How Much Do You Love Your Pet?

It's Friday night and your friends call you to go out. Maybe they want to check out a local concert, or drop by a party someone is throwing. But, in reality, you would rather stay home and play with your pooch.

Your friends tell you "You love that dog too much!" Are they right? I mean, is it possible that you love your pet way too much?

The answer is that it is possible to grow an unhealthy attachment to your pet, but the attachment must become extreme. In the vague example displayed above, the answer is most likely no. A lot of people would much rather pass on a night in a smoky, crowded bar to have a quiet evening at home with the doggy that would definitely enjoy the company.

Now, if the relationship with your pet keeps you from having meaningful relationships with other human beings, then you may have a problem.

It all depends on individual situations. Human-animal bonds become unhealthy when we expect the animal to take the place of human. While our bond with our pet is beautiful and fulfilling, this should not supplant our desire to build relationships with people.

Counselor Marty Tousley, RN, MS, CS, offers six questions a therapist would ask when analyzing if your relationship with your pet is healthy or not:

How much do you allow your pet to interfere with your life on a daily basis? Has your pet seriously affected important relationships in your life? Do you relate to your pet to the point where you neglect relationships with family and friend? Do you turn down invitations regularly when your pet is not included? Do you spend most of your time thinking about your pet to the point of neglecting your own well being? Do you believe that you cannot live without your pet?

And the last point is very important because most of us will be around longer than our pets will. A co-dependent person to his or her pet may suffer severe depression when the pet dies. So what will happen when the pet is gone and you're still here?

It is important to maintain a balance, so that we keep our life going and we don't detach ourselves from the world because sooner or later hiding behind the love you have for your pet will no longer work if your pet isn't around. Love your pet, but also love yourself.