Why Have A Pet?

Photo by Marcus Aurelius: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-sitting-on-wheelchair-while-touching-her-cat-4064423/

That’s a valid question.  There are a lot of reasons to not have a pet. It’s irresponsible to get a pet if you are not ready for it, if you can’t afford it, if it will make you sick. The benefits of pet ownership may not be universal. In other words, some people may just not like having pets. But if you have an interest in animal pet rescue and you have the resources to provide the animal with a good home, there are lots of good reasons to have pets.

According to a 2022 survey from the American Pet Products Association 66% of households in the U.S. had at least one pet. The most popular pets were dogs, then cats, then fish. So what’s the attraction for pet ownership?

Benefits for the elderly

Pets can be great for elderly people.  I remember when my dad was in an assisted living facility.  My dad had lost so much. He was stiff, had trouble with stairs, and his memory was very poor.  But there was a dog at the facility, Zack. Zack always brought a smile to my dad’s face when he saw that dog. He would love to take the dog for a walk on the grounds.  The dog was a bright spot in my dad’s day. There have been studies on the benefits of pets to the elderly

Physical

Arhant-Sudhir and associates, and Levine with his fellow researchers did reviews of the literature and found studies that support the idea that people who own dogs had lower blood pressure, better blood lipids, decreased negative nervous system responses to stress, and better cardiovascular health. A Swedish study showed that, after a heart attack, dog owners (especially those who lived alone) did better than people without pets.

It’s hard to tell what is the cause of pets being good for the physical health of the elderly.  Perhaps the human is more active by having to walk their dog.  Perhaps the pet gives some psychological, cognitive, and social benefits that also influence physical health.

Other Benefits

Photo by Ron Lach: https://www.pexels.com/photo/elderly-woman-reading-book-at-home-10117260/

Ardra Cole did a study of the elderly and their pets.  Her research subjects said their pets gave them a beloved attachment, unconditional love, steadfast friendship, and the opportunity for joyful responsibility, pleasure, adventure, and opportunity. Branson and fellow researchers discovered that elderly homebound pet owners had better cognitive skills of executive functioning than non pet owners.

In addition to anecdotal evidence, there is support from research studies that pet ownership helps elderly people physically, mentally, and socially.

Benefits for kids

Photo by Terricks Noah https://unsplash.com/photos/boy-taking-a-walk-with-dog-jrxMnveNEg4

Sometimes parents get their child a pet to help the child learn responsibility and empathy.If you are a parent planning this, be cautious.  Don’t set your child and pet up for failure.  The parent should really be in charge of the pet ultimately.  Pet ownership is something that should be done joyfully and if your child is not yet ready for that kind of responsibility, it is unfair to everyone concerned to force the issue.

That being said, having a being to care for can really help some children by providing a source of unconditional love and a sense of the child being important. There are a bunch of studies supporting the benefits of pets for children.

Physical

Dr Olga Gupta studied self care for teenagers with diabetes. She found that the teenagers in her study who were given a fish to care for were better able to manage their diabetes than teenagers who were given pictures of fish. Another study with children suggested that some kids may have less stress homeones in their bodies after interacting with their pets. Yet another study showed that children receiving therapy for ADHD showed greater benefit from the therapy when animal assitance was included in their sessions.

Having an active pet may encourage a child to get more exercise and be more healthy because of that.

Other Benefits

Photo by sabina fratila https://unsplash.com/photos/boy-sitting-in-front-of-dog-SZqZu4NQsak

One study showed that autistic children had more positive social interactions with both adults and peers when playing with guinea pigs as opposed to toys. Some studies suggest that when children read books to shelter dogs, the children become better at reading.

Benefits for everyone

Photo by Hudson Hintze https://unsplash.com/photos/smiling-woman-hugging-puppy-CXQgs12wFHc

Pets benefit people of any age. The physical, social, and emotional benefits of pet ownership are as valid for younger people as they are for the elderly. Pets can reduce stress levels for people of any age. Many articles suggest that pets can be a big help for people to manage their mental health issues. 

I see people walking their dogs in my city and there seems to be a real community of dog owners, so it seems like owning a dog can help you meet other people and form friendships. I also see bird owners gather in the early mornings in a park to let their birds experience the outdoors while in their cages and the owners socialize.

For me, I enjoy taking care of my animals.  It brings me great pleasure to clean my guinea pig cage and make their world clean and interesting.  I love the happiness I bring my pigs when I feed them, and I love it when my cat comes and sits next to me on the couch and asks for hugs. I feel great that I have created a lovely home for an abandoned animal who would probably be suffering if it wasn’t for me or someone like me. Animal pet rescue is my chance to ease suffering and create happiness in the world, for myself and for my pets.

Do you have an animal pet rescue story?

Photo by Veronika Homchis https://unsplash.com/photos/woman-holding-white-cat-1ejZ2XBjJgU

I’ve shared a bunch of research studies indicating that there are a lot of benefits to pet owner. Sometimes research studies can be biased, dry, and not tell the whole story. While anecdotes and people’s individual stories may not be scientific proof that rescue pets are great, these stories help to provide insight about pet ownership and can give us a window of the true benefits of rescue pet ownership. Are you interested in sharing your rescue pet story? Contact me and I can put your story on this website!

Subscribe to my newsletter to join the City Rescue Pet family. I'll be sending out newsletters with what's new on the website, newsworthy pet rescue info, and various articles celebrating our pets.

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