Growing up there was one dog in particular that I remember having. I loved her passionately and she loved me just as much. Later on her son remained with us and he was just as loyal as his mother. I remember hanging around an old quarry near my house as a teen – just taking the young dog for a wander (I might have been sneaking a smoke too) and hanging out together. I slipped down one of the many steep slopes of the quarry and my dog followed me down and grabbed my sleeve. I nearly stopped him because I wasn’t sure what he was up to until I realized he was backing up the slope again and taking me with him. I wasn’t in danger but in his mind, he was saving my life. I let him bring me back up and I knelt with him for several minutes, telling him what a great dog he was and how much I loved him. I think we must have kissed (yes) and hugged for at least two minutes. I looked in his eyes and saw something more than love – I saw pride. He was proud of his achievement, proud he had saved my life. I was even more proud of him, but seeing the emotion in his own eyes was something I don’t think I had ever seen before. We had a connection and my dog knew. He just knew.
That dog, and his beloved mom are both long gone. Now I’m a grown woman with three young kids and a ridiculously noisy and lively home. My husband and I both work – he away from home and me from home. We have activities and homework and housework and laundry that make up busy lives. Which means in my mind, we don’t have room for a dog or cat in our lives. Not because we don’t like them, but because we travel very long distances, we’re sometimes gone all day and we don’t have family we can leave Dog with if we need help for her. Aside from that, I don’t want to get up and walk her at 6 a.m. on a January morning when it’s minus two degrees. I don’t want dog hair in my house and she’d wreck my hardwood floors, wouldn’t she? Scratched up floors aren't the end of the world but when all the stars align to show it's not the right time, then it's not the right time. Whatever the reasons, right now we’re not the right family for a dog or cat and I love animals too much to offer them a home that’s not the right match for his or her needs. Most importantly, pets need lots of time and care and if we cannot give all that to an animal at the moment, then we’ll wait until we can. I do miss having a dog around though. A dog’s love is something very special. We'll get that relationship back when we're all ready.
Health studies show that not only does a pet’s love warm the heart, it can actually help to heal it. Research has shown that a person’s blood pressure can be lowered by the presence of pets, their triglyceride levels (fat levels) in the body can also be lowered, as can a person’s cholesterol. Walking a dog two or three times a day is great for our weight, our cardio health, our muscles and bones. And dog parks and runs offer opportunities for pet owners to socialize and meet other pet owners. And we all know the singles amongst us are checking each other out! Nothing like your cute puppy attracting another cute pet – and his even more attractive master!
The NIH (National Health Institute) states that "...one NIH-funded study looked at 421 adults who’d suffered heart attacks. A year later, the scientists found, dog owners were significantly more likely to still be alive than were those who did not own dogs, regardless of the severity of the heart attack.
Another study looked at 240 married couples. Those who owned a pet were found to have lower heart rates and blood pressure, whether at rest or when undergoing stressful tests, than those without pets. Pet owners also seemed to have milder responses and quicker recovery from stress when they were with their pets than with a spouse or friend."
http://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2009/February/feature1.htm
What’s also just as important are the emotional benefits of owning a pet. For those living alone, dealing with an illness, suffering loss or depression, a pet can increase levels of serotonin and dopamine that can relieve the symptoms of depression and ease the pain of what life can throw at us. Pets seem to sense when their master is down – and their love and devotion is unconditional. When others judge, yell or walk out on us, our pet is there. Our pet doesn’t care if we’re fat or thin, rich or poor. They are there, regardless. They relax us and simplify our lives. They make us feel safer when living alone and are often instrumental in alerting us to someone outside, a fire or unidentifiable noise. Pets are our friends as well as our pets. They sometimes substitute for children. Taking care of someone else can make us feel better about ourselves and the world around us; many of us are born to nurture.
Pets are great for kids too. They teach kids responsibility, love for others, how to take care of those who depend on others and a shoulder for kids to cry on when they need it.
Dr. James Griffin is a scientist at NIH’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. He commented, “...the general belief is that there are health benefits to owning pets, both in terms of psychological growth and development, as well as physical health benefits.” He went on to say that “…when children are asked who they talk to when they get upset, a lot of times their first answer is their pet. This points to the importance of pets as a source of comfort and developing empathy. In fact, therapists and researchers have reported that children with autism are sometimes better able to interact with pets, and this may help in their interactions with people.”
And for the elderly - pet therapy in hospitals, nursing homes, other facilities and visits to private homes have also shown to have both physical and emotional benefits.
And at the end of the day, pets are great fun and make us laugh!
For more information on these studies, click here : http://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2009/February/feature1.htm
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