Pets and Their Benefits

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     A pet is an animal adopted by humans for the sake of companionship and enjoyment. Another term for a pet is "household animal". Usually, pets are kept for their loyalty, playful characteristics, desirable appearance, or just simply because of the joy they give to their respective owners. May it be a dog, a cat, or rodents playing on their hamster cages, owning them will give you benefits. It's been observed and proven, pets can give health benefits and happiness for their owners.

Anyone who has experienced to love a pet may prove to the world how much joy and inner satisfaction it can bring. For the past years, researches conducted all over the globe laid down scientific evidences to prove that adopting pets can dramatically improve one's life, physically and emotionally. Pets are beneficial in relieving stress, preventing heart disease, and relieving loneliness and depression.

Here are just some of the studies conducted:

* According to a researcher at the the State University of New York at Buffalo named Dr. Karen Allen, people suffering hypertension who adopted or cared for a pet had lower blood pressure readings compared to those who did not own a pet.

* The Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, a study published in 1999 states that people of old age who own a pet tend to have better physical health in contrast to people who own none.

* People who enjoy the company of their pets make fewer doctor visits especially for non-serious medical conditions according to The National Institute of Health.

* In a survey conducted by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) in the year 2002, 92 respondents said that they acquired significant health improvements from their pets.

* Heart patients who owned pets had a good chance for long-time survival than patients who didn't own pets according to the study conducted by Dr. James Lynch of Life Care Foundation.

* Eastern Kentucky University assistant professor Dr. Meredith Wells surveyed businesses that permit pets in the workplace and found that employees highly believe that animals reduce one's level of stress and boosted their health.

Of course, these benefits can be applied to the general public. Pets can help anyone of any age or status to establish a deep connection with other people and cultures. If you are a person that have a very serious personality and a hard-driven persona, playing with your dog or cat can help you escape from the daily stress that you are struggling with. Caring for a pet may highly establish a child's personality, giving them a sense of empathy and responsibility.

Having a pet can fight depression and over-loneliness since the bond linking between the two creatures creates a certain purpose in life. Walking your dog gets you into the real world and also encourages exercise. Pets can be a great comfort in times of grief, since their affection is highly unconditional. They are attentive, and nonjudgmental listeners.

Even in the four corners of the prison cells, pets serve a therapeutic role. One good example is the Ohio Corrections System, wherein inmates are matched with a dog and go through a 10-week course with them. They should teach the dog with basic commands and house training. The dogs cared by them are then adopted out by the local humane society. The inmates form tight bonds and a loving relationship with their dogs, and saying good-bye is very hard, but the experience of caring for another creature is invaluable for men like them who have often had harsh lives.

Own a pet now. Walk your dog. Cuddle your cat. Watch your hamster cages with those cute little hamster. You'll surely enjoy every bit of it