preview

Persuasive Essay On Owning A Pet

Decent Essays

One of my favorite childhood memories is of my dad walking in our front door carrying a tiny, wiggling lab puppy. My sister and I named her Pepper, and she was my constant companion from the time I was eight until I left home for college. Now, as an adult, I still own a dog, and he enriches my life in many ways. Everyone should own a pet because they add value to each phase in life. Pet ownership teaches children responsibility, compassion, and empathy, serves as a health aid for veterans, persons with disabilities, and the elderly, and can even provide security for people who may live alone or in a dangerous area.
The first, and for me personally, one of the most important, reasons to own a pet is for personal security. My husband is gone for work often, and having my dog makes me feel safer than any security system. He is large and loud and has scared many pizza or package delivery people. If he can startle them, he can certainly frighten someone who is coming to my home for less wholesome reasons. He is a great alarm system! When he hears a door open or an unfamiliar noise, he alerts me immediately no matter the time. Some may argue being woken in the middle of the night is a mark against pet ownership, but for a woman who is often home alone, it is comforting to know I won’t be unaware of what is going on around me while I sleep.
While working at a military medical treatment facility, I was able to interact with wounded veterans who owned personal comfort dogs. These are different from typical working dogs such as seeing eye dogs in that they are not trained to serve a specific medical purpose; they are purely companions for people who experience medical conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder or severe anxiety. Simply reaching over to pet or cuddle these dogs calms these wounded veterans’ nerves, slows their heart rates and respirations, and helps to bring these men and women back to a state of normalcy rather than panic. These same animals serve as great companions for the elderly, especially people with dementia, for the same reason. They not only help with anxiety attacks, but they help with physical health in encouraging exercise. And for people who cannot venture out for walks, bathroom

Get Access