It's one thing to write an essay on the topic, especially one coming from real experience. But asking scientists and medical professionals, who are doing research on child and pet relationships, for their opinion as if the facts aren't entirely visible to anyone who bothers to look is rather far-fetched.
Here's a real life anecdote illustrating that absurdity. A young family residing in a large college town had a pre-teen daughter, a dog, and two cats. The father was a college professor while the mother ran a small political fund raising operation out of their home. The daughter asked, "Mom, do animals have feelings?" After a short pause, the mother answered, "I don't know dear, science hasn't figured that out yet."
