The Blue Willow Groups
of New World Christian Ministries

Keys to Human-Animal Attachment

   Human-animal relationships may be preceived as stronger and more important when:

	Owners believe they rescued their companion animals from death or near-death.
	Owners believe their companion animals "got them through" a difficult period in life.
	Owners spent their childhoods with their companion animals.
	Owners have relied on their companion animals as their most significant source of support.
	Owners attribute human characteristics to their companion animals (anthropomorphize).
	Owners have invested extensive time, effort, and/or financial resources into their companion animal's long-term medical care.
	Owners view their companion animals as symbolic links to significant people who are no longer part of their lives (e.g., children who have died or moved away, significant relationships or marriages that have ended) or to significant times in their lives (e.g., futures that would be lived in the mountains, past times spent hiking, fishing, camping, etc.).

Adapted From Argus Institute for Families and Veterinary Medicine, Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital

The Blue Willow Groups
c/o New World Christian Ministries
P. O. Box 1262
Bellingham, WA 98227 USA

E-Mail:  BlueWillow
E-Mail: New-World

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