The Comfort of an Animal Companion

Maya had spent most of the school day trying to hold it together.

At lunch, she sat at the end of the table, feeling disconnected from her friends. In class, she had struggled to concentrate because she couldn’t stop replaying an awkward conversation from earlier that morning. By the time she got home, she was tired, irritable and ready to be alone.

She dropped her backpack by the door and curled up on the couch. A few minutes later, her dog, Daisy, climbed up beside her. Maya didn’t need to talk. She didn’t need to explain what happened at school or figure out what she was feeling. She simply rested her hand on Daisy’s back and sat there for a while, listening to her steady breathing.

Nothing about the day had changed. But for a few quiet minutes, Maya had a chance to slow down, feel connected and let some of the tension go.

For many children, an animal can provide that kind of comforting connection. Pets can offer companionship during difficult moments, create opportunities to practice emotional regulation and empathy and give children a familiar presence when the world feels overwhelming.

They aren’t a replacement for professional mental health care, but they can be one meaningful part of a child’s broader support system.

Let’s explore the many ways animals can support children’s emotional wellbeing: from the everyday bonds children form with family pets to opportunities to connect with animals in schools, community programs and healthcare settings.

Why Pets Can Feel So Meaningful to Kids

Children do not always have the words for sadness, anxiety, anger or loneliness. A pet can offer an accepting, familiar relationship, especially when a child is overwhelmed.

Here are just a few ways relationships with pets can support a child’s emotional wellbeing:

• Pets offer companionship without asking children to explain their feelings right away.
• A familiar animal can provide consistency during school stress, family changes, grief or other transitions.
• Play, affection and quiet time with an animal can create a comforting pause during a hard day.
• Children may find it easier to open up while walking a dog, brushing a pet or sitting nearby.
• Caring for an animal can help children practice empathy and feel helpful.

While these mental health benefits of pets may be true of many children, every child experiences animals differently. Some children may form a strong bond with a family pet, while others may prefer observing animals from a distance, learning about wildlife through books and documentaries or participating in animal education programs.

How Pets Support Calm and Emotional Regulation

While pets cannot make difficult feelings disappear, they can be a source of calm and safe interaction, giving a child the space they need to slow down before addressing those feelings.

Here are some practical ways to support emotional regulation with pets:

• Take a short dog walk together after school or after a tense moment.
• Invite a child to sit quietly near a pet while having a snack or drinking water.
• Practice slow breaths while gently petting an animal that enjoys touch.
• Encourage a child to observe a resting pet without pressure to talk.
• Ask, “How do you feel after spending a few minutes with your pet?”
• Create a simple after-school reset routine that includes water, a snack, a few minutes away from screens and calm time with a pet.

Learning Empathy Through Animal Connection

Animals help children learn to regulate their emotions because of the profound bond between them and how that bond teaches children empathy. Amy Graham, the Education Manager at Kansas City animal shelter Wayside Waifs, described the emotional bonds children form with animals as almost instinctive, providing a powerful avenue for children to learn about empathy toward others.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Children can learn so seamlessly how to view an animal as an individual with their own needs, preferences, emotions, personalities and boundaries,” says Amy. “Because children have such strong emotional bonds with animals, they want them to feel safe and at peace. So they have to think about what they’re doing and how it affects the animal.”

Amy and her team often bring dogs and other safe animals into schools to engage in classroom education. She shared that sometimes, a student may not be quite ready to respect the animal in the way they need to, so they take it slow and make it a learning experience.

Because these students usually have that natural desire to help the animal feel safe, they often become very calm and gentle whenever the animal is nearby. They end up regulating themselves better out of a desire to help the animal feel safe.

How Animals Can Bring Comfort in Healthcare Settings

Animals provide priceless support and comfort in homes and through local community programs, as well as in mental health centers like Children’s Mercy and Camber Mental Health! These trained “hospital pets” can help children feel more comfortable, provide support during a difficult time and make it easier for children to feel comfortable talking to healthcare professionals. Animals can even motivate children to participate more actively in treatment through animal-assisted activities.

Children’s Mercy Hospital has two incredible programs that integrate animal support with professional care:

• The Facility Dog Program includes trained dogs who work alongside their handlers to support patients and families. Facility dogs may help children feel more comfortable during a hospital stay, encourage them as they work toward care goals or offer support in Behavioral Health settings.
• The Pet Pals Program brings trained volunteer dogs to patients and families through animal-assisted activities.

These programs have proven to be effective as one supportive piece of a patient’s broader care experience. A pet cannot replace medical, behavioral or therapeutic care, but they can be a wonderful added support.

Building Connection and Confidence through Everyday Pet Routines

Pets naturally bring routines into family life through feeding, walking, playtime and rest. These small moments can help children feel more secure when life feels stressful or unpredictable. Having a child participate in pet care and routines in age-appropriate ways can build confidence, give them a sense of responsibility and strengthen bonds within the home.

Here are some common pet routines that can help children be involved in their pet’s care:

• Helping refill a water bowl with caregiver support
• Joining a family dog walk
• Brushing a pet gently, if the animal enjoys it
• Reading aloud to a pet
• Picking out a toy or enrichment activity
• Spending a few quiet minutes with a pet before bedtime
• Helping keep a simple feeding, walking or playtime chart

While a child can help with these tasks, they should never feel pressured toward perfection. The pet’s care and wellbeing are ultimately the adult’s responsibility, not the child’s.

Animal Safety Tips: Building Healthy Relationships Between Children and Animals

Positive, impactful relationships with animals rely on both the child and the animal feeling safe. Amy has experienced this firsthand through working with families and groups in Wayside’s educational programs.

“Animals can provide so many wonderful opportunities for connection, for comfort, for observation and for learning,” she said, “But it’s also important not to place too much responsibility on an animal. A pet shouldn’t be expected to serve as a child’s whole emotional support system or to tolerate interactions with them when they’re uncomfortable, but instead just be part of a child’s broader environment for learning and connection.”

Here are a few things parents and caregivers should do to help foster smart boundaries and safe interactions with animals:

• Ask before approaching an unfamiliar animal.
• Give pets space when they are eating, sleeping, playing or moving away.
• Avoid pulling, chasing, climbing on or tightly hugging animals.
• Notice when an animal may be scared, tired or overstimulated.
• Let an animal choose whether it wants interaction.
• Participate in age-appropriate care with adult supervision.

Respecting an animal’s boundaries not only keeps interactions safe for everyone involved; it also helps teach children valuable lessons about empathy, patience and consent.

Remember that while pets can be a lot of fun to play with, they are not toys. They are living beings who deserve to have their needs met and boundaries respected. If parents and caregivers take the time to teach their children to respect an animal’s boundaries and nonverbal cues, everyone will be set up for a much healthier dynamic.

Not Every Family Needs a Pet to Benefit from Animals

While pets bring a lot of benefits to children and families emotionally, they do require a lot of care, cost and attention. Pet ownership is a meaningful, long-term commitment that isn’t practical for every family, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find other ways to engage with animals in your community!

Here are a few ways to get the benefits of animal connections without directly owning a pet:

• Attend a local animal education program, such as those offered by Wayside Waifs.
• Spend time with a trusted family member’s or neighbor’s pet.
• Read books about animals together or watch educational animal content.
• Explore local wildlife on a family walk.
• Help care for a classroom pet when appropriate.
• Look for programs that allow children to read to animals, like Once U-PAW-n a Time at Wayside Waifs.
• Volunteer at a local animal shelter.

Meet Our Pets 

Everyday connection with animals is part of life for many members of our team, too. Meet a few of our team members and the pets who share their lives.

Support Can Look Like Connection

Children benefit from many kinds of supportive relationships, including those with caregivers, friends, teachers, therapists, coaches, care teams and beloved animals. Pets can be a great source of comfort, but they are not a replacement for professional mental health care. If a child in your care is experiencing ongoing emotional or behavioral changes, you do not have to manage those concerns alone.

If your child or teen needs additional mental health support, Camber Mental Health provides compassionate, trauma-informed care for children, teens and families. To learn more about admissions and referrals, call 913-890-7468.