I can't remember a time when I didn't have an animal -- dogs, turtles, frogs, cats, horses...the only reason why I didn't have fish was because I didn't want them to live in a bowl. What I do remember are the many times I've missed my pets when they weren't with me. And it's not just the way I feel…
Have you ever heard someone call Fido on the phone?
They're not just crazy pet people, although the lady with 18 cats
is a little questionable, they only miss their animals.
Plus, these days all the video options make seeing them even more possible. (There's a reason why pet cameras are a thing.) They give unconditional love and build full-fledged relationships with us.
Animals benefit humans in all kinds of ways...And even though they're not silver bullets to every problem we have, they've definitely proved to experts, in scientific studies, and to anyone with a little common sense that they're good for us.
Cats and dogs aren't the only pets that improve our lives. Pigs, horses, birds, even reptiles have all been known to give their guardians benefits. I often heard my grandfather talk lovingly to and about the farm animals he and my grandmother raised. Even fish and hamster guardians have described the way they've been able to build a connection with them.
Why are we so dedicated to our furry, finned, feathered --
and scaled! -- companions? Why do we have them at all?
Here are eight reasons why:
1. For companionship -- This is arguably the number one reason to have Fluffy and Felix. It's the one we hear about the most anyway.
A) I'll admit something -- I don't do people well. Don't get me wrong, I like to interact one-on-one and love my family and friends very much, but animals have always been the perfect companions for me.
B) And they don't live exclusively with people who have homes. According to www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, "As many as 25% of homeless persons have pets." Lots of them take care of their animals before they take care of themselves. The companionship between humans and creatures goes deep.
C) I have one daughter, my only child. As a young girl and pre-teen she always wanted a sibling, but I knew I wasn't going to have any more children.
When a child has no brothers or sisters, research shows that pets help children develop greater empathy, higher self-esteem, and increased participation in social and physical activities.
National Center for Health Research -- "The Benefits of Pets for Human Health" by Dana Casciotti, PhD, and Diana Zuckerman, PhD -- https://www.center4research.org/benefits-pets-human-health/
I don't mean to brag (yes I do) but my daughter has all of these attributes and I fully believe that animals played some role in making that happen.
It made me happy to surround her with pets from the time she was born. To my delight, she naturally gravitated towards them and they brought her constant companionship.
2. For protection -- Animals have protected people for centuries.
> Assistance and therapy animals protect people from dangers like fire or physical and mental illnesses.
> Dogs have rescued many people from certain death.
> Families often have dogs to function as protectors.
Many moons ago, I lived in South Florida. I had a break-in scare once and as I talked to the police officer, he said, "After 25 years in service, I've never been to someone's home that was burglarized who had a dog." 'Nuff said.
They also protect other animals…
...donkeys, llamas, or alpacas. All can offer protection from predators such as foxes, coyotes, wolves, and other wild creatures that may want to harm your livestock or other animals.
"How Animals Protect and Impact Humans and Their Health" -- By Deborah Mitchell -- www.naturallysavvy.com
3. For someone to love/To stop them from being lonely --
Our new report suggests that 36% of all Americans feel "serious loneliness."
Making Caring Common Project -- "Loneliness in America-How the Pandemic has Deepened an Epidemic of Loneliness and What We Can Do About It" -- February, 2021 -- https://mcc.gse.harvard.edu/reports/loneliness-in-america
Although obviously, all of those people didn't go get an animal but many people who are lonely do.
4. For mental and emotional relief --
A) My husband has PTSD. His dog, Shadow, is an emotional support dog who was born into our family and is now his best friend. You can see the relief on his face when she walks up to him...It's that dramatic.
Another way pets influence immune markers is via their role as stress relievers. ...lowering blood pressure response to mental stress to increasing levels of the stress-relieving “love hormone” oxytocin… www.healthypets.mercola.com -- Healthy Pets with Dr. Karen Becker "Why Dogs May Be the 'New Probiotic'"
B) Have you ever seen a senior person's face light up when a therapy dog goes to visit a nursing home? I have. It's the best medicine I've ever seen for someone who may not be as stimulated mentally as they were before.
C) And then there are firefighters who have one of the most stressful jobs there are and need as much stress relief as they can get.
...firefighters perform their typical occupational activities in very hard, unpredictable emergency circumstances, exposing them to severe stress.
US National Library of Medicine-National Institutes of Health -- "Stress among on-duty firefighters: an ambulatory assessment study" -- December 11, 2018 -- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6294048/
Shortly after the 9/11 attacks, two firefighters from Rochester, NY, gifted the FDNY Ladder 20 company a Dalmatian puppy, who was appropriately named Twenty. The pup served as a source of comfort to the firefighters, who lost seven members of the company. When Twenty died in 2016, the company mourned her loss deeply.
“She really helped to build morale in the years following 9/11,” said FDNY Lieutenant Gary Lorio on Facebook after Twenty’s passing. “I can’t say enough about what she did to help us.”
American Kennel Club -- "The History of Dalmatians as Fire Dogs" -- By Shannon Sharp -- November 4, 2019 -- https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/dog-breeds/the-history-of-dalmatians-as-fire-dogs/
D) According to https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2018/02/power-pets, children with autism had feelings of calmness when playing with guinea pigs. Horses are widely known to have therapeutic benefits to those with autism as well.
Equine therapy is an alternative multimodal intervention that involves utilizing a horse to enhance core impairments in ASD.
Effects of Equine Therapy on Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review -- Sudha M. Srinivasan, David T. Cavagnino, and Anjana N. Bhat -- February 20, 2018 -- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6178825/
5. For physical relief --
> My husband's injuries from being in the Navy are chronic and often the pain hits him in the middle of the night. He often says how Shadow's weight on his leg makes him feel better. Who knows whether it's from being emotionally or physically comforting or a mixture of both, but the reason why isn't what's important. The fact is, because of her, he hurts less.
> From www.cdc.gov, the physical benefits of having a pet are having:
-
Decreased blood pressure
-
Decreased cholesterol levels
-
Decreased triglyceride levels
No big surprise to those of us who have animals. Try nuzzling with one and notice how warm and fuzzy you feel.
6. For confidence --
> There are animals all over the country who are taken into hospitals to visit children who are about to undergo a procedure or have surgery. They can make kids feel more secure which then spreads to their families as well.
> I rode horses and also cleaned their stalls as a young girl. It made me feel not only physically exhausted (in a good way) but like I could do anything. And if I could ride on an animal as big as a horse, I could. Caring for them and riding made me feel brave...and confident.
7. For assistance --
A) From seeing eye dogs to hearing service dogs to dogs that help people who are otherwise physically-challenged, they help people.
B) Police, rescue, and cadaver dogs help authorities find the bodies of deceased people and also find those who have survived some type of disaster.
C) Horses can be a form of transportation for people, they help prepare land, and can carry heavy items to be of help.
D) Horrifically, animals/pets of all types and sizes have been experimented on to help human beings conduct safety tests on everything from medicine to beauty products.
8. To save the animal's life -- Throughout our history, all kinds of pets have been exploited and abused/neglected and end up at a kill shelter. Although we don't do enough to stop animal euthanasia, hundreds of thousands of dogs and cats are adopted each year to save them from almost certain death.
So my advice to those of you without a pet is...if you're in a good place in your life (not traveling or working around the clock)...
Go rescue your new best friend!
Just please don't buy one from a pet store since many of them obtain animals from puppy mills.
They'll add joy, comfort, and beauty to your life but for whatever reason you have to add another bowl to your dinner table, you'll never regret it.
P.S. If you need blogs that will grab your customers' attention, gimme a shout! Contact me at jenflattosborn@writeawaycreations.com or here.
And my tail will be wagging.