Top 7 health benefits of owning a dog : Dogs are one of the most loyal pets and the most adorable. Researchers have proved over the years that dogs give more than just love to their owners. Every dog is unique to their owner but almost all of them give the same benefits.
1. Staying fit.
Dog owners love spending time with their dogs and all dogs love being outdoors. Health experts have proved that dog owners get a minimum of 2 and half hours of exercise a week. This allows the owners to stay fit and healthy just by spending time with their beloved canine.
2. Stressbusters.
Dogs are used for therapy for a reason. They provide comfort to humans in pain. Research has proved that interaction with dogs increases the serotonin and dopamine levels in the human brain. Serotonin and dopamine are known as the happy chemicals of the brain that play a big role in calming the human body and mind. Studies have also shown people working in very stressful environments tend to do better with a dog around.
3. Ease tension.
From personal experience, I can definitely vouch for the fact that dogs can ease down fights. Families tend to get into petty arguments and having a dog around stops these arguments from unnecessarily escalating. Dogs either bark to get the human’s attention if the argument gets heated and loud. Or if it’s an emotional tension, dogs sense the sadness and come to the humans’ rescue by either licking or providing comfort.
4. Lesser visits to the doctor.
As they say, an apple a day keeps the doctor away, so do dogs. A study reported that people over the age of 65 who own a pet seek medical attention, 30% lesser than those without a pet. Although, cats and other animals are helpful but dog owners, in particular, have healthier lives.
5. Help Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) patients.
Most humans who have seen war or gruesome deaths or any kind of traumatic event can lead to them suffering from PTSD. Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) is a program with an animal trained to work with people suffering from PTSD. PTSD is hard to get over and AAT has shown the best results. AAT also uses horses and other animals as well but dogs are more common and have the highest success rate.
6. Reduce allergy in children.
Back in the 1990s, it was strongly believed that people with animals were endangering their children to catch allergies. But it’s quite the opposite, a study in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology in 2004 revealed that families with animals reduce the risk of children being allergic to dogs and cats. The study even shows that in some cases the children’s immune system gets stronger when they grow up with pets.
7. Give you a healthy heart.
Saving the best for last, dogs not only fill the void and loneliness you feel in your heart but makes it stronger. Researchers have shown that dogs lower their owner’s blood pressure, reduce cholesterol and decrease triglyceride levels that contribute to an overall better cardiovascular health and lesser heart attacks. Studies also show that people with dogs who have suffered from heart attacks have better survival rates.
Growing up with dogs is a wonderful experience it teaches you what unconditional love really means. Dogs are all the same whether a good breed or a stray, so if you plan on getting a dog to make your life better remember to adopt not buy. Not only are they free but you’d be helping them just as much as they’d be helping you.
