We are greatly saddened and alarmed to read the decision by the Saudi Arabian authorities to decree a ban on the sale of dogs and cats in their society.
What is especially surprising to us is that the move comes at a time when more and more contemporary scientific studies are being unveiled - almost each week - of the highly therapeutic and beneficial roles that pets, suchas dogs and cats, play in our daily lives as human beings.
Some of the more recent discoveries have revealed that introducing specific pets such as dogs and cats to children at an early age will help them to develop immunity to allergies later in life.
Patting a dog lowers the heart rate and canine assistance is the future of medicine: they are not only being used to detect cancer, but their uncanny ability to pinpoint the disease is said to be far more accurate than most, if not all, of our sophisticated equipment today.
People who adopt canines or felines get them for a variety of reasons, from serving as a simple house pet to specific roles like being guard dogs or, for cats, an effective means to handling pests such as rats and other uninvited creatures in their homes.
Owning dogs and cats have also been medically proven to help pet-owners reduce stress-induced symptoms such as aches, pains and lower blood pressure.
However, the people who stand to benefit the most out of animal-assisted therapy (and might we add; lose from the Saudis' new pet ban) are special and vulnerable groups such as children, the disabled, elderly and even persons with terminal illnesses.
Service canines, for instance, can help the physically handicapped to overcome a number of obstacles such as picking up objects from the floor, helping the paralysed dress and undress, and even lift them from the bed and push their wheelchairs.
Guide dogs cannot only alert blind people about dangers that are not obvious to them, but also lead them through an alternative and safer path. Hazards include oncoming cars at crossings, manholes or barriers above the ground which white canes cannot detect. People who have epilepsy can be warned about an attack before they happen by seizure alert dogs. Hearing dogs can tell deaf couples when their baby is crying for attention or if there is someone at the door.
Cats can also play a beneficial role in the lives of the disabled through their non-imposing nature. Their independence and the fact that they are natural contortionists can make them more suited to persons with more severe handicaps by being accessible to their owners day and night.
Stroking a dog or a cat and caring for such animals can help the elderly overcome feelings of loneliness in their advanced age, especially when they live alone. Dogs and cats, compared to other kinds of creatures like birds or fishes are highly responsive creatures that offer focus, comfort and reassurance through their wagging tails or purring when humans fail.
Furthermore, it's been proven that pets do in fact help heart attack victims to live longer by giving them a reason to pull through in life with their special bonding.
The therapeutic use of pets as companions has gained increasing recognition for a wide variety of patients that when they are brought into a hospital or hospice setting, the faces of people with AIDS, cancer or the severely depressed light up instantly in the presence of a dog or cat. Experience has shown us that children, learning how to care for puppies and kittens at an early age, will grow up to be more caring and conscientious individuals towards others in adulthood.
We wonder if the Saudi authorities had considered any of these scenarios before they decided on the ban?
In conclusion, we are reminded of the great creation story of old where it was recorded in the sacred writings that God decided to create mankind only after he had made sure that he had created animals first. Perhaps there is a special message and a lesson to be learnt by all
human beings in this.
The writer is president, Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association (Petpositive).
