Whether you have children or you simply love animals, the question of whether or not you should get a pet is bound to have come up at some point in life. If it hasn’t yet, then you’re lucky not to be talked to death by the kids about how a pet would be amazing. Owning a pet comes with a lot of responsibility, but you would be shocked with the number of people who buy a pet on a whim because said pet is cute/adorable/intelligent – insert impulsive word here! Pets are all of those things, but they do come with a lot of work. Some people may well even be apprehensive over the idea of a pet because of the loss one day in the future.
The idea of something being in your life that you love is hard enough, but knowing that the pet you choose will leave you to go over Rainbow Bridge one day is hard. You can think about pet memorials and the time that you won’t have with them anymore, but really, you should be thinking about all of the positive things that come with a pet in the first place. You get to live your life with a friend who is nothing short of ecstatic to be with you all the time. You get to be loved unconditionally by something in your life that will naturally bring you a lot of joy. These aren’t things that are overlooked when it comes to choosing whether or not to adopt an animal to love. The hesitation may still be there in that you could be worried about how you will afford your new pet, but let’s take a look at every single reason you will ever need to say yes to pet ownership.
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Pets give you the chance to meet people
One of the hardest things to be in the world today is social. No, really. We rely on our screen-selves to interact with others, which makes interaction in public so much harder! If you have a pet, you have an instant talking point. When you walk the dog, you spend time in public with other people. If you have a cat, you can bet that there will be a friend of yours somewhere sending you cat memes to laugh at. If there is one thing that most people will agree on is that having a pet can bring joy and love to your life, and there is always a common ground there because of it. There’s even forums online and pet ownership groups in the same town you’re in, and you can go ahead and be a part of them and find a whole new branch of people in your life as a result.
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Pets improve your health
Let’s be honest, it’s not always easy to motivate yourself to get up and exercise. When You have a dog, you don’t really have a choice. Either you get up and go for a walk, or your dog is going to pee on your carpet. Not only that, but dogs often need to be walked twice a day at the minimum, which means that you have the excuse that you need to get your steps in and you can finally find a shred of motivation to keep moving. You may not even have health-related goals in place for yourself, but your pet can be everything that you need to get you off the sofa.
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Fighting allergies
If you have kids, you may want to think twice about saying no to them having their own pet. Some people are allergic to dander no matter how much they are exposed to it, but children can be moulded. The more they are exposed to pet dander, the more they can build up a stronger immunity to it and any allergies are overcome eventually. An adult immune system can strengthen against allergies to pet dander, but it’s not as common. Pets can help you to combat allergies, whether it’s their skin dander or hair. If you want to do a little more for your immune system or the immune system of the kids, you could find that a pet makes a massive difference.
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Heart health, anyone?
Did you know that you can recover faster from heart issues and lower your blood pressure when you have a pet in the home? Most people aren’t aware of that when they’re choosing names for their new pet. You can lower your blood pressure and your heart attack risk when you have a pet to care for, and you can bet that all of the Vitamin D exposure on dog walks will help you to improve the strength of your bones, too.
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They’re a mood lifter!
Whether you are in love with your brand new snake named Noodle, or the floppy ears of your new Dachshund has you dizzy with cuteness, you will find that your new pet is going to lift your mood immensely. We love our pets and it’s not hard to do so. Falling in love with a pet is much like with humans, as we learn their quirks and we learn to love things about them that make us happy. You could have the worst possible day at work and your pet running to you at the end of the day could change how you feel. The cat curled on your lap and purring at their contentment of your presence is a good way to feel good.
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Anyone can benefit
We’ve talked about how children can develop an immunity to dander, but have we told you about the benefits that pets have on the aged, too? Those who are in their later years often choose a pet for the companionship after years of solitude. Pets can make the elderly in your life feel much less lonely, and they are great for those who are dealing with anxiety, too.
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They’re good for support
There is a reason that there are therapy dogs: their presence can be enough to help patients in their recovery process. If you deal with conditions like anxiety and depression, you may find that the presence of a dog or cat in your life is enough to help you to feel calmer and happier. Pets are excellent as a support tool, and it’s not something that you notice until you have one yourself.
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Pets can warn you about your health
It’s not magic, it’s intuition and pets have it as much as we humans have. For example, did you know that dogs can literally smell disease on a human? And they can tell when a seizure is about to occur? Dogs are especially loyal to us and they will alert you if they can sniff out a problem, and you should really pay attention to those warnings.
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They love you
It’s the best perk of having a pet: they will love you. You are their feeder, their comfort, their friend. They see you as a dumb human who needs to be taught, and they will follow you anywhere out of sheer loyalty. They are an instant comfort, and familiar calm and they seek all of this from you as much as you do them.
Pets can be your best friend, your greatest support and the thing that you need at the end of a stressful day. Yes, you will lose a pet at some point, but the memories you will create before that happens make it worth the loss.
