Marie-Louise von Franz

On women and pets from the book The Feminine in Fairy Tales

..."Frequently women say that the only way in which they can enjoy life a little and not feel so bad over their difficulties is by taking long walks in the woods, or by sitting in the sun. This is a genuine tendency, for it seems as though only nature in its virgin beauty and essence has the power to heal in such a case. Women have a very deep relationship with nature in its positive form. Relationship to animals can also effect the cure, and many women make a relationship to a pet, which at the same time may mean more to them than anything else because its unconscious simplicity appeals to the wounds within them. Relationship to a human is a differentiated task; but relationship to an animal is simple, and in feeling for it, the lost tenderness may be discovered."