The list of things that exhaust us throughout the day are invariably long; school work, house work, work-work, personal projects, grocery shopping, shoe shopping, cooking, cleaning, laundry, balancing a check book, borrowing a book and all their associated tasks and deadlines. At some point before, during, and after, you’ll look down to see a four legged creature just so very happy that you exist. The face that looks like an open-mouthed smile leaps to you as if magnetized and the cumulative stress melts away. This is what pets do to people.
Recent studies have confirmed the what pet owners already knew. The Center for Disease Control (Yes, that CDC) summarizes it out rather concisely with bullets:
Pets can decrease your:
- Blood pressure
- Cholesterol levels
- Triglyceride levels
- Feelings of loneliness
Pets can increase your:
- Opportunities for exercise and outdoor activities
- Opportunities for socialization
At Home
Pet ownership is itself an opportunity for exercise. Many of us walk throughout the day on our own business. Dog owners are privy to additional instances of leg work when walking their dogs. Besides the obligatory “bathroom” breaks, owners may take their pets for recreational walks, full on jogging sessions, and other forms of outdoor play. A study by the University of Cambridge found that “dog owners took considerably more physical exercise while walking their dogs”.
Babies living with are less likely to be afflicted with asthma, allergies, colds, and ear infections. Studies have found that even the mere presence of dog lowers stress levels. Children performed with less anxiety on tests. The elderly went about physical activities with less difficulty.
Pets stave off depression the same way they do stress. Recall the previously mentioned open-mouthed smile. Pets provide the social interaction that an otherwise lonely person is missing. Out at the dog park, order propecia online pets may even help make connections between strangers, potentially forming new friendships.
Pet Therapy
Healthcare professional have taken notice. The use of animals in human therapy is a growing trend. There are hospitals that allow pets to visit their ill owners, and even hospitals with their own “therapy pet” programs that involve professional training and certification of animals. These programs may utilize their own dogs and cats, and pet owners may volunteer their own pets as well. The effects on patients are essentially identical to pet owners: patients experience less stress and depression, and lower blood pressure.
“Take a Puppy and Call Me in the Morning”
I’ve mentioned this before, and readers have surely heard it elsewhere, but shelters continue to be overwhelmed with strays waiting for their forever home. Shelter staff can provide food, water, and a bath. The veterinarian can treat illness, infections, and infestations. Yet, we can only do so much. An adopter takes them into their home, provides them love and affection, ongoing care, a cuddle buddy, a running partner, an unconditional friend, a quality of life more accurately expressed as an open-mouthed smile (I’m talking about humans now; that’s how some of us smile, and you know who you are.) That’s only half the story. Truthfully, our pets might be adopting and rescuing us.
To learn more about how pets effect their owner’s health, visit this links:
www.slate.com
NYTimes.com
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
CDC.gov
And to learn more about pet therapy and how you can help, please visit these organization in North Carolina and ask your local hospital if they have a pet therapy program:
Helping Paws International
1 Floretta Place #91282
Raleigh, NC 27675
HelpingPawsINTL.org/
K9 Buddies, Inc.
www.k9buddies.org