Ask your little one whether they’d rather a brother/sister or a pet and chances are they’ll go for the furry option every time.
A fresh study out of the UK, which looked at 12 year olds from 77 families, confirmed kids very much prefer their animal mates over their own human flesh and blood.
It was found having a pet not only made kids happier than having a sibling, if they did have a brother or sister they still got on better with their furry pal.
Shocking revelation.
Girls in particular were close with their fur pals, telling them secrets and hanging out with them more compared to boys.
“The fact that pets cannot understand or talk back may even be a benefit as it means they are completely non-judgmental,” Matt Cassells, the study’s author, said in a statement.
This really is just further proof of the positive impact animals can have on our lives, at any stage.
“The social support that adolescents receive from pets may well support psychological well-being later in life but there is still more to learn about the long term impact of pets on children’s development,” study co-author Dr Nancy Gee said.
We’ll chalk this one up as another win for pets.
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