10+ hour, 49+ min ago (526+ words) Posted November 24, 2025 | Reviewed by Davia Sills Children are wired to attach. We reach for protection and regulation from someone who can calm our fears and hold our emotions. When caregivers can't offer that'because of stress, absence, or their own unhealed pain'a child's attachment system doesn't stop seeking. It looks for another place to land. Animals often become that place. An attachment to an animal offers consistency: a dog who greets you with joy, no matter the emotional climate at home. Animals also provide soothing presence through a cat's purr, the slow breathing of a horse, or the warm weight of a rabbit settling on your knees. These somatic cues can shift a child out of vigilance and into ease. And unlike many humans, animals don't need explanations or emotional performances. Their affection is uncomplicated; they stay simply because they choose…...