You come home after an exhausting day and the weight of fatigue instantly lifts from your shoulders when you hear, behind the door of your house, the barking (or meowing) of your faithful four-legged friend. Magic, isn’t it?
Well no ! Many studies have shown that having a pet has real benefits for our health and that it is not only a means of deceiving loneliness. No wonder therefore that more than one in two households has decided to go to a pet store or a breeder to acquire a furry or feathered companion. And there are so many benefits of bringing a pet into your home that it’s hard to list them all, but we’ll give you a few.
Summary
A companion at the service of your health
Caressing a dog or a cat brings immediate relief, all pet owners will tell you! But what is less known is that the calm thus generated lowers blood pressure and decreases heart rate. As a result, the risk of heart attack and cardiovascular disease would be greatly reduced. Enjoying the purring of a cat or becoming attached to the contemplation of fish in an aquarium would have similar effects.
Having a dog of certain breeds such as Beagles, Australian Shepherds or Malinois also requires the owner to go out and walk every day. This daily physical activity would notably reduce the risk of obesity. More astonishing, but also demonstrated, having a cat would encourage its master to exercise, as if by a kind of mimicry, the energy of the cat was transmitted to the man and made him want to exert himself.
A privileged companion for children
The contact with the microbial sphere of the animal, as well as the bacteria brought back from the outside by this one, would reinforce the infant immune system during his first year. Thus, he would fall ill less often and would be less prone to ENT infections, reducing the consequences of taking antibiotics. It has also been shown that children who grow up with an animal will be less prone to allergies and would be less likely to develop asthma.
And for a teenager, addicted to video games, the responsibility of a pet also brings its benefits, by forcing him to exercise of course, but it will also have a positive impact on his eyes in l away from the screen during walks or games with his four-legged friend.
Moreover, by being a privileged interlocutor, the animal which listens without judgement, can thus raise the morale and soothe the tensions of the young person who often feels unloved and misunderstood by those around him. Reputed to be of great help in the treatment of mental disordersthe presence of an animal would thus reduce the development of suicidal thoughts.
Beneficial action also for the elderly
It is clear that having a pet also has beneficial effects on the health of seniors, if only by the obligation to walk every day to walk his animal or to move to play with him. Indeed, inactivity is often, for an elderly person, a generator of disease.
Maintaining routine markers around the animal (meal times, etc.) would also limit memory loss and would also be taken into account in certain treatments for Alzheimer’s disease.
In addition, taking care of an animal allows you to continue to feel useful, forces you to organize yourself and can maintain a reason for living in the long term. Because having the responsibility of a small dependent being immediately gives the answer to the question: « If I die, who will take care of it? »
This is why retirement homes are increasingly accepting four-legged friends, to the delight of residents!
Anyway, when your faithful companion plunges his eyes into yours and makes you benefit from his benevolent presence, your feeling is far beyond words and you do not need any explanation, as you are aware of the intense well-being that this beautiful relationship gives you.
Also read: How do you know if you are suicidal?
