How dogs comfort: “Petting alone can reduce stress” | Right away

Animals can help with loneliness or stress. Dogs, for example, provide an audible ear, help reduce stress hormones and regulate breathing, says veterinarian Valerie Jonckheer of Evidensia Animal Hospital Nieuwegein.

“The advantage of a pet, of course, is that it has no judgment. They don’t say you’ve done anything wrong, they don’t offer you all sorts of unsolicited solutions: they just listen.”

Dogs in particular are good at reading and understanding signals in humans, such as facial expressions, voice, smell and body language, Jonckheer added.

“No other domesticated animal has been so close to us for so long. Animals adapt and develop in the human environment.”

Valerie Jonckheer

There are many of them in the Netherlands. Of Research The wildlife association Dibevo shows that almost half of Dutch households (49 percent) had a pet in 2018. The most commonly kept pets are cats (23.8 percent) and dogs (18.4 percent). We are talking about 2.6 million cats and 1.5 million dogs.


Margret van Zuylen with her dog Romy (Photo: Private collection)

Jonckheer: “Dogs, for example, can Distinguish between angry and happy facial expressions. They are so in line with us. Sometimes I tell my husband as a joke that the dog actually understands me better than he does.”

“They are professional rosters. You just have to get sad and you’ve got a wet snap next to you.”

Valerie Jonckheer

According to her, dogs are already widely used in therapies, for example as support for people and to teach victims how to deal with trauma.

“There are all sorts of examples where dogs have been used to help people, for example after a shooting at schools in the United States. In elderly people in nursing homes, a therapy dog is sometimes used.”

Why do dogs feel connected to us?

Jonckheer says dogs build a strong bond with humans because they have been close to us for tens of thousands of years. “No other domesticated animal has been so close to us for so long. Animals adapt and develop in the human environment.”

“You are much more at home and your dog asks for attention. It’s like a kid, you do it all day.”

Margret van Zuylen

Dogs can provide comfort to people in many ways, such as through physical contact, she says. “For example, the dog puts a toy on her lap to challenge you, or he wants to go outside so you can get physical exercise. This movement can help to reduce symptoms and anxiety. They are professional rosters. You just have to get sad and you’ve got a wet snap next to you.”

Margret van Zuylen (58) from Capelle aan den IJssel notices that her dog Romy, an old English shepherd, feels less “trapped” during isolation. “We go out more often now and also do a bigger round. Fresh air is always good and that also empties the head a little.”

Romy certainly offers Van Zuylen additional distraction during isolation. “You are much more at home and your dog asks for attention. It’s like a kid, you do it all day.”

Pet through isolation

Veterinarian Jonckheer warns people not to go directly to the shelter to pick up an animal because of the coronavirus. “Taking a puppy or a kitten because their children are bored now is not wise. A pet is there forever, not just during the corona.”

According to Jonckheer, it is a good time to take a new animal if it has been thinking about it for some time. “If you really want a puppy, now is the time. You now have a lot of time for potty training, for example. I always say, “Don’t take a dog with you if you can’t take two months off.”