The Importance of Pets Having friends is (1) _ important, and most people
spend a lot of time with them. But is there another important type of
(2) _ that they may be missing out on? Would having
a pet be just as good? There is some (3) _ to support this
interesting (4) _. It is well-known that dogs can form strong bonds
with people, and can show signs of unhappiness if their owner
suddenly leaves (5) _. In the same way, some people
feel as close to their pets as to their human friends, gaining
(6) _ and comfort from their animals. It seems that the
(7) _ between animals and people goes deeper than
might be expected. Studies into the (8) _ of gorillas
show that these creatures have (9) _ relationships
that are not so different from our own. So although a pet may never
(10) _ replace a friend, there is clearly a place for both.