Our pets keep us fit

Looking after a dog is one of the healthiest activities you can do. Here are a few facts about all the positive effects that pets have on people's health.
We are often encouraged to do many things to keep fit, some of which may be more complicated and expensive than others. However, one of the healthiest things we can do to keep ourselves healthy is simple, classic and enjoyable - looking after an animal.
Human beings have enjoyed the company of animals for millennia. Having a dog encourages you to take beneficial walks. Recently, researchers tried to find out if there were any particular health benefits to owning a pet, and here are the benefits they found.
They found that pets are not only useful for keeping us in good shape, but can even reduce specific health problems.

Lower stress levels

Petting a pet or simply watching a fish in an aquarium helps us to relax. Even just being in the company of an animal has a calming effect. The relaxation we feel can translate into a drop in heart rate and blood pressure.
Studies show that this is particularly noticeable in people with high blood pressure. The drop in blood pressure thanks to a pet is the same as you'd get if you changed your diet and went salt-free, or if you stopped drinking alcohol.
Pet ownership can often help you cope with the loss of a loved one.

Keeping your heart healthy

Pet owners are more likely to survive a heart attack than those who don't own a pet.
Why is that?
Simply because when a pet helps us relax, our blood pressure drops. In fact, one study suggests that owning a pet is more effective than medication in reducing high blood pressure.
When American researcher Erika Friedmann studied people with heart disease, she found that pet owners were more likely to survive heart attacks than people without pets. As both dog and cat owners showed better survival rates, the difference could not be attributed to the extra exercise dog owners get when taking them for walks. However, people who live alone or are depressed are less likely to survive a heart attack, and the presence of an animal can provide moral support, simply through their company.

Keeping the elderly active

In a Canadian study examining over 1,000 people, Dr. Parminda Raina found that pet-owning seniors were more able to carry out their daily activities than people without pets. He also discovered that older pet owners spent less money on medical expenses than people without pets.
Another study found that a group of elderly people living in residential homes, who had been given parakeets, were more resistant than others to aspects of aging.

Children and pets

Most children enjoy having a pet, and researchers have found benefits.
Children with pets tend to be more self-confident, more sociable and less selfish than children without pets. According to a German study, 90% of parents believe that their dogs play an educational role with their young children, and that they improve their children's quality of life. 80% of the children interviewed consider their dog first and foremost as a friend and confidant.
Adolescents, too, can benefit. A study carried out among young people living in big cities showed that those with dogs were more satisfied with their lives and had more positive relationships with adults. Dogs could play an important role in crime prevention, as therapy for unemployed young people and for others such as drug addicts.
At London's Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital, weekly visits from pets helped children overcome the depression that had been caused by long hospitalization and unpleasant clinical treatments. The presence of a dog in the classrooms of children with severe learning difficulties has markedly maintained their interest and attention.

Pets and general well-being

Pets keep us company and generally induce a sense of well-being.
A pet can also act as a social catalyst. Taking a walk in the park or visiting a vet offers opportunities to meet and talk to other people. Studies have shown that people walking with their dogs have more positive encounters than those walking alone. A pet can be an ice-breaker and a conversation piece.
Owning a pet also means having to make an effort to go out, buy food and exercise. The routine, sense of purpose and sense of satisfaction that comes from caring for an animal give meaning to the lives of isolated people, and help combat depression and loneliness.