Dogs are described as "man's best friend." Humans first began to domesticate dogs around 10,000 years ago. Throughout history dogs have helped mankind by hunting, herding, pulling sleds, protecting, and providing companionship. These wonderful animals are super cute, fun, protective, loyal, and comforting.

One of the best things about dogs is how caring and beneficial they are to their owners. Dogs help humans in many different ways.Many people feel good just by being around a dog. My dog, Mac, is the sunshine of my life. Dogs help humans in many ways including: improving mental health, improving physical health, and providing safety.

The first way dogs help owners is by improving the mental health of owners. A dog's presence can improve one's mood. According to Here Pup, a website dedicated to dog facts, said in the article "Dogs Make You Healthier" published in 2016 that the presence of dogs tend to lower cortisol, a "bad mood" chemical in the brain, and raise serotonin levels, a "good mood" chemical in the brain.

According to the same article, taking care of a dog's needs can raise dopamine levels, which combats depression. Dogs can help with mental disease and social skills. Many dogs are actually certified therapy dogs to combat mental disease and illnesses like ADD, depression, anxiety, autism, PTSD, trauma, and many others. Dogs also help with the social skills of owners by calming and making people more approachable. Now that we understand how dogs can improve mental health, let's talk about how they improve physical health.

The second way that dogs can help owners is by improving physical health. Dogs can prevent diseases. Author Rebecca Johnson explains in her book The Health Benefits of Dog Walking for People and Pets in September 2016 that most dog owners tend to be more active.

Just 30 minutes of walking a dog a day can prevent many diseases. Having a dog can improve health aspects. According to Childers and Scott, authors for Arthritis Today, in their article "The Healing Power of Pets" published in September 2016, people who suffer from arthritis benefit from the movement and distraction of playing with dogs.

A study done by allergist Platts-Mills in 2016 shows that growing up around dogs builds the immune system and helps prevent allergies in the future. Special service dogs can detect blood sugar crashes which aids diabetics. Dogs have also been known to detect cancer by alerting their owner to a strange spot so they end up getting it checked out and treated.

Dog owners tend to have stronger bones because of the extra activity. While there are both physical and mental health benefits of owning a dog, there's also a very significant safety benefit.

The third way dogs their help owners by providing safety. Dogs are loyal and protective. According to Elli, author for ADT Security, in her blog "Ways a Dog Makes Your Home Safe" on June 20th, 2011, dogs are loyal to the death. Dogs have sharper instincts than humans so they can detect intruders and alarm owners in an emergency. A dog's bark can deter intruders from one's home because most criminals would rather not take the risk of being attacked. Dogs are like living weapons with their powerful teeth and sharp claws, ready to protect.

It is truly amazing how much our furry friends help us. Dogs can improve our physical health, mental health, and provide security. These wonderful creature that choose to be our lifelong friends and companions help us more than we ever knew. One can simply just feel better somehow after being around a dog. Now we know some of the reasons that they might be making us feel better. These sweet furry animals are truly "man's best friend."