Wellness

September 25,2012

-Benefits of Having Pets-

Many of us have, or had pets at one time or another. Our reasons for getting them are as varied as the people and pets, but for this post I am referring to the rather generic form of pets and that is cats and dogs.

Photo courtesy Google Images

For many, many years at our home we had pets.   The first was a Chocolate Point Siamese Cat  that always was a conversation  starter, and was easy for our children  to care for at that time. They learned that a pet had to be fed, cared for, and that her diet did not include  things like left-over turkey or cotton-candy, or there would be consequences!!!

When our youngest was starting school we became family for the first of two golden retrievers that we would have for the next 18 years.  By this time the "children" were almost grown , we all cared for  Chelsea and later Cody and also benefited from the love they gave us.  Sometimes the dog was the only ally the kids had when being confined to their room as punishment for some misdeed or another.She would  happily dash upstairs wagging her tail as she rejoiced in the fact that one of our daughters or son would  be her exclusive partner for the next few hours!!!

From my experience,  when I came home late at night after a grueling evening shift and was more in the mood to cry or be angry, our sleepy eyed yellow angel tumbled downstairs to greet me with such sincere happiness at my presence that the hardships of the last 8 hours was forgotten. It is common knowledge that you cannot pet ( ie stroke the hair of a dog or cat) a pet ( also a dog or cat minus the stroking thing) and stay angry. There is something about  the gentle caress that immediately has a calming effect on a person.... and probably does the same for the animal. Having  pets can reduce blood pressure, decrease anxiety, have a calming effect on people, especially children, and can you believe it, pets have beneficial effects on people with heart problems.

There is scientific documentation on the beneficial effects of having a  pet in your life. I have read several articles but think that this one by Teddi Dineley Johnson captures the idea best.

This is our daughter's dog, Shelby. She has to be special for my husband to let her jump into the vehicle!!! They both look pretty relaxed, don't you think??

Disclaimer

The material provided on this site is designed for information and educational purposes only. The materials are not intended to be a self diagnostic and/or self treatment tool. I encourage you to use this information as a tool for discussing your condition with your health practitioner.