In last week's class of New World, we had a lecture on the relationship between humans and their pets. At first I was a bit skeptical, I thought, "how could there be any problems between the already strong bond between a human and a pet"? However, throughout the presentation my eyes were opened when I learned just how strong that bond really is and how there are in fact many ways to improve on it and make it even better.
The first thing that I found interesting was about the history of domestication and the following effects of urbanization. Since the pre-historic nomadic ages, humans and wolves depended on each other for food and protection. Wolves had the speed that the humans needed and the humans had the hunting skill that the wolves needed. In turn, they ended up with a mutually-beneficial relationship. Years and years down the road, these wolves have been domesticated into household pets and still hold numerous benefits for us.
Now, since I have a pet of my own, I know how strong the bond can be, but another thing I found interesting is that the same chemical makeup of oxytocin that takes place in your brain when you're in love happens when you are caring for a pet. Better yet, the pet has the same amount of oxytocin towards the owner as well, and in that moment I think about just the whole class gasped out "AW". The psycho-physiological effects of oxytocin are immensely positive and is a feeling that we are always on the search for.
After this presentation I (1) wanted to go home and hug my dog immediately and (2) grew pretty inspired for the growing market of pet products. The relationship between human and pet can easily get overlooked, for example as I said earlier, how could it get better? This relationship is huge for the trend that our society is taking, with less relationships and less kids, the search for companionship elsewhere is needed. As wonderful as pets are, there are still some downsides such as allergies, costs of maintenance, vet bills, no time etc. For the rest of this semester I am excited to explore more into the pros and cons of a human-animal relationship and step into an untapped market of pet products.
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