In the fall of 1863, Civil War soldier Levi Downs wrote to his sister in Connecticut to apologize for not sending a dog home to her son. Apparently, he had promised one to his nephew, but the animals were in short supply near his regiment’s location in Virginia. “Last winter there were plenty,” he explained, “but folks north heard of it and they have all been picked up. I may manage to steal one but I may not have luck,” he told her.[1]
Similar shortages of comfort animals, especially cats and dogs, were widely reported around the United States in 2020 and early 2021 as the Covid-19 pandemic and associated shut-downs forced people into social distancing. Eager for companionship, many people responded to the isolation by adopting pets.
Psychological studies confirm the mental and physical health benefits of animal ownership, including the amelioration of stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, and high blood pressure. Caressing a pet increases production of oxytocin, a hormone associated with bonding, empathy, and other positive social effects, much like human touch can provoke.[2] For both Civil War soldiers away from loved ones and people enduring isolation due to the pandemic, animals offered a critical replacement for human affection and touch. Likewise, animals offer a distraction, whether from the terror and boredom of war or the monotony of lockdown and fear of becoming ill with a deadly disease. The need to focus on caring for an animal, in addition to the humor and entertainment that pets often deliver, can do wonders for passing the time.[3]
When I began writing about soldiers’ desire to have a comfort animal with them during the Civil War (in violation of military policy), I could not help but hear the echoes of the current surge in pet adoptions. “Pandemic pets” have given untold numbers of people some emotional relief during this profoundly challenging time. The self-reporting of what these adopters have gained by acquiring a pet companion offers a window into the deeply valuable role that animals can play in humans’ lives. Karen McCullough, a single woman who normally spends her time traveling, working long hours away from home, and enjoying not having responsibilities to tie her down, found herself bereft as lockdowns utterly disrupted her regular routine. In a revealing comment, McCullough acknowledged that “everything that I actually am was taken away from me” by the pandemic’s upheavals. Her very sense of self had been disrupted. But Rosie, a two-month-old terrier, “has really given me a strong sense of purpose…Who knew a little Rosie could change my life?”[4]