They love us unconditionally and are by our side during the most difficult times and also when we are very happy, there are countless benefits to having a pet. Caring for a pet requires a lot of responsibility, but the results make up for all the effort.
Whether it’s a conventional pet, like a dog or a cat, or something more exotic like an iguana or a guinea pig, they all bring health benefits to their owners.
When we are with our pet, we feel that we are accompanied and even supported. In addition, we also feel happier. Domestic animals often give meaning to our lives. If we love them unconditionally, these benefits will be just something else to keep in mind beyond all our love.
Benefits of Having a Pet
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Increase our life expectancy
Going for a walk with your dog is a daily exercise opportunity. The responsibility to change the water and clean the aquarium will keep your mind active. This physical or mental exercise helps keep our bodies active, our circulation active, and the possibility of suffering from some illness diminishes.
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Can help us overcome obstacles
Pets also help people with psychological problems, such as post-traumatic stress, to channel their emotions and make sense of their lives. In addition, having a pet companion can help us avoid disease: Dog and cat smells, for example, are far more developed than humans. Therefore, they are the first to detect chemical changes in our body.
Some dogs are even trained to detect the symptoms of hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia in diabetic patients in order to avoid major problems.
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Avoid feelings of loneliness and isolation
Our animals help us overcome the feeling of loneliness because, first, they are someone to keep us company. It’s one of the many reasons why older people decide to have a pet, be it a dog, a cat, or a bird.
In addition to keeping us company, animals like dogs help us to socialize more, since taking care of them means going out for a walk and going to the park, for example. People who have dogs end up relating to other dog owners, as they share the same green spaces or walking paths.
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Bring more happiness
Complying with all the care a pet needs to see it healthy and happy ends up stimulating the production of dopamine and serotonin in ourselves. These are two hormones related to happiness and well-being. In addition, they reduce our level of cortisol, the stress-causing hormone. All of this makes us much calmer.
Petting our pets, whenever their anatomy allows it, is also a good antidote to sadness and brings us many benefits.
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Make us more responsible
This is one of the best reasons to give our children a pet. This forces them to take care of a living being that depends to a large extent on their survival. In this way, they not only learn to relate to other species but are also encouraged to understand that they should care about the welfare of others. This teaches you to have more empathy not only with other animals but also with other people.
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Increase our immunity
Having a pet, especially from childhood, exposes the person to foreign allergens and pathogens, sensitizing our entire immune system. It can also reduce the chances of developing different types of allergy if we are exposed to the earliest years of life.
It is well established that animals make us happier. They help us in our daily lives by being excellent life companions. However, we need to be aware that having a pet is not having a toy or accessory. They are living beings who need our attention and depend on us to live.
It is alarming to see the number of stray animals in our society. It is also impressive to see the number of people who choose to buy animals rather than adopt. If, as a society, we continue to abandon animals and increasingly breed animals for sale and purchase, we are endangering the lives of many of them.
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Adoption centers are much more accessible, and the experience of adopting for sure involves saving a life and making sure that we are doing some good for the world.
In the end, animals are sentient beings who are moved, feel joy and sadness. They suffer like us. If we really love them unconditionally, they will have the same feeling for us.