Health benefits of owning a pet dog or cat Having a dog or cat by our side and sharing our lives with them is, first and foremost, a pleasure. Still, it has numerous positive, beneficial implications that we sometimes do not even realise.
From the psychological to the physical, our four-legged friends influence us enormously in ways that sometimes seem almost impossible, so much so that they open up space for multiple scientific research and study fields.
- Pet therapy
- Positive effects of pets on your mood
- Positive effects of pets help people with Autism conditions
- Physical exercise and obesity
- The positive effects of pets are that they help people communicate and develop their children.
- The positive effects of pets stimulate the immune system
- Interpersonal relations
- The dog’s sense of smell
- Protective effect
Pet therapy
This term, which highlights an increasingly common practice, indicates the use of pets in the therapy of people with particular health problems, helping them to recover their psycho-physical balance. As a result, authentic animal-assisted therapies (AAT) now exist. In particular, the dog, which has always been man’s faithful companion, is the protagonist par excellence of this rapidly developing practice.
According to some studies, the interaction between dog and man, in particular, induces an increase in serotonin (the hormone of happiness) and oxytocin, implying a series of homeostatic processes in favour of our organism.
Positive effects of pets on your mood
The closeness of a pet improves mood and reduces feelings of loneliness, especially in older people. It is a valuable, faithful, and ever-present point of reference. Pets also have a positive effect on mental disorders and reduce stress.
Depression
Just as it is true that pets diminish feelings of loneliness, they also help against depression. The sharing of emotions, the closeness, and the unique relationship one has with a dog or cat become essential anchors.
The risk of suicide also decreases, as has been shown in some studies. In this case, the reason is that we establish a strong bond with someone whose health depends on us and whom we have to take care of for a long time.
The blood pressure
The mechanism of action is not yet precise, partly because cat purring is still one of the fascinating mysteries of this fantastic feline; however, proximity to a purring cat stimulates bone healing and has a slowing effect on heart rate and blood pressure.
Positive effects of pets help people with Autism conditions
Dogs, cats and even horses are emotional mediators with a positive psycho-emotional and physical impact on relationship processes, thus helping autistic children foster a desire to communicate and have a calming effect. Through the dog, the autistic child can establish a trusting relationship with a stranger without speaking.
Communication with the animal is, in fact, spontaneous, like a game. In this way, the practitioner intervenes in the emotional areas where the patient feels more closure. Numerous studies have observed these effects, which show that not only the child benefits but also the whole family.
Physical exercise and obesity
Managing an animal, especially a dog, undoubtedly involves physical effort. Even having to walk them daily implies movement, which is necessary. Taking care of them, therefore, induces exercise and keeping active.
Several studies have, therefore, focused on the relationship between pet companionship and obesity, showing that the presence of a dog or cat reduces the likelihood of becoming overweight.
The positive effects of pets are that they help people communicate and develop their children.
With a pet, the child learns to relate, communicate, and treat someone else with care and understanding. They develop emotional intelligence and a sense of responsibility and become more intelligent and inclined to listen. The dog and cat also provide stability and can help those who are more insecure.
Communication between pet and child often occurs on an equal footing, first regarding height, as the small child crawls. Both learn and get to know each other not with words but with non-verbal language and proxemics, i.e. gestures, behaviour, and spaces.
The positive effects of pets stimulate the immune system
Children brought up with dogs and cats do not tend to develop bronchial asthma, respiratory tract infections or allergies.
Those who worry about possible diseases can rest assured that there are no dangerous pathogens if your four-legged friend has had all the necessary vet vaccinations and check-ups. Living with a pet from an early age has these direct positive effects on health, not just psychological or educational ones.
Interpersonal relations
First and foremost, a pet improves communication and stimulates verbal and non-verbal language. But not only that. The dog, in particular, helps interpersonal relationships.
It is common for even a stranger to approach us for a chat while walking the dog, which also becomes a topic for discussion and sharing. A walk in the park with the dog also becomes a means of making friends and new acquaintances.
The dog’s sense of smell
The dog’s sense of smell, used in numerous activities on behalf of man, is also a real superpower that the dog can use to defend our health. Its scent can sniff out innumerable diseases, from tumours to diabetes, migraine and urinary tract infections, narcolepsy and epileptic attacks.
Indeed, extraordinary capabilities are still being studied and developed, opening doors to the dog’s truly sensational use and confirming it once again as man’s faithful sentinel.
Protective effect
Let us not forget, and not underestimate, that the dog also (but not only) protects us physically. Not only are guard dogs adequately trained, but our life companions will always be ready to come to our aid, whether it is aggression or any other mess.
In conclusion, having a pet at your side, be it a dog or cat, has countless benefits for our life and health, many of which are still partially unexplored fields of extraordinary potential.
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