1. They make you healthier
When you have a dog, you’ll need to exercise them often, even daily. What’s more, the exercise is indeed walking, but at a brisker pace.
“Moderate-intensity” walking is what happens when you take your dog out around the neighborhood. This kind of walking is as effective as running, and it protects you against cardiovascular disease.
Similarly, in a study focusing on Japanese adults, dog owners were almost 55% more likely to get in the suggested amount of physical activity than non-owners.
By walking your dog regularly, blood pressure and cholesterol levels decrease. Joint health, and digestive and urinary health, are also improved.
Shedding weight consistently is much easier when you have a workout buddy relying on you.
2. They keep you company
If you’re a solitary or introverted person, having a dog is the best company you could ask for. Dogs love unconditionally, and don’t come with human flaws.
They’re there for you at home. Naturally, loneliness fades and you don’t feel as isolated. Plus, it was found that strangers are more likely to talk to dog owners, resulting in a higher chance of social relations.
“Companion animals can facilitate interactions” with other people, as they help you get outside — as opposed to staying home, a breeding ground for loneliness.
A dog may not completely relieve loneliness, but it has the power to nudge you in the right direction.
3. They boost your mood
Playing with your dog isn’t just for them. It has a positive effect on you as well, shown in how it calms and provides necessary sensory comfort.
Physical contact, or touch, is fundamental to the human experience. It can lessen anxiety and soothe, which is true when it comes to touching (stroking, petting, patting, tickling) dogs, too.
The care dogs require lends itself to mindfulness.
Written for The New Yorker,
You’re doing nothing when you walk, nothing but walking. But having nothing to do but walk makes it possible to recover the pure sensation of being, to rediscover the simple joy of existing, the joy that permeates the whole of childhood.
Walking with dogs is no different. Even laying around in the backyard with them ticks the boxes. Time slows down and you just be in the present moment, which leads to gratitude and pleasure in simplicity.
4. They make you more responsible
Your dog’s going to have to use the bathroom, eat, exercise, get a bath, go to the doctor, etc. The sheer expense of having a dog can scare people away from ownership.
Too many dogs are neglected at home. Some are even chained, which brings about torture, stabbing, shooting, poisoning stealing and baiting.
Former NFL quarterback Michael Vick was involved in dogfighting that eventually required rescue and rehabilitation because of how bad the circumstances were.
That’s why it’s crucial that people are educated on the commitment it is to have a dog. This can start from a young age by being a role model to children, and teaching them to do for the dog what you would for another person.
5. They keep you safe
This video should be enough to convince you that your dog will keep you out of harm’s way at any cost. It’s been pointed out that since World War II, dogs have served as sentries, scouts and guards, all with the aim to protect.
Canines can be seen as programmed to protect. They have a very strong instinct to do so with family or loved ones, which is influenced by the chain of command (who feeds me) and feelings of affection (who nurtures me).
Loyalty is big, and it reflects a survival mechanism dating back from dogs as pack animals.
To put it simply, dogs won’t hesitate to stick up for you. At the slightest sign of danger, they’re up and ready to maintain safety for all.
