Having Pets has been shown to reduce stress and we all know of guide dogs and therapy animals, but have you ever stopped to consider how adding a pet to your home would improve your family’s health? Here are some facts about pets:
2 out of 3 American Households have at least one pet living with them.
Dogs at 63.4 million
Cats 42.7 million
Freshwater fish 11.5 million
Birds 5.7 million
Small Mammals (hamster, guinea pig etc.) 5.4 million
Reptile 4.5 million
People with a Pet will have a lower heart rate and blood pressure.
Dog Owners walk 3x more than people who don’t have a dog.
Interacting with pets will reduce stress and increase positive emotions through
Bonding hormone called oxytocin which will go up.
Stress hormone called cortisol will go down.
The more exposure a child has to pets during their early years, results in a reduction in allergies and asthma as they age.
Children with autism were studied playing with a guinea pig and they noticed an increase in socialization and a calmer feeling.
Fun Fact: More than ½ of pet owners will share food with their pet if they beg.
So while having a pet can increase your health, it also takes hard work and responsibility to care for them and while this may seem like I am bringing up a negative fact this can be a unifying chore in your home. It is also a great way to teach children a caring and unselfish lesson as they have someone in their home who needs and depends on them.
Our family has several animals and here you get to meet them. We have Bailey the large Standard Poodle who is now almost 11 years and is our first child or fur baby. Zara got a Hamster last year, his name is Kwazzii and he is so sweet he will come up to his cage door just to hang out with you. Allegra has a fish tank which will soon to be mine as she has been waiting to get old enough to get a hamster of her own; although she informed me they are still her fish but I can buy a few fish to put into the tank with hers. I love each of our pets and I truly believe they make our house feel like a home and my fur babies always lighten my heart when life feels heavy.