Comments on: New book by 60 Minutes’ Mike Wallace says pets will be uncommon in 50 years

By: Holiday in Spain

Holiday in Spain — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 05:30:16 +0000

I searched on google and I had a hard time located the right info….until I found your blog.

By: Gary Bogue

Gary Bogue — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 12:02:59 +0000

Everything I can think of …

By: How to Get Six Pack Fast

How to Get Six Pack Fast — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 17:49:04 +0000

The topic is quite hot on the Internet right now. What do you pay attention to while choosing what to write about?

By: Truth

Truth — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 15:42:52 +0000

What Dr. Torrey is referring to is mounting (but not yet 100% proven) evidence that many instances of schizophrenia are caused by by genetically pre-disposed women having in utero viral infection during the first trimester. Toxoplasmosis. Look it up.

By: takeiteasy

takeiteasy — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 21:25:42 +0000

I’ll take my chances. I’d rather live with my pets than without them and I will always have pets regardless of any imagined health risk, scare tactic, or paranoia.

By: Barbara

Barbara — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 20:53:36 +0000

“What WILL be surprising…” In other words, this is a predicition by a psychiatrist? It hasn’t been established fact?

Presumably the doctor has alternative suggestions for guide/guard/rescue dogs, companion animals, etc?

Dr. Torrey should be concentrating more upon the leniency of pesticides approved by the EPA; or, food, drugs, cosmetics and other things by the FDA.

Animals have been around for zillions of years; the EPA since 1970; and the FDA since 1906.

I’m not worried about the animals.

By: Catlover

Catlover — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 19:32:50 +0000

Regarding pets and allergies — another school of thought (the ‘hygiene theory’) believes that we are not exposed enough to pathogens as infants and children — that historically, people lived with many animals and the immune system developed in that context — take away that context and it doesn’t know what to do with itself and turns on itself. The presence of household pets has been shown to decrease asthma rates in some studies.

Most measures of environmental pollution are down since the ’70s yet asthma rates continue to climb.

By: Ernie Hines

Ernie Hines — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:29:04 +0000

Gary,

I was surfing to find information on the death of Ray Orrock.

It was great to see you still writing your column (Has it been for 50 years yet?).

Your right, the doctor is wrong. Dogs and cats and assorted pets will be with us for a long, long while. They remain when the kids move out, and become the new kids — far less demanding and easier to care for, no tuition, no help with downpayments and we generally know where they are at night.

By: Liz

Liz — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:27:29 +0000

One thing that even today is causing families to not have pets is allergies. Childhood allergies and asthma are getting worse. There are lots of guesses as to why, the most common being environmental pollution but no one can say for sure. What I do know for sure is that we have had to banish the cat and dog from most parts of the house due to my son’s allergies and asthma. When these animals die (they’re both quite old) we will not be replacing them. My son is definitely healthier (though much sadder) when separated from the animals.