Everybody loves cute and cuddly four-legged friends, but not everybody understands the positive mental and physical effects that having a dog can have on a person.
Owning a dog can have health impacts that are by no means minimal. Dogs can improve a comprehensive arrangement of conditions and symptoms, ranging from depression and loneliness to more serious things like asthma, blood pressure issues, strokes, and ADHD. Here at Finchley dog walker, we’ve gathered valuable information explaining how our canine creatures help with these health problems.
Reducing Depression and Stress
Of course, a loving pooch is a great companion and alleviates feelings of loneliness and depression, but it goes further.
Playing with pets is proven to increase dopamine and serotonin, which improves a person’s mood and helps decrease levels of harmful chemicals in the system that are higher while feeling the stress that increases the likelihood of falling ill, like cortisol and norepinephrine.
Assisting the Elderly and Obese
Owning a pet at an elderly age will again decrease loneliness and provide good company, but more importantly, it will promote good physical health by providing an excellent opportunity for exercise. Physical activity will help reduce the symptoms of osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Recent research also suggests that patients with Alzheimer’s experience less anxiety and outbursts when they own a pet, hinting at the therapeutic qualities our friends from the animal kingdom possess.
Allergies and Immunities
Contrary to popular belief, having four-legged family members in the home has decreased the chances of children developing asthma and allergies.
Research supports this, showing that infants living in a house with a dog were less likely to develop pet allergies. Only 19% of children suffered these allergies, down from 33% living in an animal-free environment.
Fewer instances of the common skin condition eczema occurred in fur-friendly families. These children tended to have higher levels of particular immune system chemicals, suggesting a stronger immune system. As a dog walker, I would always recommend dog ownership, but it’s nice to think your doctor might, too!
Service Dogs
Service dogs were initially used to assist the visually impaired in navigation and as a tool to keep them safe. Service dogs are still used to assist blind people but are now used to help patients with many other illnesses.
Dogs have incredibly keen senses and can effectively be trained to alert their masters to biophysical situations, such as a person with diabetes whose blood glucose levels have suddenly dropped. They can also alert a parent when an epileptic child is about to suffer a seizure and then proceed to lay beside the child to keep it safe and avoid self-harm until the episode passes.
Well-trained, intelligent dogs can even assist Parkinson’s patients by helping them live more independent lifestyles. They can help with small tasks like picking up dropped items, opening doors, and executing other simple, ordinary tasks that people with Parkinson’s find difficult.
With all the evidence we have regarding the therapeutic and physical benefits of owning a dog or other pet, there is no excuse justified enough for why everybody wouldn’t be eager to make room for man’s best friend in their lives.
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