Benefits Of A Domestic Animal

The research question states ‘To what extent is owning a dog beneficial for a person’s physical and psychological health?’ The investigation is aimed to determine the extent of the benefits of owning a dog for a person’s physical and psychological health. The main focus will be on exercising, developing one’s responsibility and companionship. The findings from this research target on people those involved or interested in owning a dog, such as dog owners, animal lovers, children and the elderly. The investigation will address three key benefits of owning a dog in terms of maintaining one’s physical and psychological health, which include exercise, taking responsibility and companionship.

Pets provide a sense of comfort and purpose in their owner’s life (Bennett). Humans have the basic need to touch, thus, when a person strokes an animal, blood pressure lowers and leaves that person feeling more calmed and less stressed (Robinson and Segal), though researchers believe that cats have a more calming effect on people than other animals do (WebMD). Giving a child a pet is very effective in helping them develop basic motor and social skills, a sense of responsibility, compassion, empathy, stimulate imagination, creativity, curiosity, and even make them feel better about themselves. Furthermore, both children and adults alike become more active when having a pet for a companion (Robinson and Segal). “Horseback riding gives stretching exercise, and helps at regaining balance and building core strength” (WebMD). While multiple studies have shown that walking one’s dog, grooming, and even petting boosts fitness, also counting as weight-loss, strengthens the heart, muscles, immune system, and bones, while improving blood circulation, boosting energy, and slowing the loss of bone tissue (WebMD; Robinson and Segal; Humane Society of the United States) “People who have pets tend to have better levels of cholesterol, cortisol, and triglyceride” (WebMD), moreover, “playing with a dog or cat can elevate levels serotonin and dopamine, which calm and relax” (Robinson and Segal). “In 2001, a study

Nepps, & Bruckno, (2014) and Souter & Miller,(2007) results were determined by pre/ post questionnaires and scales that viewed each participant mood before and after each session to see the outcome and effectiveness. It showed a dramatic increase in mood. It was also shown that that therapeutic alliance is enhanced with the addition of a therapy dog within a group setting with adult clients in a residential drug abuse treatment setting. Animal assisted therapy has also been shown to reduce feelings of anger and symptoms of PTSD, which can contribute to an overall improvement of mood and reduce depressive

Owning a pet does extradonry wonders to your health. One reason I believe this is that dogs can now detect diffrent types of cancer in human bodies.Dogs are able to figure out where the cancer is in less than three hours. Another reason why owning a pet boost your health is that they lower the chance for diseases such as heart disease and cardiovascular disease. They also lower chances of high blood pressure. Also people that suffer from a heart attack and own a dog are twice as likely to fully

For centuries people have known that animal companionship has brought many benefits to people’s lives. According to Kathryn Heimlich, of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the first known time a companion animal was used to aid in a therapy program was “York Retreat in England, an establishment founded by the Quakers for persons with mental illness” (Heimlich, 2001, p. 48). As stated by Heimlich, the first published reports of the benefits of animal-assisted therapy come from Psychologist Boris Levinson. Levinson “discovered that he could reach a disturbed child during therapy

In a recent study conducted by Rebecca Johnson, Ph.D., RN, of the University of Missouri-Columbia Center for the Study of Animal Wellness showed that when humans pet a dog, within minutes there is a huge amount of beneficial hormones known to be associated with health and feelings of well-being.(Becker par. 2) These hormones are called beta endorphin, prolactin, dopamine, oxytocin, and beta phenylethylamine (Becker par. 2). The hormones that are released from the interaction between the animal and the human allow the patients to feel more blissful and trusting. Along with being emotionally benefited from working with animals in assisted therapy; people can benefit physically. For example, people who have physical

“A Healthy Dose of Puppy Love” by Kathryn Satterfield describes a new study that shows that dogs can improve an individual’s health by lowering anxiety levels and by improving cardiac function. Specially trained therapy dogs visited a hospital in November in Dallas, Texas to help conduct a study that animals can improve an individual’s health, to do this people split the seventy six patients into a total of three groups: visitors with dogs, visitors, and an “at rest group.” For accurate results researches preformed anxiety tests on the patients before, during, and after the visit, and the results concluded that patients who received visits from people had encountered a ten percent drop in anxiety, while patients who received visits from dogs

Scientists have shown that pet ownership can have demonstrably positive effects on human health. "A 10-month prospective study was carried out which examined changes in behaviour and health status in 71 adult subjects following the acquisition of a new pet (either dogs or cats). A group of 26 subjects without pets served as a comparison over the same period. Both pet-owning groups reported a highly significant reduction in minor health problems during the first month following pet acquisition, and this effect was sustained in dog owners through to 10 months" (Serpell 1991). Dog owners in particular benefited from

We all know that owning pets make us happy. But research is suggesting that pets can also make us healthy, or healthier. That explain the increasing use of animal therapy, dogs and cats mostly, but people also use birds, fish and even horses, they are being used in hospitals, nursing homes to schools, jails and mental institutions. They are being use for

Animal Assisted Therapy dates back to the early 18th century. It was used to help the mentally ill patients at the York Retreat in England. They would allow animals to wander the grounds with the patients and it was believed that is was helpful in increasing the socialization of the patients. The first documented use of an animal therapy was when Dr. Boris Levinson accidentally left his dog and a difficult child alone and when he came back the child was calm and talking with the dog. Today animals are being used in many different environments to help assist patients with their daily activities. Over the years, studies have shown that some animal assisted therapy has been more affective on people than the use of a medication.

Animal assisted therapy is a highly productive form of cognitive therapy that strives to reduce an individuals stress levels and increase their mental and physical health in the form of companionship. Famous psychologist Sigmund Freud theorized from early on that the presence of his dog during psychoanalysis sessions significantly improved the patient’s mood and comfortability. According to research from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, animal companionship has been seen to lower a person’s heart rate, blood pressure, and cholesterol. Bonding annually with over 80,000 people, the organization visits various places such as; hospitals, nursing homes, youth facilities, convalescent homes, and developmentally disabled centers.

Many pet owners perceive to say that having a pet is the best thing in the whole world. In the United States, about 63% of households have a furry friend to call their own. They come in many different colors and sizes that make them unique and fun to play with. However, owning a pet anywhere can be very controversial. Some people think that owning a pet can throw away most their money that they earn on a day to day basis. Even if that might be true, pets can also benefit people in many ways that is worth spending a little extra money. In my opinion, I think that everyone should have a pet of their own because they can improve health, can provide entertainment, and create a special friendship or companionship with its owner. (6)

Pet adoption brings myriad health benefits. One of these benefits is the loyal companionship of shelter animals. GAWS shelter’s acting chief executive, Mia Shaw states, “There are big positives for a person’s mental and physical wellbeing in adopting a pet – there are so many benefits to adopting a dog or cat, including companionship and friendship” (qtd. in Sum 19). These animals help human beings physically and mentally by providing another incentive to exercise, and by providing a steady companionship. These benefits could potentially save the lives of depressed people and improve the lives of incapacitated people. Inclusively, shelter animals reduce stress and other health-related issues. Rescue cat owner, Lisa Barley notes, “Not only will you benefit from the joys of a furry friend’s unconditional love, but a pet can have a positive impact on your health, from helping you stay physically active to reducing stress and lowering blood pressure” (48). Adopting a pet is much like obtaining a best friend, who will provide unconditional love and support when the person needs it the most. Furthermore, most of the shelter animals are caged for days or even months, resulting in being restricted from social environments. Consequently, these animals end up being friendlier when they are adopted and placed in a steady home, unlike the ones obtained

     Why such beneficial effects? “Ironically, the most common reason people give for not having pets-having to care for them-is one of the reasons pets improve health. Pets require that you ‘extend’ yourself when you normally wouldn’t, and for people who are ill or just want better health, pets turn them into ‘care

Pets can fill a void in an owner’s life, by allowing them to nurture something and receive a sense of satisfaction. Socially pets have become so much a part of our daily lives that they are often treated as if they were children, some lucky pets even attend daily play sessions, and are treated to extreme indulgence; all to make their owner feel as if they were an infant or a child. Blind owners rely on their seeing eye dogs to guide them around wherever they go; they are trained to guide them past and around obstacles. The National Institute of Health states, “More than half of all U.S. households have a companion animal. Pets are more common in households with children, yet there are more pets than children in American households. There are more than 51 million dogs, 56 million cats, 45 million birds, 75 million small mammals and reptiles, and uncounted millions of aquarium fish” (np). Many movie stars and rich and famous people have begun using pets as a status symbol. Millions of dollars are spent finding the perfect and most valuable pet even to the extent that the original breed of animal has become unrecognizable or even extinct. This need for high status and perfection has resulted in safety risks to both pets and the people they live with. Inbreeding and tampering with cross genes in animals often result in an animal of inferior security and emotional stability, thus resulting in an aggressive and violent temperament. In an attempt to