In addition, to a pooch helping you fight depression, feel less stressed out, and even lower your blood pressure, a pooch can also help you become more social. It's easy to not be as social if you're working at home, but a dog gets you out of your home and on a walk or outing.
You also may find yourself getting into another conversation with another dog owner or your doggy making new friends with a new furry friend! Owning a dog improves your health and your quality of life! Read about more ways a pooch improves your life on Care2.
Pets release stress. As any pet owner knows, there is something profoundly soothing about listening to a cat’s soft purrs or staring into a dog’s soulful eyes. According to a 2000 study published in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research, subjects who interacted with a cat or dog for five to twenty minutes experienced a dip in their cortisol levels, a hormone associated with stress.
Pets are good for the heart. Dogs could be your heart’s best friend, research suggests. A study published by the Journal of Behavioral Medicine found that interacting with a dog was accompanied by a decrease in blood pressure and heart rate in 60 men and women.
Pets fight depression. It’s no wonder why many mental health professionals use therapy dogs to assist those with PTSD and other mental disorders—owning a cat or dog is highly therapeutic, on multiple levels. If you’re battling depression or anxiety, a pet’s unconditional, uncomplicated love can be profoundly comforting.
Pets make you more social. Animals are natural icebreakers. When you take your dog to the dog park or are sitting in the veterinary waiting room with your cat, fellow pet owners are more apt to strike up a friendly conversation with you.
Pets make you more physically active. Another perk of dog ownership: It makes you move more. Dog owners tend to be more physically active that non-dog owners, studies find.
