Owning Pets – Beneficial or Not?

Like us, most people consider their pet’s as part of the family.

I myself could not imagine my house without pets; I simply just love having them around, but one has to wonder besides the companionship and unconditional love are there other benefits to sharing our lives with pets?

Did you know that of all the household in the UK half own pets! They share their house with 7.5 cats I don’t know how you get a .5 cat but that is what the average shared with 6.1 million dogs! More that half the nation’s households have at least one pet; some have several like we do here at Kritter Korner. Cat’s and dogs are the most popular, but millions of people share their house with other types of pets such as fish, birds, reptiles, rodents, even insects.

To some pets are not always a good thing, they can be costly. There is care, vet bills and they can be demanding of your time. And let’s not forget what becomes of our pets when we want to go on vacation, again another expense to board or have a pet sitting come to the house. All that aside, there are many benefits to sharing your life with pets. It goes without saying they provide us with their nonjudgmental unconditional love, they accept us for who we are and don’t talk back or criticize. They give us something to care about and be responsible and which makes us feel not only wanted but needed.

Many studies have shown there are other health benefits to sharing our lives with pets.

What’s more, an increasing wealth of research is proving that pet ownership has considerable health benefits. One of the more obvious benefits is that of exercise – dog walking or playing with a cat is a great way for people to burn a few more calories. In addition, contact with animals can bring real physiological and psychological benefits: reducing stress, helps preventing illness and allergies, lowering blood pressure and aiding recovery.

Stress busting and a healthy heart

Studies have shown that pet owners have measurable lower levels of cholesterol and blood pressure (where not linked to dietary changes). Interestingly, an American study found that men who own cats or dogs have lower resting heart rates and blood pressure than those who don’t.

And the benefit of pet ownership isn’t limited to physical well-being. A UK study exploring how pets could help recently widowed people in dealing with stress showed that three months after bereavement, pet owners showed fewer physical symptoms, such as crying, than non-pet owners. The pet owners were able to talk to their animals at a time when they felt unable to share their feelings with other people.

A speedy recovery

In addition to reducing stress and therefore helping people avoid high blood pressure, pets can also aid recovery from illness. Research indicates that owning a pet can improve a person’s chances of survival after a life-threatening illness such as a heart attack. Pet owners were also found to use the medical services considerably less frequently than non-pet owners.

A recent UK study looked at women between 50-60 years of age recovering form breast cancer. 87 per cent of the women reported that their pets filled at least one important role in their social support while 43 per cent reported that that their pets fulfilled more than 10 important support functions – being cared for, tactile comfort, an outlet for expression of feelings and still feeling included socially – e.g. when taking the dog for a walk.

PETS PREVENT PRISONERS REOFFENDING – Joan Dalton, Oregon, USA

The therapeutic power of dog interaction has been highlighted by the results of Project Pooch (Positive Opportunities, Obvious Change, With Hounds), showing that 100% of teenage offenders following a dog therapy program did not return to the correctional system. Demonstrating many behavior problems such as being out of control, dislike for authority and poor social manners, problem youths are paired with problem dogs so that they can learn acceptable behavior from each other. Results provide promising outcomes for the ability of dogs to teach troubled youth responsibility, patience, compassion and a positive work ethic.[1]

For children, pets help to teach responsibility, nurturing, compassion, loyalty and empathy. Unlike adults in their interaction with children, pets are uncritical, consistently loving and don’t give orders. In this age when both parents are often at work when children come home from school, pets offer children a dependable ”welcome home” and a feeling of security Pets are becoming popular visitors to nursing homes and old-age homes, and in some cases, residents themselves. A University of Minnesota study of 774 long-term health care facilities disclosed that about half were using pets to help their residents. Pets were said to provide nursing-home residents with entertainment and enjoyment, to serve as an outlet for the expression of feelings, rekindle pleasant memories and create a more homelike atmosphere.[2]

Although the benefits of pet ownership may be many, it’s not for everyone. Not all people are financially or physically capable of caring for an animal. It’s important to assess your ability to provide the care and basic needs of a pet before purchasing one. Also, take the time to research which kind of animal may be best suited to your lifestyle and abilities.[3]

As far as I’m concerned I think pets are a wonderful addition to ones family although there are days when I often wonder why I have so many especially on those days when our entire critter clan is acting up. But I wouldn’t give up any of them, they are family!

Sources:

http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/2-18-2002-11780.asp

http://www.pethealthcouncil.co.uk/people.shtml

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9C02E5DB1139F932A2575BC0A964948260

For More Information check out these sites:

http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/features/health-benefits-of-pets

http://stress.about.com/od/lowstresslifestyle/a/petsandstress.htm

http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro05/web3/ajordan.html

http://www.heavenlyrain.com/avapetpep/website/benefits/index.html

http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/features/health-benefits-of-pets

http://ririanproject.com/2007/11/28/pet-i-cure-10-benefits-of-owning-a-pet/

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/180450/6_reasons_why_owning_a_pet_actually.html

http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/how_pets_help_people/

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[1] http://www.pethealthcouncil.co.uk/people.shtml

[2]http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9C02E5DB1139F932A2575BC0A964948260

[3] http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/2-18-2002-11780.asp