Writing About Pets and People

 

I was thumbing through Publishers Weekly recently and ran into a short piece called For Love of Animals. It pointed out that after September 11 there were many animals and birds left in locked apartments that needed care.  But it also pointed out that many pets helped spouses and children who lost love ones that day survive their grief.

 

Editor Ann Campbell of Broadway Books had just bought her first puppy, a pug named Merlin. With all the Chaos on September 11, she and her sister fled to Scarsdale New York taking Merlin with them. They got on the subway with their dog to find four or five people sitting in the car in complete silence. As Merlin started to do his thing everyone started smiling and laughing.

 

Research now shows us that animals can help us by raising our spirts, reduce blood pressure.

 

As a result of this healing ability of pets major publishers have brought out a number of books about the relationship between pets and people and about the healing power of pets. Here are a few.

 

Kindred Spirits: How the Remarkable Bond Between Humans and Animals Can Change the Way We Live, Allen Schoen, Broadway Books.

 

The Healing Power of Pets: Harnessing the Amazing Ability of Pets to Make and Keep People Happy. Hyperion.