Four Legs For Mental Health
My husband knows I sometimes forget about writing this article until the last minute AND rarely misses a chance to tease. As I was grumbling about my sleep being disturbed by two pesky and starving Chihuahuas, he said “You could write about how happy pets make us.” After smacking him with a pillow, I considered his suggestion as I started my day feeding our two new rescue pups, Bonnie and Clyde.
Each time we lose a pet, I say, “No more!” Then within a month, we will have at least one more dog to fill the void. Back to soiled rugs, disturbed sleep, being followed everywhere, and other disturbances. We travel regularly—do we leave them with a dog sitter? NO. We pack them up and they fly “under the seat” in front of us! Going to Poland for six weeks to visit our son and his wife? Take a 20-year-old blind and deaf dog? Of course! Going to the beach? Be sure and take their playpen and towels. Mental health boosters or irritants?
I am immediately thinking of a friend here in Questa whose beloved dog was missing for eight months. She was distraught. Not a day went by without thinking about her Sadie. A full year after her return, she still gets teary remembering the call telling her Sadie was found and would be returned. If that’s not an emotional connection, I don’t know what is. She will never forget “Sadie Day.”
After asking around and doing some research, I found the following information about pets and our physical and mental health. Some of it I knew, but some bits were a surprise.
Introducing a pet to the household of an infant has shown to reduce the risk of asthma and allergies. Having a dog encourages exercise which, of course, benefits our bodies and our emotions. Although I am sure having a golden retriever needing to walk each day provides a greater opportunity for exercise than my 5-lb couch potatoes. I have a young family member with diabetes who fell in love with our too-much-energy-for-us border collie and took her in. Within months, both her weight and A1C lowered to healthy levels because that pup needed regular walks.
Reducing our blood pressure AND increasing our chance of survival after a heart attack? A dog. Increasing healthful hormones like oxytocin while decreasing the stress hormone, cortisol? A pet. One study I found revealed that just LOOKING at animals reduces stress levels. To help calm my daughter’s client with advanced dementia, she regularly puts animal videos on television. Same with our two-year-old little buddy before naptime! I can’t count the times I have watched him and my 73-year-old husband fall asleep on the couch watching puppies, kittens, and baby farm animals simply being cute!
Companionship and an answer to loneliness was mentioned in each article I read and by each person I spoke with. Having a pet has been shown to boost the number of social interactions we have, especially with people who are reluctant to establish relationships with others. Having a pet opens our world. Chatting with a fellow pet owner about how much we love our animals has health benefits which can actually increase our life span!
Research shows a positive correlation between having a pet and a decrease in many symptoms of depression, in most groups studied. It is proven that thoughts and activities which cause us to focus outside of ourselves help not only to lift our mood, but make us more compassionate, thoughtful, and hopeful. Several interview-based studies I read reported that pet owners feel comforted, have a greater feeling of safety, and a higher likelihood of having a calming, structured daily routine, compared with non-pet owners.
I did my own couch research and can report with 100 percent confidence: holding two chihuahuas whose bellies are full and who want to snuggle gives a sense of joy and contentment. It provides a sense of peace in my world and beats listening to the news.
If you have a pet, congratulations, you are doing something to improve your body and emotions. If you don’t have one, what could you do to enjoy these health benefits and more?
If you live in the Questa area, contact Stray Hearts of Taos County. They are open all week, except for Wednesday and Thursday, at info@strayhearts.org or (575) 758-2981.
If you want to adopt a tiny couch potato (or two!) contact Enchantment Chihuahua Rescue of New Mexico. During painful, energy-sapping radiation treatments that went on for over a month, I can positively report that resting each afternoon with Lula, our 20-year-old chihuahua, was often the most uplifting part of my day. She came to us after we lost the little dog who helped me get through a bad case of empty nest syndrome. And when she died, Bonnie and Clyde entered our home to continue the stress relief and joy.
These pups and one other came to us from Enchantment Chihuahua Rescue, which helps smaller dogs from all over the state find homes and hearts that need them. Contact them through EnchantmentChihuahuaRescue, LTD on Facebook or the internet.
