My poodles saved me from suicide, says TV star Chris
Packham: Pets aid mental health
NATURE presenter Chris Packham has added his voice to research into the beneficial effects pets can have on their owners’ mental health.
Chris, 58, revealed in 2017 how his two dogs once stopped him taking his own life by fixing their trusting gazes on him.
And now the Autumnwatch star is backing a report by the national pet charity Blue Cross into the role animals can play in people’s wellbeing.
He said: “I’m only alive today because of two things, Itchy and Scratchy my two miniature poodles.
“I cannot stress strongly enough my belief in the benefits of companion animals when it comes to mental health issues.”
The Blue Cross report examines the impact poverty, mental health problems and loneliness have on society and how pets are a crucial link for many people.
Experts on pet welfare, mental health, poverty and loneliness are set to meet today to call for any future government to recognise the significant positive impact animals can have on human lives. The charity wants community mental health teams to recognise a patient’s relationship with their pet in any psychological and psychiatric assessments and make sure this is reflected in care plans.
Chris has described how, several years ago, he stood under a balcony with a coil of rope and a stool. He had made up his mind to hang himself – then his dogs intervened.
Chris said: “They came and sat and looked at me with confused chestnut eyes and I couldn’t forsake their love.
“You see, I was not one depressed mentally ill man, we were three – three companions bound by a bond of unconditional love.”
Blue Cross deputy chief executive Steve Goody said: “It’s our aim to demonstrate how important and lifeenhancing pets are to people, especially those in vulnerable situations.”
A Blue Cross survey of low-income pet owners found seven out of 10 would borrow money for emergency vet costs and two-thirds would use a pet food bank if there was one.