Whether you have a pet or you simply love animals, you certainly know the joy that an animal can offer you. However, besides the feeling of wellness that you experience when you come home after a long day of hard work and your pet is greeting you, you have to know the many benefits your pet provides you and your family.
Professionally trained animals, such as guide dogs for the blinds, offer obvious benefits for humans. However, there are also some unexpected effects of having pets. Sometimes pets are useful for their therapeutic benefits on human health. Companion animals give us an overall sense of wellness because they stay by our side at all times, providing us with affection and unconditional love. They prevent feelings such as loneliness, isolation, anxiety or depression.
People suffering of Alzheimer will greatly enjoy the companionship of a furry friend. A study at the University of California at Davis School of Veterinary Medicines shows that pets increase the social interactions of patience with Alzheimer and decrease the risk of developing depression, anxiety and aggressive behavior, having a calming influence on humans.
When it comes to the elderly and their wellness, pets play an important role. As people age, they start feeling useless and they experience difficulties in handling the major changes that come along with aging: retirement, children may move away from home, illness, and so on. Caring for a pet can make people happier by giving them a purpose in life.
Your children will love the idea of having a pet. But besides the obvious positive sides – your child will always have a friend to play with- he/she will learn some things about responsibility. Moreover, owning a pet improves a child’s immune system and it prevents allergies and asthma.
Our little furry animals provide our children with a sense of security when the adults are not around and they prove to be of extraordinary help in handling children with autism or ADHA disorders. Dogs and cats are a great choice when it comes to family pets. Your children will spend their free time and extra energy playing with them and the adults will enjoy some extra years after a heart stroke. Researches have shown that there is a strong connection between owning a dog and human longevity.
People with dogs have a healthier heart and proper values of blood pressure, cholesterol and triglycerides. Having a great sense of smell, dogs can sense people with cancer or other diseases. Many studies have been conducted in this domain, and specialists have concluded that in 70% of cases dogs are right.
Moreover, playing with dogs triggers the release of dopamine and serotonin in your body. "People take drugs like heroin and cocaine to raise serotonin and dopamine, but the healthy way to do it is to pet your dog, or hug your spouse, watch sunsets, or get around something beautiful in nature," says Blair Justice, PhD, a psychology professor at the University of Texas School of Public Health and author of Who Gets Sick: How Beliefs, Moods, and Thoughts Affect Your Health.
As dogs and cats, an aquarium can also help people to loose some stress, and if you are allergic to fur, this is your best choice! Researches have shown that spending some quality time in nature is an amazing way of distressing. Well, having an aquarium is like bringing your own little ecosystem right in your bedroom.
Hamsters are playful animals. They like to exercise a lot, so your kid will have a playmate and some responsibility. However, the American Academy of Pediatrics doesn’t recommend hamsters as pet animals for children under 5, as they can carry the salmonella virus.
Horses are beautiful animals, and they can help people having certain disorders. Of course, they can’t be pet animals unless you live at a farm. It is said that horses help people in dealing with low self-esteem issues: trying to control such a big animal is like taking control of your own problems.
Nowadays, more and more animals participate in special therapeutic programs that take place in hospitals and schools. Their benefits on human health are finally being recognized and appreciated.