Not only does owning a dog make you feel better but it can actually prolong your life too. Sometimes people feel like they lost everything or maybe they didn’t have much to begin with, regardless, adding a dog to this mix can definitely change this lost or lonely feeling and even give some people to will to live and be happy! Some dogs are even being trained to sniff out cancer and other ailments, which is truly amazing.
Do you remember life before your pets? Now that you’re reflecting on that, do your pets really make that much of a difference?
Any animal lover will not hesitate to say of course there is a huge difference. Sometimes this is for the better and in a few rare occasions it ends up being for the worst. Regardless of the outcome, it is always good to adopt and rescue a fur baby that will lead you to a longer life.
Check out 5 reasons dogs can help lead you to a longer life:
1. Dogs are good for the heart: A study by the American Heart Association shows that having a dog can reduces your weight as well as your risk for heart disease, including cholesterol levels. The researchers aren’t entirely certain whether healthier people have dogs or that having a dog makes you healthier, but I say, better safe than sorry. An additional study found that dog parents are less likely to die within one year of having a heart attack than those who don’t have a dog.
2. Dogs lower our blood pressure: Researchers at the State University of New York at Buffalo discovered that in people already taking medication for hypertension, their blood pressure response to stress was cut by half if they owned a dog. I was especially happy to read this news because my doctor has told me to watch my high blood pressure.
3. Dogs help us to be more active: An American Heart Association study found that dog parents engaged in more physical activity than people who didn’t have a dog. This is not surprising to anyone who’s had those big brown eyes plead with you to get up out of that easy chair and go look for squirrels.
4. Petting a dog makes us feel better: Rebecca Johnson, a veterinary medicine professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia, found when humans interacted with dogs, their levels of mood-boosting hormones (serotonin, prolactin and oxytocin) increased. And man’s best friend cannot be replaced. When researchers asked the humans to interact with robotic dogs, their levels of serotonin actually decreased.
5. Dogs increase our self-esteem: Not only do they make us feel better, but they also help us to feel better about ourselves. Researchers from Miami University studied how dog parents are able to shake off social rejection and found that their dogs had a big role in providing social support.
Image Source: Chevysmom on Flickr
Leave a Reply