12/10/2025

ON SUNDAY October 12, 2025 theSunday Special XII

D O pets make us better or do they just show who we really are? They don’t use words. 7KH\ GRQ¶W R̆ HU DGYLFH %XW WKH\ PLJKW EH TXLHWO\ FKDQJ LQJ XV RU DW OHDVW UHPLQGLQJ XV RI WKH SHRSOH ZH FRXOG EH T KHUH¶V D VD\LQJ \RX¶OO RIWHQ KHDU IURP DQLPDO ORYHUV ³, EHFDPH D EHWWHU SHUVRQ EHFDXVH RI P\ SHW ´ ,W¶V XVXDOO\ VDLG VRIWO\ RIWHQ ZLWK D OLWWOH VPLOH ± DV LI VXUSULVHG E\ KRZ WUXH LW IHHOV 0D\EH \RX¶YH VDLG LW WRR RU DW OHDVW WKRXJKW LW 7KDW \RXU WHPSHU KDV VRIWHQHG 7KDW \RXU HPSDWK\ KDV GHHSHQHG 7KDW \RXU VHQVH RI UHVSRQVLELO LW\ KDV PDWXUHG %XW KHUH¶V WKH TXHVWLRQ ZRUWK DVNLQJ do pets really make us better people or do WKH\ VLPSO\ GUDZ RXW ZKDW ZDV DOUHDG\ WKHUH ZDLWLQJ EHQHDWK WKH VXUIDFH" Animals are not into politics U QOLNH KXPDQV SHWV GRQ¶W SOD\ SROLWLFV 7KH\ GRQ¶W NHHS VFRUH 7KH\ GRQ¶W SUHWHQG WR OLNH \RX RXW RI VRFLDO REOLJDWLRQ $ GRJ GRHVQ¶W ÀDWWHU \RX ZKHQ \RX¶UH LUULWDEOH $ FDW ZRQ¶W VXJDU FRDW \RXU EDG PRRG 7KH\ PHHW \RX H[DFWO\ ZKHUH \RX DUH ZLWKRXW MXGJPHQW ZLWKRXW SUHWHQFH ,Q WKDW TXLHW KRQHVW\ WKH\ RIWHQ UHÀHFW ZKR \RX¶YH EHFRPH I I \RX¶UH NLQG WKH\ OHDQ LQWR LW ,I \RX¶UH VWUHVVHG WKH\ VKULQN IURP LW ,I \RX¶UH LQFRQVLVWHQW LW VKRZV LQ WKHLU EHKDYLRXU (VSHFLDOO\ ZLWK GRJV WKH FRQQHFWLRQ UXQV GHHS 7KHLU WHPSHUDPHQW RIWHQ PLPLFV \RXUV $ FDOP RZQHU WHQGV WR KDYH D FDOP GRJ $Q DQ[LRXV RQH PD\ UDLVH D UHDFWLYH SHW %XW WKLV LVQ¶W DERXW EODPH LW¶V DERXW awareness. I Q WKLV ZD\ SHWV EHFRPH PRUH WKDQ FRPSDQLRQV 7KH\ EHFRPH PLUURUV 2QFH \RX VWDUW VHHLQJ \RXUVHOI UHÀHFWHG LQ ERG\ ODQJXDJH HQHUJ\ DQG GDLO\ KDELWV WKDW FOHDUO\ ± LW EHFRPHV KDUGHU WR ORRN DZD\ W KDW IROORZV LV XVXDOO\ TXLHW DQG JUDGXDO 6RPHRQH ZKR VHHPV EUXVTXH LQ SXEOLF PD\ EH VHHQ FRRLQJ VRIWO\ WR D UHVFXH FDW $ EXV\ H[HFXWLYH PLJKW FDUYH RXW WLPH GDLO\ IRU D SDWLHQW ZDON ZLWK WKHLU GRJ /RXG SHUVRQDOLWLHV VRPHWLPHV JURZ JHQWOHU LQ WKH SUHVHQFH RI DQLPDOV ± QRW EHFDXVH WKH\¶YH EHFRPH VRPHRQH HOVH EXW EHFDXVH VRPHWKLQJ ROGHU VRIWHU KDV EHHQ reawakened.

1. You become more patient: Waiting for a stubborn cat to come out from under the bed teaches more patience than most management courses. 2. You soften: Even when you think you won’t. The grumpiest people talk to their pets in baby voices. Science can’t explain it. But it’s real. 3. You start showing up: consistently. Rain or shine, tired or not, you walk the dog. Feed the cat. Refill the water bowl. That kind of consistency quietly rewires your habits. 4. You notice more: Tiny changes in posture, appetite or mood – pets train you to observe. This awareness often spills into how you read people, too. 5. You forgive more easily: They chew on a shoe. You forgive. They knock over a glass. You sigh and clean up. Over time, that kind of low-stakes forgiveness becomes second nature – even beyond your living room. NLQG 7KHUH DUH SHW RZQHUV ZKR ORVH SDWLHQFH ZKR QHJOHFW ZKR DEDQGRQ 6RPH ORYH DQLPDOV EXW WUHDW RWKHU KXPDQV WHUULEO\ ZKLFK LV ZK\ LW¶V HVVHQWLDO WR QRWH WKDW KDYLQJ D SHW GRHVQ¶W JXDUDQWHH PRUDO JURZWK ,W R̆ HUV WKH RSSRUWXQLW\ IRU JURZWK :KDW \RX GR ZLWK LW LV VWLOO HQWLUHO\ XS WR \RX )RU WKRVH ZKR GR ULVH WR LW WKRXJK WKH FKDQJHV FDQ EH TXLHWO\ WUDQVIRUPDWLYH T KHQ WKHUH¶V KHDOLQJ ± WKH VLOHQW RIWHQ XQQRWLFHG FRPIRUW DQLPDOV EULQJ 6FLHQFH EDFNV WKLV XS 1XPHURXV VWXGLHV KDYH VKRZQ WKDW SHWV FDQ ORZHU EORRG SUHVVXUH HDVH DQ[LHW\ DQG HYHQ KHOS SHRSOH UHFRYHU IURP SRVW WUDXPDWLF VWUHVV +RZHYHU ZKLOH WKH UHVHDUFK VSHDNV LQ WHUPV RI PHDVXUDEOH RXWFRPHV WKH OLYHG H[SHUL HQFH LV RIWHQ VLPSOHU $ GRJ WKDW JUHHWV \RX OLNH \RX¶UH WKH FHQWUH RI WKH XQLYHUVH HYHQ DIWHU WKH ZRUVW GD\ $ FDW WKDW FXUOV RQ \RXU ODS DQG VWD\V $ UDEELW WKDW PXQFKHV TXLHWO\ ZKLOH \RX FU\ T KH\ GRQ¶W ¿[ WKLQJV %XW WKH\ R̆ HU SUHVHQFH 6RPHWLPHV SUHVHQFH LV DOO WKH SHUPLVVLRQ \RX QHHG WR EHJLQ KHDOLQJ 6 o do pets make us better? 3HUKDSV WKH DQVZHU LV \HV DQG QR

Love, loyalty and fur on everything You thought you were training the dog. Turns out, it was the other way around BY SIMON VELLA

Building the muscle of compassion

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