The Most Loving Things on Earth
For thousands of years, mankind and animals have been dependent upon one another. For example, I cannot live without my dogs and they cannot live without me. The bond that we share is emotional, but it is also physical, and most pet owners would agree they treat their pets better than some family members.
Our pets provide us with more than just companionship. Owning a pet takes work; yes, even a goldfish requires some attention. When owning a pet, we are responsibility for its well being. Gaining a sense of responsibility is probably the most common reason parents allow their children to have a pet, even though they know very well who will actually be taking care of it. In reality, parents should get their children pets for a whole lot of reasons.
Pets are beneficial to everyone in the household. Are you lonely? Pet. Do you suffer from anxiety or depression? Pet. What something that will always love you and never leave you that isn’t food or Netflix? Get yourself a pet! Animals (especially dogs) will bond very quickly with their owners and force you to get off the couch to play with them every once in awhile. Animals can help promote socialization and exercise. This is not the case for every animal unfortunately, which is why it is important to pick the perfect animal for you.
If you need the motivation to get out of the house, be active and maybe meet new people, then I would have to suggest getting a dog! Not all dogs are the same, so you would have to do some research on which dog best suits your home and lifestyle.
If you want an animal that does not require much training or attention, depending on the time of day, then you would like a cat. If you want a good listener and something extremely low maintenance, then you guessed it: a goldfish. The main point is that no matter the pet, they are all special in their own way, and they all serve the same purpose, they keep us healthier, mentally. The better our mental health the better our physical health. People who own pets are found to have a lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels (both linked to heart attacks). Its simple math really: the more dogs around, the less health issues people have.
Pets can do all these great things for us, but what do we do for them? The animals that we have domesticated have increased their average life span. Outdoor cats, on average, live about 15 years (assuming all goes well) and indoor cats live an average of 20 years. So, just by moving them inside, we expanded their life by five years. It doesn’t seem like a long time, but if you’ve owned a pet, you’d do anything to give them an extra five years of life. We also give them companionship, because they want socialization just as much as we do. Some dogs can actually suffer from separation anxiety and need to be with us almost all the time.
All in all, we need our pets, and they need us. Together we love each other uncontrollably and always. Let our bond of friendship between owner and pet never be broken.
