Therapeutic Values of Owning a Pet

Most pet owners express the joys of sharing their home with an animal, be it a dog, cat, ferret or a chameleon. But most do not realize the therapeutic values of owning a pet and that their beloved companions could help improve their mental and physical health and even extend their lives.

Approximately two thirds of all households have at least one pet while some have several. Dogs and cats are by far the most popular companions but there are millions of homes that feature pets including; fish, birds, rodents, reptiles, amphibians and even insects. 

Although pets have long been an integral part of life, most people consider their pets as members of the family. Researchers perform various studies exploring the benefits that pets can bring to the people who care for them. 

Findings have prompted numerous studies and applications in which pets are used to treat the mentally ill, give new life to the elderly, motivate the handicapped, provide calmness to overly aggressive people, help with depression of the lonely and give renewed purpose to the forlorn. Interaction with pets has even been shown to help lower blood pressure and improve the life expectancy of heart patients. 

Though, there are many blessings possible by owning a pet, owning a pet can also have its disadvantages. Proper health care and nutrition can be costly, pets are demanding of your time with training and desired attention and can even become a source of family conflict, when Dad ends up walking the dog that his child agreed to care for. Some people may find large pets to be more a bother than a help, and in some cases pets can be a source of ailments transmitted to their owners. Still, many benefits of owning a pet have been noted in various recent studies. 

Pets, especially dogs, can offer protection, unequaled companionship and devotion along with unconditional love. 

Pets are, ''nonthreatening, nonjudgmental, open, welcoming, accepting and attentive.'' Unlike spouses or parents, they don't talk back, criticize or issue commands. They give people something to care and worry about and be responsible for and make them feel needed and useful. They also provide a socially acceptable outlet for the need for physical contact. 

Pets help in curing loneliness and have been shown to increase their owners' chances of meeting new people. Studies have shown that persons accompanied by their dogs, tend to converse with more people and had longer conversations than when they walked alone. In Sweden, 63 percent of dog owners surveyed said their pets had added to their opportunities to talk to people and 57 percent said their dogs had actually ''got them new friends.'' 

Pets help organize a person's day

Dogs that are used to being walked and fed at 7 A.M. are not likely to let you lay in bed much past the appointed time. Pets provide a sense of purpose, enhance self-esteem and self-control and generally alleviate the adverse effects of stress. 

Pets can also be a source of solace (a teddy bear for all ages) and help to dissipate negative emotions like anger, disappointment and grief. Virtually all people talk to their pets and sometimes use them to work through conflicts or problems. 

A University of Maryland study suggests that pets help bring families closer together, reducing conflict and tension and increasing play among family members. Dr. Erika Friedman, a health scientist at Brooklyn College, says that people who are ''de-pressed by the loss of a relative or friend can learn to love others again through first learning to love and care for a pet.'' 

Pet ownership can help to teach responsibility to children, nurturing, compassion, loyalty and empathy. Unlike adults in their interaction with children, pets are uncritical, consistently loving and don't give orders. In many households both parents are often still at work when children come home from school. In these cases, pets offer children a dependable ''welcome home'' and a feeling of security. 

Nursing homes and old-age homes are using pets to lift the spirits of and brighten the outlook of life with their residents. A University of Minnesota study of 774 long-term health care facilities disclosed that about half were using pets to help their residents. Pets were said to provide nursing-home residents with entertainment and enjoyment, to serve as an outlet for the expression of feelings, rekindle pleasant memories and create a more homelike atmosphere. 

Dramatic improvements in outlook and physical abilities have been noted among nursing-home residents as a result of pet programs. Previously uncommunicative and bedridden patients have started talking to the staff and other residents about their pet companions and some have even got up and taken their pet for a walk. While there are some definite benefits that have been recognized with various pet programs, there are also some areas of concern that must be taken into consideration before implementing a pet program in an elderly home. 

A Penn State University program has given pets to rural elderly people, nearly half of them living alone. For some, the pets have sparked ''dramatic transformations,'' allowing severely disabled people to rise above their disability and helping depressed, reclusive people become more socially active. His preliminary observations suggest that the love and affection of a pet is the key to the benefits, showing an association with higher morale, greater social activity and better physical health.  Therapeutic Values of Owning a Pet Continued....

I know that you love animals...Would you like to help all of the abused, neglected and rescued animals? Won't cost you a dime, just 15 seconds of your time. The best 15 seconds you will spend today. 

The Animal Rescue Site continually has problems getting enough daily clicks to meet their quota to have FREE FOOD donated to abused and neglected animals. It only takes about 15 seconds to go to their site and click on the purple box 'Click Here to Give It's Free'. This doesn't cost you a thing. Their corporate sponsors/advertisers use the number of daily visits to donate food to abandoned/neglected animals in exchange for advertising.

If you would, please visit their site at http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com and help them feed the neglected animals. It would be great if you could also ask friends to do this. We need to spread the word to help our less fortunate animal friends.

Thanks,

Sherril Hodnett

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