Reply To: Cricket contest

[Zoodulcis]

I know right! I take to my goats all the time.

Empathy is a huge variable in many of the studies involving early childhood pet ownership and healthy development of empathy in adulthood. Oddly enough, one study I read showed no significant association between considering pets as family members and talking to them about one’s problems. Most adults high in self-reported pet attachment feelings were high in considering them just as important as any other family member, but did not report a tendency to confide their problems to them. That study was conducted among adults, not sure at this time if similar studies have been conducted with minors.

I know I run thoughts and issues by my goats when we’re hiking, so maybe I’m 3 sigma on the confiding in pets scale!🤣