Provided by Ava Alvarez

Junior Ava Alvarez smiles with her dogs, sharing matching outfits with them. When she first became a dog owner during COVID, she relied on them for socialization and emotional relief.

As junior Ava Alvarez approaches her house, she hears the familiar sounds of dogs barking growing louder and louder. The moment she opens the front door, her three dogs rush up to her, playfully leaping and wagging their tails in affection. She leans down to pet each of them, soaking in a loving moment that she experiences daily but never takes for granted.

“There’s nothing that really compares to the feeling of when you get home and your dog runs up to you,” Ava said. “You don’t even need to do anything, and they just love you. It’s really amazing to have a kind of companion that you’re able to connect with so much.”

Ava’s family adopted two of her dogs and bought the other one during the COVID-19 pandemic, when physical interaction with other people was difficult. Over the years, she developed a stronger connection to her dogs.

Many other pet owners also share this fondness for their pets. In 2022, the American Heart Association found that 95% of pet parents depended on their animals for psychological support. Additionally, by offering strong, steady companionship, pets can provide relief from everyday stress and loneliness.

Math teacher Mesi Erdos, who owns four chickens and two cats, expressed how taking care of pets helped her learn to cherish even ordinary interactions with the animals she loves.

“It’s hard to think about how long a pet is with us,” Erdos said. “Usually, we get pets when they are young, and we only have a few years with them until they pass away. Based on all this experience we have, we identify all their needs while they are growing and maturing. I just want to give my pets a better quality of life while they are still around.”

Junior Pratulya Rangavazzala has cared for his two bunnies Swissie and Shiny since 2021. From making sure to feed them every night to creating a secure and safe space for them to roam outside, he appreciates how his pets motivate him to establish a set schedule and stay focused on necessary tasks.

“It’s made me less distracted,” Pratulya said. “It’s made me more aware of other life. I’m an only child, so without the pets, I would be holed up in my room reading a book for the entire day. This kind of schedule is good for me because I have this one thing that I have to do every day at a regular time. Because of them, I’ve become a lot better at prioritizing my work and organizing so that I can do my work in a timely manner.”

In 2022, the National Institutes of Health compiled studies that attest to Pratulya’s experiences. The studies found teenagers aged 10 to 17 who had stronger connections with their pets learned more about responsibility, especially dog owners. These children also showed higher levels of intellectual development.

Chemistry teacher Andrew Irvine has owned a wide variety of pets in his lifetime, from poison dart frogs to snakes to chameleons. Now, he uses these animals as a way to teach his daughters about the reality of responsibility.

“There’s a pull towards getting an animal, but you have to think about the time period six months later when you’re not as excited about it anymore,” Irvine said. “It’s something I’ve seen in a lot of people, including my daughters. When people get pets, they have to be mindful that they are bringing in an organism into their lives that’s going to be completely dependent on them for survival.”

Whether it be seeing her cats next to her at dinner or petting them when she arrives home, Erdos recognizes how her pets’ complete dependence on her makes her value them so much more.

“I feel like we have one more child in the family,” Erdos said. “You go home, and there will be somebody waiting for you, even if they are just pets. It’s emotional support in a sense. You are responsible for them, you wanna keep them happy, and you just keep them in your mind all the time.”

Though taking care of her pets is part of her everyday routine, Ava never views this as a task or chore. Instead, these seemingly regular moments remind Ava of the unconditional love that she and her pets share.

“Even just thinking about them makes me so happy,” Ava said. “They’ve made me much happier as a person, and they really shift your perspective on life. If you think about it, these pets have nothing to do. They just stay at home all day, and then when they see you, they’re so happy. That’s such a beautiful thing, and it reminds me that I should feel lucky just to be alive because of them.”