Owning a dog is healthy... It’s a fact!
An apple a day may or may not actually keep the doctor away, but what about an animal a day? Now, that’s a different story. In fact, when it comes to pet ownership, there are a number of proven health benefits for people, including physical, mental and emotional improvements, from enhancing social skills to decreasing a person’s risk of heart attack. Keep reading to find out five reasons to open your home to a furry friend, and why doing so might be just what the doctor ordered.
No. 1: Keep Your Chin Up Pets are a great way to beat the blues. Not only are they known to they offer unconditional love, but they may also give their owners a sense of purpose, which can be crucial for those feeling down in the dumps. Pets also combat feelings of loneliness by providing companionship, which can boost your overall mood. This is particularly apparent among the sick and elderly -- who may be on the receiving end of Animal-assisted Therapy. Many hospitals and nursing homes use these types of programs on a regular basis.
No. 2: Get a Move On Need a little motivation in the exercise department? Dogs can act as the perfect personal trainer, if only because most of them need to be walked several times a day. According to studies like those conducted by the Wellness Institute at Northwest Memorial Hospital, as long as you’re the one holding the leash, you’ll reap the rewards, which can include losing, or at least maintaining weight.
No. 3: Stay Heart Healthy Many pet owners would agree that a pet can fill your heart with love. So maybe it’s only fitting that the presence of a pet can help
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improve the overall health of that organ, too. Heart-related studies conducted on people who have pets showed that pet owners exhibit decreased blood pressure, cholesterol and triglyceride levels -- all of which can ultimately minimize their risk for having a heart attack down the road. For those who have already experienced a heart attack, research also indicates that patients with a dog or a cat tend to have better recovery rates. These benefits are thought to be connected with pets’ tendency to help reduce or at least control their owners’ overall stress levels.
No. 4: Meet and Greet One of the fringe benefits of taking on the responsibility of pet ownership is that animals can be an instant icebreaker. Of course, few people would suggest getting a pet solely for this purpose, but it’s hard to overlook the fact that pets provide a great means for improving your socialization skills across the board, especially in terms of meeting and interacting with other pet owners.
No. 5: Breathe Easier If the idea of cuddling with a pet to help ward off allergies seems a little backwards to you, the following may come as a surprise: University of Wisconsin-Madison pediatrician James E. Gern has conducted a number of studies that demonstrate having a pet in the home can actually lower a child’s likelihood of developing related allergies by as much as 33%. In fact, his research, as published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, shows that children exposed early on to animals tend to develop stronger immune systems overall.
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