The Health Benefits of Pets

Introduction

Household pets are very common all throughout the world, but there is more to having a

pet than just for fun. In the United States 36.5% of households have dogs and 30.4% have cats

(avma.org). A lot of thought goes into the decision of bringing a pet into a family, but most

people do not think of the major health benefits of them. Most people just know it will make

them happier. Animals give people better attitudes about life and make them more physically

active. Most dog owners take their dogs for a walk every day, this motivates the owner to stay

active. Cats can keep peoples mental health from joy. These are just two examples of ways

animals help people, there are many other ways. Most people enjoy the fun things cats do, which

can keep them entertained and happy. An animal makes a person feel more responsible because

another being is dependent on them. Animals can bring many physical and mental health benefits

to people. Most studies have only been found on the benefits of dogs and cats, even though many

households have other pets. Some households have hamsters, snakes, rabbits, ferrets and other

animals. Currently, therapy dogs are very common, but dogs can be used to help people outside

of a psychiatrists office. Joseph Burgo, a clinical psychologist found how animals help his

patients simply by skyping them. The patients would be at home with their pets and Burgo saw

the effects of the patients communication when they had their pet with them. While most people

understand that animals, especially dogs, make people happy, they do not understand the true

health benefits of animals.

I have been a dog owner my entire life. Personally, I believe dogs make their owners

happier. There are times when having a pet is stressful, such as when the dog decides the kitchen

floor is the bathroom. But there is no feeling like coming home to your dog jumping all over you

because they are so happy to see you. My dog keeps me motivated to go for walks every day.

Often, I will go for a run and then take my dog for a walk afterwards. Even though I do not have

the ability to conduct studies nor am I not a professor of psychology, I have done the research on

this topic. I have not personally conducted the research, but I have read about this topic.

The physical benefits go beyond just going for walks. Many studies have found that pet

owners, on average, have lower blood pressure than non-pet owners. As well as discussing the

physical benefits of animals, throughout this paper I will discuss how animals effect the mentally

handicapped. This includes such as autistic children and adults with learning disorders, as well as

patients, mainly veterans, with post-traumatic stress disorder. The paper will also discuss how

animals help improve childhood development. Through research and firsthand accounts, it is

found that household animals have physical and mental health benefits on people.

Mental Health

Stress Relief

One of the major advantages of having a household pet is that it is a major stress-reliever.

People that live stressful lives due to work or family do not always have a way to relax after a

long day. Some people use yoga, listen to music, or sleep. A pet is a guaranteed way to be happy

when coming home after a long day. The feeling of having your dog jump on you with joy

immediately makes you happy. When this happens the owner seems to forget all the stress and

anger in their life and is just full of joy to see their pet. Pets, dogs especially, are basically a

walking stress reliever. Almost everyone who sees a dog will immediately get happier. No matter

how bad of a day someone is having, they are almost guaranteed to be uplifted in some way.

Blood pressure is related to stress and it is found that people with a dog or a cat on average have

lower blood pressure than those without. In a study done by the national center for health

research, researchers found this to be the case. This study was done by participants performing a

timed math problem with and without their pet in the room as their blood pressure was

monitored. It was found that the participants with pets in the room had lower blood pressure and

completed the math problem easier because they were less stressed out. These participants were

not stressed about the problem because the dog relaxed them. Most people with household pets

would agree that they are less stressed in daily life due to their pet.

Helping the Mentally Handicapped and Those in Therapy

Therapy dogs are used for many reasons and help many different people in different

situations. This includes the mentally handicapped, autistic patients, veterans with post-traumatic

stress disorder and children with social issues. These dogs can help these people not just in

therapy, but in their everyday life. A clinical psychologist, Joseph Burgo, worked with patients

around the world through Skype (a video chat program). Burgo worked with patients who have

social disorders. Meaning, they have trouble speaking to other people for different reasons.

When Burgo first started speaking to these patients they were extremely shy and uncomfortable.

But he discovered that these patients felt more comfortable speaking to him when their pets were

in the room. The patients would open up and not be nervous about speaking to him. This was

true for patients with multiple different reasons to speak to Burgo. Studies like these prove that

household pets can help the mental health of all types of people.

Helping Those with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Many Soldiers returning from war often suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

(PTSD), which develops after a terrifying ordeal that involved physical harm or the threat of

physical harm (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). A lot of veterans suffer from this disorder, and

it is extremely serious. It ruins their lives, making it hard to communicate with their families and

return to normal, everyday life after being deployed. Close to 30 percent of Afghanistan and

Iraq War veterans treated at V.A. hospitals and clinics have been diagnosed with PTSD (PTSD

in Military Veterans). Veterans often have trouble adjusting to normal life after being away at

war. It is hard for them to reconnect with their family and friends. It has been found that veterans

with dogs have an easier time connecting back to the real world.

Dogs have helped many veterans, such as Robert Soliz, a former Army Specialist. He had

trouble showing affection to his kids and started substance abuse. He credits the Palo Alto V.A.

Medical Center for saving his life because they arranged for him to spend six weeks with a dog.

Soliz taught the dog commands and this helped with his improvement of communication. Soliz

was finally able to sleep at night with the dog by his side (Colin). There are many stories like this

proving that household dogs can help veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Another

program that does this is Puppies Behind Bars, which is a program that allows prison inmates

to train puppies before they grow up and are assigned to wounded warriors. The dogs give

emotional support to wounded warriors with PTSD in order to help their recovery (Puppies

Behind Bars). The main reason dogs help veterans with PTSD is because they provide emotional

support. Dogs do not cure people of PTSD, but they do help them through the process.

Another reason dogs help veterans is them having to be trained by their owners. Members of the

military are used to giving orders so this helps them by putting them in a state they are used to.

(Dogs and PTSD). Everyone feels more comfortable when they are in a state they are used to.

Veterans feel more comfortable being in command and this can lead to their recovery from

PTSD.

Helping Those with Autism

Animals have proven to help autistic children in their social and learning development.

Autistic children have difficulties communicating with others and learning in a regular learning

environment. Mental health professionals around the world, such as psychologists and

psychiatrists, have found that autistic children develop better with animals and pets. New

research finds autistic children who have a pet at home have much more advanced social skills

and are more assertive and communicative than autistic children who do not have an animal

companion (Firger). It appears that dogs make people more relaxed, and therefore not so

nervous about talking. Dogs can also help children focus when they are learning. Not only do

dogs help autistic children, other animals can help them as well. A study at MU Thompson

Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders found that Nearly 70 percent of the

families that participated in the study were dog owners, while the remaining families had a

variety of pets including fish, farm animals, rabbits and reptiles (Firger). This shows that social

skills can be improved in children with autism by multiple types of household animals.

Childhood Development

There has been multiple studies done on how children tend to develop faster when they

are around animals. An article reprinted from The Waltham Book of Human-Animal

Interactions: Benefits and Responsibilities discussed different ways children can benefit from

animals. It has been found that children become more responsible, are more sociable and

develop character (Nienke and Baarda). The reasons behind this are not certain but multiple

case studies have proved this theory. There are two different ways animals influence children,

social-emotional and cognitive development. Social-emotional development is the self-esteem of

a child improving. Animals help children because the children learn to care for another being

from a young age. It makes them more confident knowing another being relies on them, for

younger children, involvement, positive reinforcement and acceptance are important for building

self-esteem (Nienke and Baarda). Cognitive development is the ability to improve intelligence.

It has been suggested that pet ownership might facilitate language acquisition and enhance

verbal skills in children (Nienke and Baarda). This article goes on to describe more ways

animals can help childhood development, as well as other ways parents can help their childs

development.

Physical Health

Household pets seem to help owners with their physical health. There are multiple

different ways how, but the main idea is that they keep them motivated to stay active and fit.

Studies have shown that dog owners are far more likely to meet their daily exercise

requirementsand exercising every day is great for the animal as well (helpguide.org). Many

studies have found a connection among people having pets and the decrease in blood pressure,

the risk of heart attacks and strokes, and many other health issues. Also, according to the article,

Live Like Royalty: The Many Health Benefits of Dogs, Man's Best Friend, dog owners have

longer lifespans than those who do not own dogs.

Physical Fitness

Having a dog requires the owner to take it on daily walks. This is a motivation for the

owner to stay in shape. Just one walk a day can strengthen your heart, balance your weight, and

give you energy for the day. After a while, these walks will add up and will start to show. Of

course only walking will not put someone in perfect shape, you must also exercise daily, walking

every day is a good start to a healthy lifestyle. A Canadian study found that dog owners walked

an average of 300 minutes per week compared with 168 minutes per week for non-owners

(Glenn). Some people may have more motivation to run because they can take their dog for a

cool-down walk afterwards. If someone needs to obtain a healthier lifestyle, adopting an active

dog is a very good start.

Blood Pressure

The American Heart Association released a study used to demonstrate the relationship

between blood pressure and pet owners. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in

the United States and something needs to be done to fix this issue (Glen). One idea is to

incorporate pets into the reduction of heart disease in patients. Studies were used to prove that

people with pets tend to have lower blood pressure than those without. The article discusses an

Australian study that found that pet owners had a lower systolic blood pressure than non-owners

despite similar body mass index. This study examined different groups of people, such as

individuals, married couples, and families. As well as lower blood pressure, pet owners generally

have a lower resting heart rate. It is important to live a healthy lifestyle with low blood pressure

because high blood pressure is what leads to cardiovascular disease in the future. Pets can give

their owners a better chance at living a healthy life style that is heart disease-free.

Conclusion

There are many different reasons people should look into adopting a pet. Parents with

kids who struggle with disabilities should look into the idea as well as people who are generally

stressed out in life. Animals have proven to help kids socially, it makes it easier for them to talk

with other kids and with adults. People are who are struggling to find motivation to exercise

should look into getting a dog. Dogs tend to help people stay active by going on walks. The

benefits go beyond those people with mental and physical disabilities. Household pets can help

people every day. On average, people with pets have lower stress in their lives. Studies on the

reasons for the health benefits on people should continue to take place. There are studies that

prove there are benefits to animals, but the reasons have not necessarily been found. If people

knew the reasons they may be more likely to get a pet in order to help their own health. While

therapy dogs can help a patient only a few times a week, a household pet can help a patient every

single day. Pets bring infinite amounts of happiness to people. Most people with a pets at home

will agree that they are happier due to their pet. Almost everyone can benefit from a household

pet, from the mentally handicapped, to the physically handicapped, to people with anxiety. Pets

tend to help their owners relax and help them through tough times. A dog or a cat is something to

look forward to coming home to after a long day at work or a trip away from home. Although

there are multiple ways to improve a persons mental and physical health, through research, it

appears that having a household pet is the best way.

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HumanAnimal Interaction Research: Child Development, Health, and Therapeutic

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Firger, Jessica. "Pets Help Autistic Kids Improve Social Skills." CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 31

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The Health Benefits of Dogs (and Cats). Web. 15 Mar. 2015.

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Mulcahey, Martin. "Live Like Royalty: The Many Health Benefits of Dogs, Man's Best Friend."

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