The Huffington Post ran an article the other day about the emotional healing power of our pets. It’s not really news; just ask almost anyone who has a fur-family. The article outlines the usual facts -- that interaction with animals increases the efficacy of most types of rehabilitation, that a pet’s lack of judgment allows people to express their feelings fully without fear, and the human-animal bond leads to feelings of well-being.

Yes, yes and yes! And something else: our pets are little love containers that can receive an endless supply of affection; and we all desperately need that experience of loving without limits, loving without rejection. We need to experience ourselves as loving, period, and many of us don’t get the opportunity to exercise our heart muscle in the world very often -- for many of us, the world is not a safe place for our hearts.