In my position as Professor of Health Sciences at a university in Northern Ireland, I lecture in two courses, Human Health and Animal Health. The Human Health course has a large health and social care component and at regular times during the year I have to visit students in residential homes. Animal Health focuses on the health of animals and also their behavior.

When I visit students, it is usually to assess how they are settling in at home and interacting with clients. A few weeks ago I visited a house in a middle class residential suburb in Belfast. It was a very attractive old red brick Georgian house tucked away on a side street off a busy road.

Each home has its own atmosphere and when I walked into it, I immediately felt different. I couldn’t really pinpoint the reason until I knocked on the Manager’s door and walked into his office. There on the carpet in front of me was a hissing feline monster with an arched back 6 inches tall, inflated up to three times its size and quite amusing on display!

“Oh nevermind Molly,” says the manager, “she’s one of our residents’ new kittens and a little wild!”

At that moment Molly took off from the floor, jumped into the seat, from the seat to the table and behind the curtains.

Wonderful, I thought of a residential house that has a pet!

It doesn’t look like a pet, as I observed several pairs of eyes fixed on me from different corners of the room. There were cages on the floor against the wall and each cage had its own blanket and bowl of water.

I couldn’t believe my luck to come across this home and this amazing lady who could see the benefits of having a pet for its residents. A lady who also went against the tide.

Given that around 140,000 people a year in the UK are forced to leave their pets and 40,000 pets a year are put to sleep because their owners go to nursing homes, keeping pets in a nursing home is something that is rarely it happens.

Actually, it is a fact that completely horrifies me.

For many older people, a dog or cat is what makes their home. Your pet is more than just a pet, it is your friend, a family member and a companion who is always there. Your pet is often a reason to get up in the morning and for many it can become their whole life. In addition to lowering blood pressure and promoting exercise, they also promote a sense of well-being that comes from loving and being loved in return. Dogs help people by listening to them, giving them affection, and being a distraction.

It is therefore heartbreaking to know that in the UK the majority of older people entering homes not only have to give up their homes and their freedom, but they also have to give up their pets. So why if the health benefits of owning pets are known, are nursing homes not allowing pets?

It boils down to concerns about illness and litigation if injuries or illnesses occurred as a result of contact with animals. Researching this topic in my post at the university, I have found this to be unfounded and in fact in the small percentage of homes that allow dogs there have been few or no problems. In fact, by allowing pets in the home, huge benefits are passed on to residents by creating a positive atmosphere in the home and greater social interaction between staff and residents.

Aging should focus on what a person can still do and not on what they cannot do. You need to focus on what an older person can retain and for many of them it is their pet.

Here in the UK we are known as an animal loving nation, we care and spend a lot of money on our pets. Isn’t now the time to start demanding that we have them?

Look at other countries and you will find many that allow pets in homes. Countries such as France, Spain, Greece, and the US have recognized the benefits of pet ownership and enacted laws demonstrating the rights of seniors to keep their pets in public or protected housing. They have recognized that it is crucial for older people to maintain as much normality and stability as possible. Your pet is your family and surely, given the benefits of this relationship, we could facilitate and support these relationships?

Take, for example, a manager of a protected housing complex in Arizona who went so far as to actively encourage residents to adopt pets. He even took them himself to the nearest animal shelter. A win-win situation for the shelter and the residents of the home and perhaps a possible outlet for all those abandoned animals looking for a home?