Dogs are no doubt cute and adorable because they bring so much joy to our lives. Apart from being a pet and another member of the family, there are lots of health benefits of having a pet dog, and they can help you live a happier life.
Surprised right? Yea, you may not think about any health benefits when you keep your furry friends around you, but there are more surprising impacts that dogs bring to you and your family.
Without much ado, here are some health benefits of having a pet dog and how they affect your entire household:
1. Having a pet dog helps for weight loss
You may desire to lose weight but find it hard to exercise due to busy schedules. Well, having a pet dog increases your chance of losing weight because you tend to move around with your furry friend from time to time.
Taking your dog for some fun games in the yard helps you exercise yourself, thereby enhancing weight loss.
More so, you can boost your weight loss process by taking at least a 30-minute walk a day with your pet dog.
A study conducted at Michigan University shows that people living with pet dogs tend to exercise for about 30 minutes more per week than those without any dog.
2. Having a pet dog helps to reduce stress
We all face some stressful conditions daily, and this can have a negative effect on our physical and mental health. But you can reduce your stress level effectively by getting yourself a pet dog.
When you pet a dog, it helps to reduce stress-inducing hormone, CORTISOL. This hormone is produced in you and your dog, as well.
More so, as you pet a dog, your level of serotonin and oxytocin increases and sometimes gets doubled. This helps to boost relaxation, happiness and feelings of love.
3. Having a pet dog supports cardiovascular health
As you exercise your dog, you also increase your level of physical activity, which has a positive effect on your cardiovascular health.
A lot of studies have proven that people who have pet dogs will have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease than those who not have one.
Harvard medical school also stressed that dog owners have lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Not only that but they also have lower blood pressure.
The good part is that when you have a good cardiovascular health, you get an increased chance for a long and better quality of life.
4. Having a pet dog increases energy levels
You can deal with a boring life by having a pet dog. It perks up your monotonous lifestyle and helps you stay on your toes, thereby increasing your daily physical activity. This way, your energy level increases.
A study shows that people living with a pet dog have a 69% increased physical activity compared to those who don’t. This helps to increase the walking speed of dog owners.
5. Having a pet dog improves the immune system
Studies show that when children are exposed to dogs during their early years, it helps to strengthen their immune system. So, the chance of your 1-year-old child developing asthma is very low when you own a pet dog.
Also, adolescents and teenage children tend to have better immunity to bacteria and germs generally when they live around dogs.
Basically, the exposure of the immune system of kids to dogs during their early years helps to boost their state of health. So they develop resistance to germs, bacteria, and viruses.
6. Having a pet dog relieves joint pains
When you move around and exercise with your energetic dog, it helps you stay active, which also helps to keep your joints healthy.
More so, working out your joints helps to relieve pains and disorders around your joints.
In fact, dog owners are 33% less likely to develop joint disorders compared to non-dog owners.
7. Having a pet dog fights depression
Pet dogs can help fight depression and improve your mood and boost your mental wellbeing.
Studies show that patients who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorders are able to overcome depression after getting pet therapy.
The pet therapy also helps students ward off depression, especially those who may suffer from homesickness.
However, if you have a pet dog from beginning and spend quality time with it every day, you may never develop or suffer from depression.
8. Having a pet dog cures loneliness
What about loneliness? A happy and energetic dog can help you stay healthy mentally, even when you are isolated or rejected. The excitement these dogs give when they see you can help to improve your self-esteem and ward off feelings of loneliness as well as depression.
In fact, psychologists agree that the companionship of a dog is capable of boosting the wellbeing of an individual- from an older person to an introvert or someone having mental issues.
9. Having a pet dog helps to quit smoking
Like you would do anything to protect the health of your loved one, quitting smoking is also helpful if you want to see your dog around you for a long time.
Knowing that smoking affects the lungs of dogs generally and sometimes causes skin problems is enough to motivate you to decide to quit smoking, especially when you have a strong bond with your pet dog.
10. Having a pet dog helps reduce doctor visits
If you own a pet dog and you’re over 65 years of age, you have about 30% less chance of seeking medical help than those who don’t have any pets.
A study showed that seniors that have pets, including cats, birds, and dogs, reported fewer doctor visits over a 1-yr period compared to respondents who did not have any dog.
However, out of all these animal-owning seniors, the owners of dogs were seen to have a better state of health with reduced stress levels.
The Health benefits of having a pet dog are numerous!
You cannot doubt the fact that dogs are great, adorable, and cute. And seeing their host of health benefits really shows how precious and helpful pet dogs can be to your health and the wellbeing of your entire family.You can get a pet dog if you don’t have one today, and enjoy these health benefits!