Cats and dogs aren't the only pets that can help you to relax either. A dental school in America has discovered that gazing at fish in a tank helps patients relax before undergoing dental treatment. The current trend towards using pets in therapy sessions is based on the work of an American psychologist, Dr Boris Levinson. He was treating a child who was very withdrawn and refused to talk. One day, Dr Levinson took his dog Jingles to the therapy session and, to his surprise, the child began stroking and cuddling the dog. Through more contact With Jingles, the child became increasingly open and approachable and Levinson was able to complete the psychotherapy successfully. But what aspect of the animal-human relationship is the cause of such benefits? Does the companionship of animals fulfill certain basic human needs that are still not fully
W E S T E R N ALLIES: SIDEKICKS In the rich tradition of Hollywood Western movie serials and T V shows, the Ally is called a "sidekick," a term from early nineteenth-century pickpockets slang for a side pants pocket. In other words, a sidekick is someone you keep as close to you as your side pocket. Every T V Western hero had to have his Ally, from the Lone Ranger s "faithful Indian companion" Tonto to W i l d Bill Hickock's "comical sidekick" Jingles, played by character actor A n d y Devine, who also filled the Ally's role in many Western movies going back to Stagecoach. T h e Cisco Kid had his comic foil Pancho, Zorro had his silent but very useful accomplice Bernardo. Walter Brennan played a gallery of sidekicks, notably supporting John Wayne in Red River. There he goes beyond the usual roles of Ally as provider of comic relief and someone for the hero to talk to
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