A lot of people think that adopting a pet is a big hassle. Most people that I know believe that if you decide to adopt a pet, you will have to deal with all kinds of behavioral troubles. Adopting a dog or a cat, they say, is the surest way to have unnecessary trouble. Although this is true about some adoption rescue pets, it is not true about all of them. Some of them have been severely abused or mistreated, but others are perfectly healthy, happy pets who need a home. The decision to adopt a pet can be one of the most rewarding ones that you can make. I guarantee that you will not regret it.
I first decided to adopt a pet dog about six months to go. I had thought about buying a new dog from an animal breeder, but one of my friends told me that this was a bad idea. If you buy purebred dogs, after all, you can run into all kinds of genetic problems. You see, dogs from pure breeds tend to be severely inbred. This can cause major health concerns later in life. When I decided to adopt a boxer puppy, I knew that I was not going to get a purebred dog. Nonetheless, I loved her. I was happy to adopt a pet, because I knew that she needed help. The pure breed dogs will always be able to find someone to own them, but the ones up for adoption do not have this chance.
Sometimes, when you adopt a pet you are literally saving it from death. After all, the animal shelters can only hold so many dogs, cats, rabbits, and other animals for so long. After that, they have to be put to death. When you adopt a pet, it is one less animal that will have to be given an injection. In my opinion, this is a great humanitarian act.
I don't understand how people can justify buying a dog or cat when there are so many out there that need to be adopted. To me it just does not make sense. It only encourages the further breeding of pets, which in turn leads to more unwanted animals. When you adopt a pet, you do a little bit to save one animal from this vicious cycle. I hope this has convinced you to adopt pets, but if it hasn't, I understand. Owning a pet isn't for everyone.
Keep reading to learn how your dog can help lower your blood cholesterol levels, maintain mental wellness, reduce the number of your visits to the doctor and increase recovery times after illness.
1) A Healthy Body: Both Cambridge University and the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) have published studies that showed pet owners have fewer visits to the doctor than non-owners and a generally superior sense of health. In addition, Medicare conducted a study of its elderly users that showed those who were dog owners visited the doctor less than their non-dog-owning counterparts.
2) A Strong Heart: Studies have shown that dog owners, as a whole, have lower cholesterol rates and blood pressure than non-owners. Both cholesterol and blood pressure are crucial to your cardiovascular health and can drastically affect your risk - positively or negatively - for heart disease and stroke.
One study from the New York State University used high-pressure stockbrokers as its subjects and showed that not only did stroking a pet reduce their blood pressure, but that reduction continued even when the animal wasn't there. Their conclusion? Pet ownership can lead to a sustained lower blood pressure.
In another study by the Baker Institute of Australia, pet owners were shown to have lower cholesterol levels and lower levels of triglycerides ? a type of blood fat ? in their blood than non-owners. Again, high levels of triglycerides and cholesterol can lead to heart disease and stroke.
3) A Healthy Mind: People who own dogs have also been shown to have better mental health than their non-dog-owning counterparts. A steady companion provides unconditional love, affection, a stabilizing presence, and a sense of responsibility that can be crucial to mental well-being.
In fact, another study by UCLA found that of 1800 AIDS patients, those who did not own a pet were more than twice as likely to cite symptoms of depression. A study by the University of Pennsylvania showed that Animal Assisted Therapy can help with ADHD symptoms, Alzheimer's, and developmental disabilities. Dogs are also used with a number of mental health patients to ward off depression and episodic bouts.
4) A Speedy Recovery: One study at the City Hospital in New York reported that pet ownership so drastically affected survival rates that it surpassed the presence of friends or family in terms of impact.
There's a reason many hospitals and nursing homes allow pet visitation along with special animal therapy programs ? it's been proven that patients will respond more easily to treatment and have a higher survival rate when therapeutically engaged with an animal.
Of course, an animal is more than a crutch or a form of therapy ? it's also a wonderful and loving friend that requests little more than a little attention and meals. If you're looking for a companion, though, consider the health benefits and joy that a dog can offer into the life of someone who simply needs a reliable friend.
Both John Mailer & Randy Hemsley are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
John Mailer has sinced written about articles on various topics from Pets, College Student Loan and Parenting. John Mailer has written many articles about dogs and puppies and how to train them. His main business is as an internet marketer