touch and comfort

One of the most appealing things about touch is a sense of comfort. In A Natural History of the Senses, Diane Ackerman drives this point home with her example of mother to child care. In her time volunteering at a hospital, she described her work with premature babies and how studies have proven that one of the most beneficial things for them is to be touched several times throughout the day. Babies need a constant sense of being close to someone, much like how they spent the past nine or so months of their lives. Monkeys exhibited similar behaviors. If a baby was taken away from it's mother, levels of glucocorticoids, the hormone for stress, and aberrant behavior directly increased as a result. Both humans and animals alike feel comfort when they are in the presence of each other. This supports why bonds between people and their dogs can become so strong.

My dogs Bonnie and Clyde are a big part of our family. The day my mom brought Clyde home, though, we were inseparable. He's slept on my bed almost every night since we've had him, and I'd be lying if didn't say the hardest thing about moving to college was that I wouldn't have him with me at night. Back home, he has his own pillow and his own blanket that he uses in the same way that I do. He sits at my feet while I do homework. On walks, he never needs a leash because he always stays close by. When I get stressed at school my dad sends me pictures of him doing Clyde things like playing with his soccer ball or playing with Bonnie. He's like my untrained emotional support dog. Companionship, whether its with a person or with an animal, is special because of the contact you have each other. Being able to pet my dog and feel him lying in my bed at night is one of the most comfortable feelings in the world to me.