten greeting card.

What struck me was that this unabashed display of affection was – here – in this institution of higher education known for its science and research and all things related to the profession of veterinary medicine. Which I expected to be a lot more – serious or neutral – than this comforting display of emotion seemed to present.

It was a revelation to me.

Turns out, the human-animal bond is seriously studied and has centers of scientific research dedicated to it. What made it so worthy of study? I learned it can show up differently across cultures, even in ways we may not imagine. For example, farmers of production animals often form bonds with their cows and know the name of each one among a thousand in a herd. They grieve too, when one has to be put down. Villagers in countries such as Kenya and India are working with sanctuaries to protect elephants and tigers. In many cultures

animals are seen as guides having certain messages or ‘medicine.’

I was surprised at the level of care and assistance veterinarians are trained to offer families in need of support during the loss of a beloved pet. The bereavement journey is taken very seriously. Did you know that losing a pet has the same physical and psychological effects on a human as losing a family member?

Even though vet school is as rigorous as medical school, they are undervalued in our society. Despite that, their awareness of the interconnectedness of science and the health of all forms – people, animals and other life forms – can inspire us to understand the value our interconnection has on our future and how brightly it can shine.

Veterinarians and people who practice within different realms of that field care not only about animals, but also people and the planet. They recognize how tight they go together, and that we must grow together. They understand the diversity of life and the threads woven between forms that may seem different on the outside but share many similarities on the inside. From a cow to a bumblebee, they thrive on finding differences and then making them whole again. Isn’t this a great example we can apply to the world of humans and how we can interact and get along? Fascinating!

Wildlife conservation plays a big role too. Veterinary professionals understand that our relationship with animals is about much more than just what our pets at home do for us. True, science has proven pets can lower your blood pressure, help us relieve emotional stress, and help us learn how to connect with ourselves and each other in more meaningful ways; but animals play a much bigger role than just for our own satisfaction and entertainment.

They are part of an interconnected, vibrant world just like us – we are part of nature just as much as they are. Their relationship to nature and its health plays a vital role in our very existence – helping to calibrate, balance, and achieve some sense of future evitability as much as we want to have meaning in each of our own small lives. Together, our lives are bigger than any one of our own. Animals, their health and the

health of our planet, intertwined with our human lives, form a One Life. This unifying principal is expressed in the One Health idea shared in the veterinary community.

One Health says that humans, animals, and the planet in which we move and live and have our being are inextricably linked. It also talks about the collaborative effort of many diverse disciplines working locally, nationally, and globally to attain optimal health for people, animals, and the environment.

The broadness of scope, sensitivity and care expressed by veterinarians goes beyond taking vital signs and temperatures; they are scientists proving what right human-animal relating can look like; demonstrating the idea of a healthier planet for all creatures great and small.

Resource: Center for the Human-Animal Bond, Purdue College of Veterinary Medicine –https://vet.purdue.edu/chab/about/index.php