There are close to 80 million Americans that own a pet. Animals can have a variety of functions from everyday pets to professional pets, like therapy and police dogs. No matter what kind, they all benefit their owners greatly during their lives. Pets can help you deal with a stressful situation, help you get healthier and decrease loneliness. From the beginning, animals were kept as pets and used to help their owner hunt and guard land. Even back then, they were the loyalist of companions. Because of the exercise a pet demands, this can be beneficial to your cardiovascular health and prevent cardiovascular disease. Pets have been proven to relieve some symptoms of many different mental diseases and disorders, specifically anxiety, depression and even Alzheimer’s disease. Although pets occasionally make messes around the house and carry some allergens, with a little medicine and some patience, a pet can become your very best friend.  Even though some people see pets as negative creatures at times, they are actually beneficial to your overall mental and physical health.

Pets were not always what we think of today. During prehistoric times, animals were seen strictly as food. The man was a hunter, and the animal provided them with food and clothes; that was it. The first animal to actually be domesticated by mankind “was the wolf, the common ancestor of all modern-day dogs” (Pedigree). This progressed to using pets as working dogs in farms and around the house. Because of their fast learning intelligence, this did not take long to train them. After that, humans progressed into owning pets as helpers, or simply companions in their households. This is the kind of pets we know and love today. 

The exercise that pets require will force pet owners to get up and move, making them healthier. Pets need exercise whether they get it by playing in the house or going for a walk. Regular exercise can improve a person’s health, just as well, in many ways. Taking walks and running makes your heart pump faster. The heart has four chambers. The first chamber receives blood from the body and the second brings that blood to the lungs to get oxygen. The next chamber receives the newly oxygenated blood and brings it to the final chamber. This chamber, the left ventricle, pumps blood to your entire body. The more the heart pumps (from exercise) the stronger the muscles get in the heart wall. Cardiovascular disease is a generalized term that includes heart failures, heart attacks, peripheral vascular disease and stroke. A very common factor in cardiovascular disease is atherosclerosis, which is when the arteries harden due to the accumulation of lipids like cholesterol. These cholesterols build up when you eat poorly and do not exercise. When atherosclerosis affects the heart muscle, this causes a heart attack. When the atherosclerosis affects the lower extremities, this causes a “condition called peripheral vascular disease or PVD” (Kokkinos 181). This causes extreme pain in the legs. Approximately “2,400 Americans die each day from cardiovascular disease” (Kokkinos 187). When you do the math, this comes out to one death every 37 seconds from CVD. This is almost double the amount of deaths from cancer. All of these conditions could be prevented with regular exercise. With the help of a pet, you and your companion can get the exercise you need to keep your body healthy. 

Another huge issue in America that can be reduced with access to pets is hypertension, or high blood pressure. The normal range for blood pressure is 100-120 systolic over 60-80 diastolic. Hypertension begins at 140/90 and gets more and more dangerous the higher it gets. Sometimes hypertension is genetic, meaning that it is very common in your family. It can also be caused by poor diet and lack of exercise. Regardless of the cause, pets can help lower your blood pressure. Exercise will help this, so running and playing with your pet would be beneficial to this cause. A children’s study was conducted to test the effects of pets on children during different activities. This study found that “having your dog in the room lowered blood pressure better than taking a popular type of blood pressure medication (ACE inhibitor) when you are under stress” (Casciotti). This means that simply having a pet in the room can lower your blood pressure. Even the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (The CDC) says that “having a pet has the potential to lower blood pressure, especially in hypertensive or high-risk patients” (Gekas). This is not the only disease that pets have a benefit in; they can also help with strokes. 

A serious part of cardiovascular disease, that can also be prevented with pets, is a thing called a cerebrovascular accident, or more commonly known, a stroke. This is when, for whatever reason, blood flow is lost between the heart and the brain. Strokes are the “third most common cause of death in the United States” (Kokkinos 207) in 2010. Some known ways to lower risk of stroke are to stop smoking, live an active life, and keep your blood pressure normal. Those who have hypertension, and have a sedentary lifestyle are at higher risk of having a stroke over those who do not. Race also plays a factor in this; African Americans are more likely to have a stroke than Caucasians. Going for a walk, playing fetch and even walking up flights of stairs a few times a week with your pet can be the way you keep yourself healthy and alive. You can even try something as unique as holding a flash light while doing sit-ups. This will help strengthen your core and get your heart pumping while your cat chases the flashlight back and forth on the wall, getting their cardio workout. 

In addition to physical health, pets are huge players in the game of mental health. Mental health issues are just as serious as physical health issues. They impact people’s lives just as much, just in a different way. Some common mental health disorders in America are anxiety, depression, panic disorder and Alzheimer’s. A little anxiety is normal for everyone, but only in small doses. When it becomes a regular everyday thing, it has become a disorder. A person who has anxiety disorder, for them the anxiety “does not go away”, but it can “get worse over time” (NIMH). These people have difficulty sleeping, concentrating and have uncontrollable worrying. Panic disorder is similar to anxiety disorder in a sense that it is reoccurring and involves worrying. These people have attacks where they have feelings of “impending doom” (NIMH) that they cannot stop. Depression is a very common mood disorder. It is described as having persistent sadness or “empty” (NIMH) feelings. All of these disorders are serious and can greatly impact your life, but with the help of a pet, they can help sooth your symptoms. A study was done to ask a simple question; “Do pet owners enjoy better well-being than nonowners?”. The results showed that people who owned pets “had greater self-esteem … and they tended to be less lonely than nonowners” (McConnel). Not only do pets reduce general anxiety among people, they can also reduce short term, acute anxiety. Often patients get very nervous and anxious about upcoming doctor visits and procedures. A study found that “interacting with a therapy dog … reduced anxiety among hospitalized children and adults” (Casciotti).  Therapy dogs are a common pleasure in most hospitals. They can help patients of all ages; not just small children, but adults and the elderly too. A study was done to see if playing with a dog before having electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) would reduce a patient’s anxiety before the procedure. The subjects undergoing the ECT had diagnoses of “severe depression, bipolar, or psychotic disorders” (Barker). They were given fifteen minutes to play with a therapy dog and then they went on with the procedure. The anxiety, fear and depression of the patient was recorded on a one to five scale and then the same questions were asked to patients who got fifteen minutes to read magazines before the procedure. The patients who received the fifteen minutes of therapy dog interaction “perceived that the dog lessened their fear and depression to some extent” (Barker). When asked about their anxiety, “more than seventy-five percent perceived that the dog reduced their anxiety” (Barker). Therapy animals are certified healers. They help any kind of patient with any diagnosis; from cancer to psychotic disorders. People feel better after seeing them and it can truly make a difference during the healing process. Even the staff off hospitals respond positively when therapy dogs come to visit. It allows them to have a break and recoup before getting back to work. 

An equally important part of mental health, is PTSD with veterans and the effects that pets have with these men. Many of the veterans that have been through a traumatic war experience suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder. A common way to relieve their stress and help during possible panic attacks is having a service dog. They are so well trained that they can sense when a person is in distress and help them get out of it. Veterans with these dogs have “show[ed] a decreased suicide rate, one of the biggest health threats veterans face (Gekas). Because of the stress and the flashbacks some of these men face after the war, often they choose to end their lives instead of dealing with this new disorder. 

A common mental disorder that many elderly face is Alzheimer’s Disease. Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive disease that rapidly destroys important mental functions like a person’s memory. Alzheimer’s often leads to dementia, a group of degenerative brain diseases. These people lose social skills and often forget the most important people in their lives. Getting someone with this disease to do daily tasks is a very difficult thing; they do not see the point of doing anything. When a pet is introduced, this changes. According to a video by Youtuber RawFormulas, “Research has shown, by providing a tank of fish or a caged bird, this is enough to dramatically improve their appetites” (RawFormulas). In fact, a study was done to see if having a fish tank would alter a person with Alzheimer’s. In this study, “demented individuals … successfully gained weight after fish tanks were installed” (Cherniack) into the common room of their nursing home. The responsibility of feeding and taking care of a pet is enough to make them realize that they too need to eat and take care of themselves.

Not only do pets benefit the elderly, they impact the lives of school children as well. Several studies have shown that children who had had pets at home (not only dogs but goldfish and hamsters too) were better at making simple biological inferences, during class, than children who had never had a pet. Their past knowledge acquired while taking care of the pet helps them during future classes. Not only do they benefit children academically, owning a pet also teach them responsibility. The child has to remember to feed them, walk them, and when they make a mess in the house, it’s their responsibility to clean up after them. This will prepare them for their future family and make them better at taking care of themselves. For children who have pets at home, it has been proven that they are less likely to take sick days from school. Attending school, instead of at the doctor’s office or home sick, can result in the student having better grades. A study of all women showed that “those who were dog owners had fewer doctor visits and took fewer days off sick from work” (Gekas) thus increasing hours on each pay check and overall productivity. When you become sick and miss a lot of work, this can cause gaps in your performance and get you drastically behind in your work. 

An important factor in a person’s daily life is their mood. If you start your day off in a bad mood, the rest of the day will follow the same way. Waking up with a pet in your home can greatly impact this. Pets are companions that can help improve your overall mood. Loneliness has a big influence in someone’s overall mood. If a person feels lonely, they are likely to have symptoms of depression and withdraw in social situations. Loneliness is a “known stressor” (RawFormulas). And when the body is stressed, this can “depress the immune system” (RawFormulas). It does not always have to be a common animal like a cat or dog. Even if the companion is a bird, cat or fish, you are no longer alone. When elderly participated in animal-assisted therapy, they were found more likely to have conversations with surrounding people. They were more conversational and interactive with the other attendees and the therapy pet. 

Owning a pet is not always sunshine and rainbows. Like everything, owning a pet can come with a few risks. Dogs and cats especially, have been known allergens; well not really the animal itself, but the dander on their skin. Even though this can cause symptoms like itchy eyes and a runny nose, simply taking allergy medicine can reduce the symptoms and allow you to keep a pet in your home. During pregnancy, the woman must stay away from all potentially harmful toxins. A commonly heard rumor is that cats can cause toxoplasmosis; a disease cats can carry in their feces. This can cause terrible things like miscarriage and brain deficiencies in infants. Even though it is still a small risk, women are “more likely to be exposed during gardening than from a feline” (RawFormulas). It is still a good idea to avoid changing a cat’s litter box whenever possible. A frequent risk of adopting a pet is aggression. Around “4.5 million Americans are bitten” every year with “1 in 5 bites causing injuries that require medical attention” (Ravn). This is a risk that comes with every animal, especially with young children in the house. Kids often like to pull on animal’s tails and mess with them. With the proper training of your pet and the teaching of your child, they should all live together in harmony. At first, young children do not realize what they are doing is mean to the animal and could cause a backlash from them so this needs to be taught at an early age if you plan to keep pets around the house. 

Because millions of Americans own at least one pet, there must be some benefit or reason why they chose own them. Their large variety of functions like house hold pets and professional pets, like therapy and police dogs are some reasons why people have pets. No matter what kind they are, they all benefit their owners greatly during their lives. Pets can help you deal with a stressful situation, help you live a healthier life and decrease loneliness. Even though some people see pets as negative creatures, they are very beneficial to your overall mental and physical health. Pets have been proven to relieve some symptoms of many different mental diseases and disorders, specifically anxiety, depression and even Alzheimer’s disease. Because of the exercise a pet demands, this can be beneficial to your cardiovascular health and prevent cardiovascular disease. Even though pets occasionally make messes around the house and carry some allergens, with a little medicine and some patience, a pet can benefit your entire health.  Pets give you unconditional love, meaning they do not care what you did, or how you feel, as long as you give them the necessities and love they require, they will give it right back.
