Spanish children 'prefer pets to toys' and are happiest when around animals, says study
Sunday, June 21, 2015 @ 10:04 PM
EIGHT in 10 children say they would be prepared to give their toys to their family pet, and 94% say they 'feel happier' when they are in the company of their animals.
A study by the Affinity Foundation on the emotional ties between children and pets in Spain has shown that six in 10 kids say they believe spending time with animals helps them to learn to love and respect people more, and nine in 10 would be happy to give up part of their time to look after their cat or dog.
Three-quarters say they would be prepared to get up earlier than usual to feed their cat or walk their dog, and 80%, when asked if they would be willing to give up one of their toys for a pet to play with said they would do so.
When asked if they thought animals were happy, 91% thought family dogs were and 78% thought cats were – possibly fewer because of the higher number of feral cat colonies as opposed to dogs forced to live in the wild – and they believe animals' happiness comes from being healthy, having human company and attention, and being able to play with their owners.
Nine in 10 say they would rather have a pet than new toys or other material belongings, and 94%, when asked if animals had feelings and emotions, said they believed they did.
Read more at thinkSPAIN.com