Health Benefits of keeping Pets

When Neal toddled into our home and hearts four years ago, little did we realize that this cuddly pup was bringing in not just happiness but good health as well.  Indeed medical research shows that an animal companion can beneficially impact physical, social and psychological well-being.

In a workshop on the Health Benefits of Pets convened by the National Institute of Health, USA, researchers shared evidence on how our animal companions make us healthier, not just by wiping off our loneliness and depression but by settling high blood pressures and reducing cholesterol levels too.

Throughout history animals have played a significant role in human customs, legends, and religions, and human- animal relationships have been important to our very survival. In our own time, the great increase in pet ownership in developed countries reflects an often unsatisfied need for intimacy, nurturance, and contact with nature.

The importance of pets was demonstrated in the clinical setting as long back as 1919 when doctors at the St Elizabeth Hospital in Washington DC, USA, first used dog companions to help patients in a mental ward recover from depression. Encouraged by the results, patients suffering from the traumatic experiences of the Second World War were encouraged to keep company of animals to hasten their recovery.

Pets can help patients with heart disease. Relaxation, stress management and life style changes have been shown to reduce the risk of heart ailments and animal companions enhance these benefits. Caressing and cuddling pets can reduce stress levels substantially and bring down heart rates and high blood pressure. Walking dogs is a great exercise, especially when they tug at the leash and make you break into short runs.

Further through their faithful companionship and by promoting psychosocial stability for their owners, they reduce the levels of stress hormones in our body. Results from a study, presented at the conference, found that pet owners survived heart attacks more often than those who did not have such bondings.

Another setting where animal companions have proved to be of great value is for handicapped people confined to the wheel chair or bed. Contrary to the common perception that a pet means additional work and burden to a stressed out family, a companion dog can provide wheel-chair patients with a much greater amount of social stimulation than what human companions, such as parents, spouses, siblings, or therapists can provide. Our loyal Indian ones are not expensive to keep but can effectively lift the spirits of such people and usher in cheer and happiness in these gloomy homes.

Pets, especially dogs, are the most faithful and loving companions that humans can ever hope to have in their lives.They can be a great source of joy and support to us. It is indeed a tragedy of our times that some perceive them as a threat or nuisance.

Neal has not just added years to our lives but life, love and meaning to our years!

As published in HT City( Hindustan Times) dated 21 August, 2011.