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The many benefits of having pets
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Many of us enjoy the companionship of pets. These pet pals don't ask for much just a short list of basic needs such as food, shelter, vet care and of course our companionship. Pets offer far more in return, teaching us about love, improving our emotional and physical health, and providing us with unconditional affection and friendship. (Always have said that for some reason I like animals more then most people).
Pets make good teachers
Pet pals are natural teachers. They help people of all ages learn about responsibility, loyalty, empathy, sharing, and unconditional love qualities particularly essential to a any age groups health.
Through helping to care for a pet, children also learn to care for their fellow human beings. There is an established link between how people treat animals and how they treat each other. Kindness to animals is a lesson that benefits people, too.
Pets can be therapists
Given the right animal, people, and circumstances, pets can indeed serve as "therapists." I know mine have been on many occasions.
In animal-assisted therapy programs, a companion animal may visit with hospital or nursing home patients. For the program to be safe and effective, the animal must be carefully screened and the pet's caregiver must be trained to guide the animal-human interactions.
Even in less formal animal-assisted activities, where the animal is introduced to an individual or group with no specific therapeutic goal, patients and staff often experience improved morale and communication.
Pets can serve as helpers
Specially trained assistance dogs provide people who have physical and mental disabilities with the profound gift of independence. Assistance dogs are not classified as pets under the law, and they are allowed in public places where pets are prohibited. These dogs serve as the hands, ears, or eyes of their human partners and assist them by performing everyday tasks that would otherwise be difficult or impossible. Dogs may also detect changes in behavior, body language, or odor in their human partners, alerting them so that they may seek a safe environment.
Pets can be healers
Pets are good for our emotional and physical health. Caring for a companion animal can provide a sense of purpose and fulfillment and lessen feelings of loneliness and isolation in all age groups. It's well known that relaxed, happy people do not become ill as often as those who suffer from stress and depression.
Animal companionship also helps lower a person's blood pressure and cholesterol levels. And studies show that having a pet increases survival rates in groups of patients who have suffered cardiac arrest. Dog walking, pet grooming, and even petting provide increased physical activity that strengthens the heart, improves blood circulation, and slows the loss of bone tissue. Put simply, pets aren't just good friends, they are good medicine. Have you ever noticed your pet pal and how they are when your not feeling well or down?
Can pets benefit the elderly?
Because many are living longer lives these days, sometimes elderly people find themselves living alone because they have outlived loved ones, or because they live far from any family. There is a way, however, for the elderly to find new meaning in their lives, and to redefine what it means to be "young at heart". By adopting a companion animal from a local shelter. If you're older, a pet can offer you a sense of well being, a sense of encouragement, and even a reason for living. Being responsible for another life can add new meaning to your own life, and having to care for and provide a loving home to a companion animal can also help you remain active and healthy.
You may want to consider adopting an older animal, however, rather than a puppy or kitten or a rambunctious "teenage" pet. Older pets are move likely to be calm, already house-trained, and less susceptible to unpredictable behavior. Older animals are often more easily physically managed by elderly persons than stronger, excitable younger animals; yet older pets still confer the same medical and emotional benefits on their owners as younger animals do. Animal shelter staff can help potential adopters find the most suitable animal for their lifestyle, ensuring a great match between pet and person.
For more information
Listed below are just a few of the many magazines and books available to help you learn more about how pets help people.
Beck, A., and A. Katcher. 1996. Between Pets & People: The Importance of Animal Companionship. Purdue Press.
Becker M. 2002. The Healing Power of Pets: Harnessing the Ability of Pets to Make and Keep People Happy. Hyperion Press.
Fine, A., ed. 1999. Handbook of Animal-Assisted Therapy: Theoretical Guidelines and Practice. Academic Press.
Robinson, I., ed. 1995. The Waltham Book of Human-Animal Interaction: Benefits and Responsibilities of Pet Ownership. Pergamon Press.
Wilson, C.C., and D.C. Turner, eds. 1997. Companion Animals in Human Health. Sage Publications.
If you do want to get one of these books and are looking not to spend to much try a few sites that have them used. They are just as good and best of all not full price.
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