Benefits Of A Pet

Anyone who has ever loved a pet knows how much

joy that relationship can bring, but there is increasing

scientific evidence that the unique bond we share with

our pets dramatically enriches our lives, our physical

health and our emotional well-being. Pets can help

to reduce stress, relieve loneliness and depression,

prevent heart disease, and lower health-care costs.

Here are the results of some recent studies:

• Dr. Karen Allen, a researcher at the State

University of New York at Buffalo, showed that

people with hypertension who adopted a dog

had lower blood pressure readings in stressful

situations than did those who did not own a pet.

• According to a study published in 1999 in the

Journal of the American Geriatrics Society,

older people who have pets tend to have better

physical health and mental well-being than those

who don’t.

• The National Institute of Health found that

people with pets make fewer doctor visits,

especially for non-serious medical conditions.

• In a 2002 survey conducted by the American Animal Hospital Association

(AAHA), 92 percent of the respondents indicated that they derive signifi cant

health benefi ts from their pets.

• In a three-year study of over 5,000 people done by the Baker Medical Research

Institute in Melbourne, Australia, pet owners had lower blood pressure and

cholesterol levels than people who didn’t have pets. The fi ndings couldn’t be

explained by differences in cigarette smoking, weight, or socioeconomic profi le.

• Dr. James Lynch of the Life Care Foundation conducted a study that showed that

heart patients who owned pets had a much better chance of long-term survival

than patients who didn’t own pets.

• Dr. Meredith Wells, an assistant professor of psychology at Eastern Kentucky

University, surveyed businesses that allow pets in the workplace and found that

employees believe that the animals reduce stress and improve their mental and

physical health.

According to the article “For Seniors: Pets Are Just Plain Healthy” from the Delta

Society’s website (www.deltasociety.org/dsc102.htm), pets offer many benefi ts for older

adults:

• Seniors with dogs go to the doctor less. Dogs help to relieve everyday stress.

• For people aged 65–78, dogs are a major factor in initiating conversations with

passersby. Companion animals readily elicit friendly responses.

• Pets promote social interaction, decrease the feeling of loneliness and isolation,

and increase morale and optimism.

• Pets encourage playfulness, exercise, and laughter.

• Pets satisfy the need for touch and to be touched, and give nonjudgmental

warmth and affection.

Of course, these benefi ts also apply to the general population. Pets can help anyone

of any age connect with other people or other creatures. What dog lover doesn’t

enthusiastically engage in conversation with another like-minded individual? If you are

a very serious, driven person, playing with your dog or cat can be a great source of

relaxation and stress relief. Helping to care for another creature can potentially teach

children a sense of empathy and responsibility.

Loving and caring for a pet can help anyone fi ght depression and loneliness, since the

bond with a pet helps you maintain a sense of purpose in life. A daily walk with a dog

gets you out into the world on a regular basis and encourages exercise, both of which

help counteract feelings of depression. Pets can be a great comfort in times of confl ict

or grief, since they offer unconditional affection. They often seem to know when we are

sad, and they are always attentive, nonjudgmental listeners.

Besides their contribution to our general health and well-being, pets are increasingly

serving a therapeutic role in hospitals, hospices and nursing homes. More and more, the

staff at these facilities are recognizing the value of animal-assisted therapy. Dogs are

trained to provide companionship and a calming presence for those who are ill or lonely.

Both patient and staff morale improves when therapy animals visit.

Even in prisons, pets are serving a therapeutic role. In the Ohio Corrections System,

for example, inmates are matched with dogs and then go through a 10-week course

with them, teaching the dogs basic commands and house-training them. The dogs are

then adopted out by the local humane society. The inmates form close bonds with their

dogs, and saying good-bye is tough, but the experience of caring for another creature is

invaluable for men like these, who have often had harsh lives.

For more information on studies done on the human-animal bond and animal-assisted

activities and therapy, visit the Delta Society website: www.deltasociety.org.