1The Mysterious Relationship Between Humans and Animals

We start our book with a set of true stories that demonstrate how intensely humans may relate to animals and how these relationships may, in a mysterious way, be beneficial for these humans.

Pomai, a 2-year-old girl, lived in a big city. Every day when her dad took her out in the stroller she was exposed to many different sights. She rarely reacted to these cues. However, when Pomai saw a pigeon or a dog she became very excited and agitated. She pointed her finger at the animal and called“doggie, doggie, doggie” or“birdie, birdie, birdie” while she smiled at her dad.

Tim, a 7-year-old boy, had lost both of his parents to a heroin overdose 6 months before he entered play therapy. During the first 2 months of treatment, Tim was extremely withdrawn. Although he was able to recall what happened he seemed emotionally numb. This changed dramatically when the therapist’s dog, Toto, was present during a session. Toto greeted Tim enthusiastically when he entered the room and Tim reacted positively. First he stroked and then he hugged the dog. Tim, who had never asked about anything during a session, persuaded the therapist to bring Toto again the next time. During the following sessions, Tim stroked and hugged the dog much of the time. Once, Toto licked his cheeks and Tim began to cry. He hugged Toto and continued to cry for almost half an hour while he told the dog about the death of his parents. In the subsequent sessions the therapist was able to establish a trustful relationship with the boy, which allowed him to work through the trauma of loss.

Eva and Olle had been married for 20 years. Olle had held a high position in the textile industry, but he had retired 10 years previously. Eva, who was 10 years younger, worked as a therapist and was still very active. She worked long hours and travelled a lot. Olle was bored and felt lonely and useless. He complained all the time and wanted Eva to stop working and to spend more time with him. This annoyed Eva because she loved her work and had no intention of quitting. Their relationship became tense and they quarreled all the time. In an attempt to solve these problems, they bought a puppy dog. They both loved taking care of the little schnauzer, which brought out the nurturing and loving side in both of them. One year later, Olle found himself enjoying good company during the day and he no longer tried to keep Eva at home. After a while, the loving behavior he shared with their dog started to spread to his partner and the atmosphere between them became more pleasant.

Mrs. Bray’s health started to deteriorate when she lost her husband and her two closest friends within 4 years. She had difficulties walking and also became rather forgetful. Her three children and her grandchildren all lived in other towns. On her 76th birthday she decided to move to an assisted-living facility close to her oldest daughter, Pam. However, already rather depressed, her feeling of loneliness worsened after she moved. She missed her home and her old neighbors, and she did not befriend the other residents. One day, a group of researchers from the university met the residents and informed them about an experiment, asking who would be willing to participate in a study and would like to have a parakeet. Since Mrs. Bray had kept pets when her children were little, she volunteered and was selected to receive a bird. Fritzi changed her life. Caring for him and talking to him made her realize how much she had missed being needed. It became easier for her to get up in the morning, and she even went out to get a book on birds. Mrs. Bray got to know the other bird owners, and they talked about the health, the behavior, and the feeding habits of their small companions. Mrs. Bray could not believe how much joy a little bird like Fritzi had brought back into her life.

Learning to read was difficult for Bill, a 7-year-old second-grader. Every time he had to read in front of his teacher or his classmates he expected to fai