Dogs are known to be pets that carry unconditional love, undying loyalty and provide consistent companionship to their owners. Deciding to own a dog could quite literally be a life changing decision. Along with this dog can impact an individual’s mental, emotional and physical health. Your furry friend is more than just a pet, dogs provide with several benefits to their owners. Here are 5 benefits of having a dog:
1. A Better Heart
Dogs are known to assist in improving the health of an individual’s heart. There are several studies that show that dogs can help in lowering blood pressure, reduce stress levels, lowers cholesterol levels and reduces the chance of heart attacks. For instance, an extensive review of studies published between 1950 and 2019 demonstrates that individuals whom owned dogs had a lower chance of death. Therefore, dogs contribute to improving the cardiovascular health of dog owners.
2. Obtain Fitness Goals
In this day and age, it can be difficult to maintain the right amount of fitness and carry out the activities required to maintain physical health. Health experts suggests that a human adult receives two hours and thirty minutes of exercise a week. The good news? Dog owners are highly likely to meet that goal!
Dogs require a lot of physical activity and stimulation; dog owners are responsible to ensure dogs receive the required physical activity. This results in most dog owners walking on a sidewalk or going to a park for 30 minutes a day. Be sure to train a dog well in order to take it for peaceful walks and play time. You can find out more here how to keep your dog well behaved on your daily walks.
3. Better Social Life
Dogs can provide a pathway to improve a dog owner’s social life. Many researchers have showed that 40% of dog owners tend to make friends in an easier manner. For instance, according to a study carried out in Britain, 4 out of 5 dog owners converse with other dog owners during walks. Majority of dog owners enjoy sharing stories about their pet with others. Some people tend to stop and talk to the owner as they find the dog cute and would like to play with the dog. Therefore, dogs can help owners have better social life.
4. Helps in Combating Depression
Dogs can contribute to an individual’s happiness and lowers feelings of loneliness in a person. If a person lives alone or does not get along with people that easily, a dog can help with taking away feelings of isolation. In addition, older women and HIV positive males have lower levels depression in comparison to people with similar conditions and do not have pets.
5. Injuries & Diseases
Dogs have the ability to discover, treat and manage various sicknesses. For example, certain dogs can be trained to sniff out skin, bladder, prostate cancer and kidney issues along with many other diseases. Furthermore, service dogs are known to help people with autism, brain injuries, and arthritis by providing better mobility and independence. Additionally, patients with Alzheimer’s disease find comfort in a pet dogs and help in stabilizing emotions and reducing aggressive behaviour. Thus, dogs can assist in combating sicknesses and injuries.
A dog is not an average house pet, there are several advantages of owning a dog which can positively impact your life.
