People own dogs for different reasons. Perhaps they need an exercise partner, or they’re tired of living alone and need a companion. For many others, dogs provide a sense of therapy and relief from the stress in this world.
The list of reasons why you should own a dog is lengthy, but did you know that these animals are good for your health? Here are six ways of owning a dog can help improve your quality of living.
- They help you live an active lifestyle. Dogs need physical activity, so it’s a great match when they have an owner who enjoys taking them for walks, playing a game or two of fetch, going jogging together, etc. Exercise is great for our dogs, and it’s great for our physical and mental health.
- They improve your overall mood. Have you ever come home from a bad day, only to be greeted at the door with love and affection from your dog? Dogs can sense when we aren’t in the best of spirits, and they can help us feel better on bad days. Try it the next time you’re having a rotten day – come home and spend at least 15-30 minutes interacting with your dog. You’ll notice that you’ll start to feel more relaxed and calm; in fact, studies have shown that playing with your dog can trigger the chemicals on the brain that are linked to pleasure and tranquility.
- They help ease the amount of stress in life. As mentioned previously, dogs have a calming effect on us owners. Studies have shown that dog owners experience less cardiovascular reactivity during stressful times; their heart rates and blood pressure weren’t as high as those who don’t own dogs.
- They can lower our risk of heart disease. In addition to helping us become more active and helping us feel better overall, dogs can also help extend our lifespan. Studies have shown that there is a link between owning dogs and a lowered risk of heart disease, lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and a lowered occurrence rate of heart attacks.
- They can detect health issues we may not know about. As unbelievable as it may seem, dogs have the ability to sniff and detect skin, bladder, breast, colon, lung, and ovarian cancer. Simply put, they know their owners and are able to recognize when something isn’t right.
- They can improve the health of our children. Dogs not only improve the health of their owners but also of their owner’s children. Kids who have grown up in homes that have dogs are less likely to have allergies and eczema, which means they have fewer sick days than other kids.