We get pets for companionship, for something to exercise with, for other recreational purposes such as obedience or agility training, and to teach kids the many lessons that come with pet ownership such as responsibility and even how to cope with death.
What many people fail to realise is the health benefits of pet ownership. It has been show that pet owners consistantly have better physical, psychological and social health than non-pet owners. There are many ways pets keep people healthy, but these are the most significant:
Physical Health:
Cardiovascular Health - pet ownership has been shown to reduce stress and lower blood pressure. We all know how relaxing and reassuring it is to simply sit and pat a dog, or watch gold fish swimming around. It has also been shown that pet owners have improved recovery from cardiovascular surgery.
Physical Fitness (especially dog owners) - dogs are great running or walking partners, and hence dog ownership comes with a reduced risk of obesity and better physical health.
Immune System Development - pet ownership and exposure to pets, particularly with children, has been shown to significantly lower the risk of developing allergies and asthma.
Psychological Health:
Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) - this is where animal contact is used as part of a persons therapy to help with various conditions. AAT has been shown to increase morale, eating and overall health of Alzheimers patients, decrease violent behaviour and increase language and social skills in childern with ADHD, and reduce stress in children in clinical settines.
Mental Health: Pet owners are less likely to experience loneliness and depression as the pets provide companionship and a sense of purpose. Older people with pets are also less stressed by major adverse life events.
Child Development:Pets play an important role in the social and emotional development of children, including self esteem, independence and empathy. Children who own pets show increased trust, community feeling, safety, self confidence and self enhancement.
Social Health:
Pets as social enablers: Pets are a great way to meet new people, including strangers neighbours, as well as providing other social opportunities such as animal clubs and societies. Pet attachment is positively correlated with family cohesion and adaptability. They also improve social interactions for the elderly.
As you can see, the health benefits of pet ownership are many and varied. but I think that most pet owners already realise they get far more out of their pets than they have to put in.
