Most people do not doubt that pets are great companions and that they are good for everybody (young and old people). To many adults, especially those who live alone, animals are like family members. They fulfil your need for affection and attention like only animals can do. To children, in addition to being their companions all day, animals also serve to help them learn day-to-day things. Animals show the circle of life in an accelerated way compared to human beings (birth, youth, adulthood, old age and dying). They also show children other things related to life such as having an accident, getting ill and knowing how to take care of themselves. As these phases are more accelerated in animals than in human beings the children learn about them through the animals. Moreover, animals help the children to develop their sense of responsibility, since they need to be taken care of constantly. In a study performed by Robert Bierer it was concluded that children, aged ten to twelve who had animals had more empathy towards others and higher self-esteem. Pets also help children to reduce their anxiety, tediousness and fear and to develop a better capacity to integrate and to be more focused in school.
According to a study carried out in Paris, France, seventy-six percent of the people interviewed believed that the presence of a pet favoured the communication between family members. A group of sixty children was observed and sixty-three percent of them owned a pet such as: dog, cat, bird, fish or turtle. The results of the inquiry confirm the importance of these animals to the development of affection in children and adolescents. The fact that the animal is permanently available for sociability with its’ young owners appears in the study to be a key-factor for the relationship between family members and this also shows that the presence of pets in homes is of great importance.
I had my first pet on my first birthday in April 1959. My parents offered me a puppy which was then one year old just like me.
I practically grew up with Argos - he turned out to be my best friend during my childhood and teen years. It took me time to get over his death 12 years later. Then came Arodaphnousa the cat and Chérie the poodle. A kitten and a puppy. They used to share their food in the same dish - Chérie would leave the fish for Arodaphnousa and Arodaphnousa would eat all the meat PLUS the fish but would leave all the bones to Chérie. They also used to sleep together. Unfortunately, I lost all their beautiful photos in 1974 during the Turkish invasion. Somebody must have found them , though, in occupied Famagusta. I also lost both my pets during that time.
As a student in Geneva, Switzerland, I had a Swiss friend who wanted to find a home for her 2 year-old dog - the offspring of a german pointer and a labrador! I only had a room then with a bathroom and a kitchenette but I fell in love with Pupuce and brought her home. We had her for 5 years and when Alkis and I got married and decided to leave Switzerland, we wanted to take her with us. However, we learnt that in Greece and Cyprus imported dogs had to spend 6 months in quarantine, then. I couldn't do that to Pupuce. She'd have died! And she was only 6 years old in 1983! So, however hard it was, we decided to give her to a friend of ours whose parents were blind. With some training, Pupuce became their guide dog. Here she is with Alkis in my room in Geneva.
Next came Chap the naughty boy. I thought poodles behaved themselves!
And then in the 90s Michel the cat. Alkis and I had him for 3 years. Then one day, Alkis challenged him badly with his favourite toys - mouse and ball. As a result, Michel scratched him badly and we gave him away. But he was the cutest cat I've ever had!
He also loved my plants and flowers!
Finally my mother's labrador, Blanche. She was such a great dog - smart, intelligent, loving. My mother often brought her to Larnaca for a visit and , unlike Chap, she'd behave herself! She passed away a couple of years ago at the age of 18!
Since we gave Michel away, I haven't had a pet as both Alkis and I live in a flat and work long hours. So any pet would be very unhappy with us now!

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