Dog pets have for countless eons been heralded: "man's best friend!" They're always at the front door to greet their favorite working man or woman when they return from a tedious day's labor.
They patiently endure hours of solitude in an empty house ever listening for the sounds of their special person's return. And lo and behold, when that individual arrives, they lavish him, or her, with a welcome rivaling the adoration bestowed upon imperial rulers of ancient Rome.
Sometimes, the world turns on us for whatever reason, but our loyal dog pet never will. He stands with us no matter what the future brings.
We award them with special, personal names. We lovingly call them Prince, Sheba, Fido or any number of appellations. We create complete personalities and natural attitudes around the names we give them.
It usually doesn't matter what the dog breeds are. We don't care if they are a small dog that we can carry in a purse, coat pocket or in our arms.
They might even be a large dog that requires education with dog etiquette, and how to conduct itself on a leash.
Medical researchers tell us that the reality they're dogs actually blurs in our minds.
As time passes, and we interact with them everyday, we attribute to them personalities befitting humans. They become virtual people in our thinking. Mentally we begin to view them as human companions and not animals.
Before you throw up your hands and scream whoa...listen to this little known fact. Science tells us this can be a very therapeutic arrangement. Seniors particularly can benefit immensely in an ongoing partnership with a dog pet.
How many ways can you count to explain why we live with a dog.
They plaster hair over all the furniture, and particularly on your favorite dark suit or dress that you wear only on special occasions.
It seems they always want to go outside at extremely inappropriate times. For example, at ten o'clock on a rainy Friday night, Prince scratches at the door to announce he wants, and needs, to go outside.
Why would you want to share your life with a dog pet and put up with its diverse, and sometimes irritating habits?
The answer is simple...we need them in our personal worlds to make our lives more bearable.
Do you miss the energy and life of young people and the joy they generate? Have your kids moved on to their own universes and no longer intrude on yours as much as you would like them to?
Do you crawl out of bed each morning and wonder how you will fill the hours until the end of the new day? Do you welcome the air conditioning unit turning on and off because it breaks the endless silence of an empty house?
Scientists have reasearched the subject. They have documented the very real symbiotic partnership that develops between humans and their dog pets.
Let's take them one by one!
1.Research has proved that pet and owner share a mutual need for each other and both profit from the arrangement.
2.A person's mental and physical health demonstrate a marked improvement once a dog pet comes to live in the household.
3.Seniors' loneliness dissolves and they exhibit increasing vigor and contentment in a developing owner dog pet relationship.
4.Research reveals that people feel needed by the pet and are forced to develop a schedule for providing for the animal's welfare.
5.The ownership reliance requirement on the human increased the pet owner's need to become more enthused and aware of their own personal welfare.
The research indicated that the dog pet inspired a sense of feeling needed and a surging sense of increased self value in the senior human owner.
The report brought out that the senior owners particularly developed an enthusiastic desire to face each day. The dog pet had a fixed schedule for its needs and the owner found it a necessary routine to be followed each day.
If you're a dog pet owner, sometimes you may feel that they're just too much trouble, and take up too much of your time.
When that happens, just give Butch an extra doggy treat for supper, and an added ear scratch.
Why? Because it's very good for your mental and physical health. And if you're a senior, it just may go a long way in curing your ailments!
