The research on whether pet ownership improves human satisfaction and happiness is mixed. Even though the data aren't there, my hypothesis is that for some people, this living creature that is just always happy to see you are a little simpler than human beings. I think it's at least partly because we need to be needed. A pigeon is in need of your bread crumbs, and so fif is inNeed of you. And i think human beings like to matter in that way.