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Pet Adoption Benefits
from: PetSpectacle.comWhen people adopt a pet, they are well aware of the benefits to the pet itself: it may have been rescued from a miserable life on the street, it will be well taken care of, it will have companionship, and so on. It will undoubtedly have a healthier, happier, safer life than if it had ended up trying to survive in the wild.
But what many people don't realize is that they themselves can benefit too. And this doesn't just mean that they'll have companionship. They may actually experience significant health benefits from having this little animal living with them.
There's no doubt about the beneficial effect pets have on one's psychological health. For example, these companion animals help alleviate loneliness for people who live by themselves. They keep the people more active, by requiring daily walks or needing play time. They give people someone to talk to and care for, when other friends or family are not nearby. In fact, they can even give someone a reason to keep going on with life, if times are hard; the person may get tempted to give up and not try any more, except that they know they need to take care of this little animal that depends on them.
Pets can help a person who's had an unpleasant or traumatic life focus on another being who needs them. The person can find new meaning in caring for this animal. In fact, interacting with small animals is actually part of some therapy programs. Pets can teach a person new responsibility, and give them new hope, with helpful supervision and training.
Beyond the psychological benefits, though, there can be actual physical benefits as well. Studies have already shown that petting a cat or dog can significantly lower a person's blood pressure and calm the pulse. And there is even evidence that pet owners have less incidence of heart disease, as well as lower cholesterol levels. It may be possible, as a consequence of these things, that pet ownership and companionship is a silent factor in reducing heart attacks and deaths from heart disease.
The health effects of pet companionship for children are especially interesting. For example, if a child is exposed to a pet within the first year of life, he or she will have less likelihood of suffering from asthma and certain allergies later on. Children with pets generally have higher self-esteem. They will certainly get more exercise, playing with the pet and often accompanying it while it's going for walks. And it's even been reported that children with autism exhibit more positive social behavior if they live with a pet.
The benefits of pet ownership, or at least contact with pets, has also been well documented for specific groups like seniors in nursing homes, AIDS patients, or even the inmates of prisons. As a result, special organizations have been set up all over North America specifically for the purpose of bringing pets into contact with these groups. Regular visits take place to nursing homes, where sometimes the cat or dog's visit is the highlight of the week. AIDS patients in hostels find relief from depression and worry when receiving visits from pets and their owners.
Pets are not simply a luxury or an overindulgence for most people. When someone adopts a pet, whether they realize it or not, their companion animals will have a very beneficial effect on both their psychological and even physical health.
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