Why Do We Want To Have Pets?

What creates our interest in having pets? It is simple. They love us and accept us unconditionally! They provide companionship without politics or the agenda of most relationships. They listen to what we say to them, accept our love and affection without demands or complaint and provide us with loyalty and affection. They are an ultimate loving family member and in today’s dog and cat loving world we treat them like family.
They have become part of our self-care profile.

Social networking has become the way we “do” relationships. It is often over e-mail and texting messages that we are starting or ending relationships, sharing major life events.    The intimate contact of human connections we had even 15 years ago before the dominance of the internet and cell phones is being replaced by our pets.

Pets today are also in the role of healers. Dogs have been long known for their service as seeing eye dogs, but the use of dogs and other pets in many areas of healing and health monitoring are becoming more widely spread. Dogs who alert their companions for seizures or “sniff out” cancer, or horses that assist with helping autistic children to interact with others are easily found on the news or the internet.

Dr. Karen Allen, a researcher at the State University of New York at Buffalo identified that individuals suffering from hypertension after adopting a dog or cat had lower blood pressure reading in stressful situations than their counter parts who did not have a pet companion. The National Institute of Technology Assessment Workshop: Health Benefits of Pets identified that pets provide greater psychological stability which protects not only from heart disease and other stress related conditions but also reduces depression.  In the same study pets have been shown to lower the cost of health care as individuals with pets make fewer doctor visits, especially “for non-serious medical conditions”.

Pets are good medicine and great companions. If you have a pet treat it with the
care it deserves and it will help you to live a longer healthier life!