How Pets Enrich Our Lives

As the holiday season is upon us, our thoughts often turn to friends and family. For many of us, pets are an important part of our families as well. We love them and care for them, but there are also many ways they enrich our lives.

Pets are a constant daily presence in our lives. They are there when we get up in the morning, and waiting for us when we get home from work. They don’t care if we had a bad day or a good day, if we’re not feeling or looking our very best or if we just lost our job or are having other stresses in our lives. Our pets love us just for being ourselves. There are a number of scientific studies that have been done on the benefits of pet ownership.

The following is just a sample of some of the findings.

Elderly dog owners had fewer doctor visits over a year’s time than non-dog owners.

Dog owners were significantly less likely to die within the following year after surviving a heart attack.

Pets aid in their owner’s recovery after the loss of a loved one

Owning a dog has been shown to help reduce blood pressure

Cat ownership has been related to a 40% lower risk of suffering a fatal heart attack

Pets lower your general stress level and help fight depression.

Dog owners tend to be more physically active and fit than the general population.

Pet owners are less likely to suffer from loneliness.

Studies suggest that early contact with pets may help decrease the development of allergies in children.

These are just a few of the studies out there. Most pet owners don’t need scientific studies to prove to them the worth of having pets though. The love and companionship we receive everyday is proof enough.