11 Health Benefits of Owning a Dog

Spending time with your dog after a chaotic day not only brightens your mood, but it also influences your overall well-being in numerous ways. Dogs are a friendly creature and love their owners immensely. Bringing one into your life can ward off various ailments and disorders, and make you active and happy as a result.

Scientific studies have revealed that owning this four-legged animal alleviates stress and enhances cardiovascular health. It is quite common that walking your dog in the park gives you a chance to start a conversation with another dog owner. So, a dog can help you make friends and improve your social life as well.

Various therapists consider dogs as a constant companion who follow their owners and appreciate surprise treats or toys. Health experts believe that a trained dog can become the ultimate emotional support. That’s something that senior people often need.

If you are still looking for reasons to get yourself a furry friend, here are 11 fantastic health benefits of owning a dog.

11 Health Benefits of Owning a Dog

1. Relieves Joint Pain

It is highly unlikely that you own a dog and do not go on a walk. You should never overlook the positive effects of walking on your joints. You can achieve the recommended 150 minutes of exercise via walking. A healthy and energetic dog will motivate you to go on a regular walk. According to a survey, dog owners are 33% less susceptible to joint disorders than non-dog owners.

2. Helps you Quit Smoking

Having a dog at home seems an excellent way to quit smoking, which contributes to plenty of health problems. Smoking causes harmful effects on the health of your four-legged friend. Several studies have concluded that your pet may develop skin problems due to smoke. And you would not want to hurt your affectionate dog. Therefore, owning a pet can motivate you to quit smoking and improve your health.

3. Reduces Blood Pressure Levels

High blood pressure levels lead to cardiovascular issues like hypertension. Health experts suggest keeping numbers on track to avoid the onset of debilitating health problem. You should opt for ways or treatment to control high blood pressure levels.

Despite that, snuggling with your furry friend in this condition is effective as well. A study conducted on senior people revealed that stress impacts health adversely. As a result, blood pressure levels increase in most cases. Spending time with a dog on a daily basis can keep blood pressure controlled caused via mental stress.

4. Supports Cardiovascular Health

Various studies have connected owning a dog to improved cardiovascular health. That’s possible because owning a pet dog comes with plenty of physical activity whether you are in or outside your home. The constant physical activity contributes to the proper functioning of your heart including pumping blood without hindrance. Moreover, it is effective to reduce triglyceride and cholesterol levels.

5. Works as Therapists in Depression

Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) or pet therapy has been followed to treat various psychological disorders including depression. It is worth noting that nothing affects the quality of your life as much as depression does.

Extensive studies on patients with post-traumatic stress disorder or the ones undergoing chemotherapy have revealed that spending time with dogs help these patients overcome the depression. Moreover, pet therapy with a dog has also shown positive results on the students who are depressed or homesick.

No question AAT turns out effective to treat certain psychological disorders. There are chances that you might not even encounter depression if you get yourself a pet and snuggle with it regularly.

6. Reduces Daily Stress

Day to day tasks and dealing with chaotic situations at work brings a lot of stress to your life. This stress may affect your health steadily via producing cortisol which is a stress-inducing hormone. Not to mention, a stressed mind does not allow you to have a positive outlook on life which leads to a series of problems. So, it is safe to state that coming home to your energetic furry friend and petting it will reduce your stress levels increasing oxytocin (happy hormone) in your brain.

7. Sniffs out Cancer

It is evident that dogs possess a stronger smell sense than human beings. That is why they can locate drugs or bombs merely via smell. You will be pleasantly surprised to learn that a dog can sniff what is going on in your body. According to a recent and interesting study, you can train a house dog to find the differences in the breath of people with breast and lung cancer. A trained puppy can even detect biomarkers found in the urine of the people with prostate cancer.

8. Help You Lose Weight

De-motivation seems a primary factor when it comes to incorporate exercise into your lifestyle. It is most common in a situation where you do not have a workout buddy. You do not need to worry over shedding extra pounds or maintaining the healthy weight as your furry friend would force you to go out. A dog can motivate you for a walk or run for at least 30 minutes a day. Losing weight does not necessarily require hardcore workout session. You can maintain your physic via taking a responsibility to walk your dog.

9. Prevents Pet Allergy in Children

Having a dog in your house contribute to various allergies was a concept of yesteryears. In current time, advance scientific studies have proved numerous benefits associated with owning a pet dog. Your dog can lower chances of developing pet allergy up to 45%. Once you learn your child is not allergic to dogs, you should get one for them as a furry friend will facilitate their health in several ways.

10. Deceases Sense of Social Isolation

Whether it is loneliness or social rejection, both scenarios can affect your overall wellbeing. Psychologists have agreed on the fact that not everyone can deal with isolation. However, you will not feel alone when a happy and furry friend greets you as soon as you get home. Dog owners usually have high self-esteem. Also, they can deal with social rejection without hurting their health. Science has confirmed that whether it is a senior person with the chronic disease or an introvert, owing a dog promotes everyone’s wellbeing.

11. Keeps you Energetic

Having a pet can be a pleasant change to your monotonous and boring life. Take note that daily activities connected with owning a pet play a crucial role to keep you energetic which ultimately influence the quality of your life.

Bottom Line

Rubbing the belly of your dog after a chaotic day seems fun and treats numerous health disorders too. So, spend some quality time with your pet and enhance your wellbeing.

Reference

https://greatist.com/live/good-gut-health
https://www.bustle.com/p/is-having-a-dog-good-for-your-health-9-ways-adopting-can-benefit-you-8849821
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/the-10-health-benefits-of-dogs-and-one-health-risk_us_57dad1b8e4b04a1497b2f5a0