The Science and Soul of Animal Companionship with Dr. Megan Mueller

What is it that's just so special about the human-animal bond? Do dogs lick you for love – or the salt? Are animals mirrors of our own feelings? And what can we do to prepare our children for the inevitability that they will outlive their beloved pets?

Today I’m asking animal questions of all shapes and sizes as we get into life, death, and the improved purpose of all that comes with owning a pet. 

Graciously providing answers is Dr. Megan Mueller, a developmental psychologist whose research focuses on the psychology of the human-animal bond (particularly among animals and their families).

Megan is an Associate Professor of human-animal interaction at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, and her life’s work has focused on better understanding the human-animal bond that is so elusive and yet also so enriching. 

Learn about the rituals we can introduce as a family when remembering a pet and why college students are getting therapy animals in an episode of The Dream Beyond that encourages consideration of why it’s sometimes harder to say goodbye to a beloved pet than it is to a human being. 

This is a heartfelt conversation that you'll want to enjoy with a furry friend close at hand to cuddle you! Please join us. 

"It feels like animals bring their authentic self to the relationship. They're not bogged down in a lot of the other things that we as humans are bogged down in. And so I think for a lot of us that feels like a really genuine and authentic connection."

~ Dr. Megan Mueller

In The Episode:

-Appreciating the Complexities of the Human-Animal Relationship

-Outliving our Pets (the thing that nobody wants to talk about)

-How do people deal with the challenges of a sick pet? 

-How we humanize our animals' behavior

-How can we better understand our pet's behavior? 

-How can a pet support your mental health? 

-When should you NOT get a pet? 

-How can we use science to make animals’ lives better?

Connect with  Dr. Megan Mueller: 

Tufts Paws For People - https://hai.tufts.edu/paws/

Faculty Profile  - https://facultyprofiles.tufts.edu/megan-mueller

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