Maria Iriarte wasn't looking forward to Christmas.

For one thing, it would be the first time her four-bedroom 'Ewa Beach home was empty of children and extended family. In June, a daughter moved out along with four grandchildren, leaving Iriarte and her husband, Richard, alone at home.

But Iriarte was also struggling through the painful loss that occurred on Christmas Day 2004, when her only son, Daniel Torres, was killed in a rollover car wreck along Interstate 5 near the Central Valley city of Los Banos in California.

Torres was just 19 when he died in the high-speed crash, along with his cousins, Tia, Keilan and Paloma Santos.

"It was horrifying," said Iriarte, 50. "I was here and I felt so lost, like I was floating in a cloud. ... It was devastating for me and my whole family. A whole generation of children are gone."

Fearing loneliness during the holiday season, Iriarte thought of the companionship that a pet might provide. Though she had never had a dog before, Iriarte, who has two cockatiels, sought one to keep her company.

In October she met a woman willing to sell her chihuahua pup, named Little Red Bull, for $700. Iriarte couldn't resist the offer.

And for the past three months, Bully Boy, as Iriarte calls him, has been a savior.

"I don't know what I would've done this (past) year, because I'm alone," Iriarte said, tearing up as she spoke. "I don't have my daughter, I don't have my grandkids, I don't have my son or my nieces and nephew ...

"I wouldn't have gotten out of bed had it not been for Bully Boy — if it had not been for the love he gives me."

HUMAN-ANIMAL BOND

It's no secret that pets have the power to make people feel good. They can be loyal companions, therapy workers and faithful friends.

Research has shown that animals can offer more than support during difficult times. They can also help in combating loneliness and providing much-needed social interaction.

Those benefits have fueled programs such as the Hawaiian Humane Society's pet visitation program, which has brought volunteer pets to health and senior-care facilities across O'ahu since 1981.

Last year the pet-people teams recorded 542 visits at more than 25 facilities around the island.

"It can be a very beneficial thing," said Nancy Sidun, chief clinical psychologist at Kaiser Permanente, who enjoys stroking her two cats after particularly stressful days at work. "The literature out there supports on the whole that pets are very healing. You're touching something, you're nurturing something, and that something is responding to you."

But the benefits of pet ownership can go beyond emotional support.

Studies show that pet owners tend to report better health, greater happiness and less stress in their lives.

"The human-animal bond is a widely recognized fact," said Eric Ako, a veterinarian who owns The Pet Doctor clinic in Kahala. "It's measurable. You can actually measure people's reduction in heart rate and stress levels."

DAILY DISTRACTION

Ako knows firsthand the healing power of pets.

When he and his wife cared for his ailing mother, who died in 2002, and father, who died last March, Ako found comfort in his 6-year-old doberman, Tukka.

"She really became a personal companion for me," Ako said. "She really helped us through those challenging times. ... Having her there was just a tremendous support for the both of us."

Tukka died unexpectedly last month. She emerged from Ako's swimming pool — she loved to swim — and collapsed. Ako performed CPR to no avail.

"It was so difficult on top of what we were already going through," Ako said, choking up. "We were still healing from (the passing of) my mom and dad."

Iriarte knows she still needs to deal with the tragic and sudden loss of her son.

But for now, she's happy for the daily distraction.

"He knows when I'm feeling down, and I try not to feel down around him," Iriarte said. "It's because of him that I keep going."

She pampers Bully Boy, dressing him in cute outfits and taking him on regular playdates. She even bathes the little chihuahua in special shampoo twice a month, spritzing him with a piña colada scent.

Of course, nothing could replace her son, whose ashes remain in Iriarte's bedroom.

Still, without her dog and two cockatiels, she said, she doesn't think she could've made it through the holidays.

"He's such a blessing," Iriarte said. "He's an amazing little doggie. ... I've lost my baby and (Bully Boy) is my baby now. I just treasure him."

Reach Catherine E. Toth at ctoth@honoluluadvertiser.com.