What happens to pets when families are separated? When caregivers are detained, animals are left behind, often with ...

Every year, nearly 2 million young Americans experience homelessness. As many as a quarter of them own pets, which can be both a crucial source of emotional support and a barrier to receiving services ...

A new study challenges the belief in a universal “pet effect” on human well-being. Using data collected during COVID-19 lockdowns, researchers found no significant change in respondents' well-being ...

Pets mean a lot to their guardians and are widely believed to be good for human well-being, something called “the pet effect” (although the research on this is conflicting). One of the ways in which ...

This article was made possible by the support of Yakult and produced independently by Scientific American’s board of editors. We got our first dog when my oldest son was 10. A friend who was a teacher ...