Why Have a Pet? The Joys and Benefits of Welcoming an Animal into Your Life

Pets can be great for elderly people.  I remember when my dad was in an assisted living facility.  My dad had lost so much. He was stiff, had trouble with stairs, and his memory was very poor.  But there was a dog at the facility, Zack. Zack always brought a smile to my dad’s face when he saw that dog. He would love to take the dog for a walk on the grounds.  The dog was a bright spot in my dad’s day. There have been studies on the benefits of pets to the elderly. Pet ownership can provide companionship, give a sense of purpose and meaning, reduce loneliness and increase socialisation for the elderly, especially for those people that live alone. 

Photo by Terricks Noah https://unsplash.com/photos/boy-taking-a-walk-with-dog-jrxMnveNEg4

Sometimes parents get their child a pet to help the child learn responsibility and empathy.If you are a parent planning this, be cautious.  Don’t set your child and pet up for failure.  The parent should really be in charge of the pet ultimately.  Pet ownership is something that should be done joyfully and if your child is not yet ready for that kind of responsibility, it is unfair to everyone concerned to force the issue. A strict adherance to making a child responsibility for as pet is not why you should have a pet.

That being said, having a being to care for can really help some children by providing a source of unconditional love and a sense of the child being important. There are a bunch of studies supporting the benefits of pets for children.

Photo by Hudson Hintze https://unsplash.com/photos/smiling-woman-hugging-puppy-CXQgs12wFHc

Pets benefit people of any age. The physical, social, and emotional benefits of pet ownership are as valid for younger people as they are for the elderly. Pets can reduce stress levels for people of any age. Many articles suggest that pets can be a big help for people to manage their mental health issues. 

I see people walking their dogs in my city and there seems to be a real community of dog owners, so it seems like owning a dog can help you meet other people and form friendships. I also see bird owners gather in the early mornings in a park to let their birds experience the outdoors while in their cages and the owners socialize.

Why have a pet? For everyone, it can help you cope, provide exercise for you, and get you out among people. You have to choose the right pet that fits your life. To see all the different kind of pets you might have in the city, go to my best pet for me page.

For me, I enjoy taking care of my animals.  It brings me great pleasure to clean my guinea pig cage and make their world clean and interesting.  I love the happiness I bring my pigs when I feed them, and I love it when my cat comes and sits next to me on the couch and asks for hugs. I feel great that I have created a lovely home for an abandoned animal who would probably be suffering if it wasn’t for me or someone like me. Animal pet rescue is my chance to ease suffering and create happiness in the world, for myself and for my pets.

Photo by Veronika Homchis https://unsplash.com/photos/woman-holding-white-cat-1ejZ2XBjJgU

I’ve shared a bunch of research studies indicating that there are a lot of benefits to pet owner. Sometimes research studies can be biased, dry, and not tell the whole story. While anecdotes and people’s individual stories may not be scientific proof that rescue pets are great, these stories help to provide insight about pet ownership and can give us a window of the true benefits of rescue pet ownership. Are you interested in sharing your rescue pet story? Fill out the form below and I can put your story on this website!