2 Health Boosting Benefits of Pets

Animals just might be superheroes without capes.  They have incredible healing powers for humans.  While that sounds cute, it’s really true.  Studies have shown that having a pet in the home can help us mortals get and remain a bit healthier.

Here are the two biggest ways a pet helps us:

 

Emotional Health

Have you ever seen an angry person petting a puppy?  Nope.  Me either.  Just saying the word puppy lowered my stress level.  It’s Friday morning.  I have a million things to do before the end of the week… ahem… in the next six hours.  Somehow, the fact that we work with animals, keeps the stress level down even though the to-do list is a half-mile long.

Having a pet in the home can help to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression.  They do it naturally by simply providing companionship to their human family.  When you are going through a hard time, the load seems a little lighter when you have a support team on your side.  Believe it or not, your pet is serving on your support team.  They may not be able to talk back or give advice but by simply being with you and showing you love and affection, they are naturally lifting your spirits and subsequently emotional health.

 

The Mayo Clinic reports that the average American walks 3,000 to 4,000 steps per day.  If you are looking to increase your physical health, whether, for weight loss or general health, you will definitely want to consider increasing your steps.

Let’s face it, running marathons isn’t for everyone.  Trust me, I have done it… ONCE.  It was my first and last marathon.  While I am certainly proud of myself for achieving a personal goal, I would much prefer a walk in the park with a pup to the grueling days pounding the pavement.  A 15-minute walk with your dog will increase your steps on average by 2,000 more steps per day.  Wow! A 15-minute walk practically doubles what the average person walks in a day.  What an incredibly fun way to increase your physical activity and no gym required.

Can I sneak in one more cool benefit?  It is somewhat related to health.  This one is for my fellow introverts. Having a dog with you helps you appear more approachable. People are more likely to strike up a conversation with you if you have a cute doggie with you.  I know that talking to people you don’t know and making new friends isn’t always easy and it seems to get harder the older you get.  Having a dog and spending Saturday mornings at the dog park helps you to connect with your neighbors and build more of a community.  This goes back to having a great support system to help you carry your load and/or just help you decompress when the load gets a little too heavy.

 

 

Speaking of dog parks, we hope to see you at the dog park.  If we’re not there, you can find one of our fliers on the message boards of the Herty Pines Dog Park at Daffin Park.  Scan the QR code and schedule a time for us to come out and meet you and your pups.  We’re happy to be a part of your support system and walk your pups on those busy days.