The Health Benefits of Dog Ownership

The Health Benefits of Dog Ownership Coming home to the unconditional love of their beloved pet can be the highlight of many dog owners’ days: Owning a pet can boost your mood, make you feel loved and love in return, and ensure that you are as well-exercised as your four legged friend, thanks to a regular regime of twice daily walks. Whilst the physical health benefits of dog ownership are well documented, there are a myriad of additional emotional and mental benefits to owning your own four legged companion. Here are just some of the surprising health benefits of dog ownership:

Dog Ownership Can Reduce Allergies
 
Many families, particularly families with young children, choose not to own dogs because they have an unfair reputation for either causing or exacerbating allergies, particularly asthma and other allergies related to air quality. However, this is actually a case of misinformation, and serves a disservice to dogs: according to research conducted by pediatrician James E. Gern from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, owning a pet during childhood can actually lower a child’s likelihood to related allergies by as much as 33 percent. Children who are exposed to dogs regularly in their infant hood are also less likely to suffer from eczema. In fact, for families with otherwise healthy children, there are many benefits related with introducing a dog to your family unit. Children exposed early on to animals, such as dogs, within their homes tend to develop stronger lifelong immune systems overall. What better reason to get your kids that dog they keep asking for?

Dog Ownership Can Improve Mental Health
 
Dogs are well known for giving their owners a level of unconditional love that can be incredibly heart-warming. Dog ownership can also provide individuals with a sense of purpose, and companionship when you are feeling alone in the world. All of these individual aspects combine to ensure that dog ownership can be particularly good for improving mental health, especially amongst individuals suffering from depression or anxiety disorders, or those recovering from issues such as long term physical or mental illness, drug and alcohol rehabilitation, or post-traumatic stress disorder. Several studies have conclude that just being with a healthy and jovial companion pet relieves depression and anxiety and boost immunity. The power of dog ownership, and the company of dogs, is so important in treating many mental health conditions (including loneliness and depression) that Animal-assisted Therapy (AAT) or Pet-facilitated Therapy (PFT) are becoming increasingly popular treatment options, focusing on paring individuals in need of support with a highly trained animal that can help to improve their mood and aid their rehabilitation.

Dog Ownership Will Keep You Active
 
One of the most widely researched and reported aspects of dog ownership is the benefits that it can have on your physical health. Dog owners tend to be slimmer, fitter, and exercise more. It’s no wonder, when you consider that research has found that dog owners walked for an average of 300 minutes per week, compared with non-dog owners, who only walked for an average of 168 minutes per week. Children who own dogs are also more likely to engage in moderate to vigorous physical activity than their peers who do not own dogs. Whilst dog ownership doesn’t force you outside come rain or shine, dog ownership promotes walking and getting outside for some fresh air unlike any other activity. The fact is, when you love your dog their needs come first: that means long walks whatever the weather and playing fetch for hours, even when it’s raining outside, and this can only benefit your long term physical health.

Dog Ownership Could Improve Your Social Life
 
Dog owners are a social bunch, and this is largely because their beloved pets encourage them to be. Owning a dog is a wonderful way to help individuals to overcome their social shyness, and dogs also tend to make you more approachable. According to one study conducted by Warwick University, in the UK, 40% of dog owners reported that they had made new friends as a direct result of owning their four legged friend. Therefore, if you are lonely and looking for the company of a companion who will never let you down, whilst also encouraging you to get out and meet no people, then there is no better time to get yourself a beloved new dog.

Author Bio: This is an article by Helen Bell

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Dog Adoption

Dog adoption has been increasing day by day. The answer to why we love dog has still not been cleared by philosophers. Probably, they said we love dogs because they lave us back. Many other think that more and more people are becoming frustrated with the real life, more they are inclined towards pure, non-political, unconditional love that a dog can give. Remembering Ben Williams, "There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face." Truly said someone... "One reason a dog can be such a comfort when you're feeling blue is that he doesn't try to find out why."

Finding a dog for adoption is quite easy - probably quite a lot easier than providing him with the time and care he needs for the rest of his life! Dog adoption may entice you, as you may have seen smart labs or shepherds or dobbies with your friends and relatives. It is a highly responsible task of taking up guardianship of and responsibility for a puppy or an adult dog. You can find dogs for adoption in your locality. If you love dog really, your new family member doesn't have to be a pure breed rottie or a mastiff. You can find mixed breed dogs for adoption from an animal rescue group or animal rescue organization. A dog rescue group is dedicated to dog adoption. They take abandoned and/or abused dogs and always look for new homes for them. If you are in USA, it is easy to find information on breed rescue groups. The American Kennel Club has a comprehensive list of contacts, chiefly within breed clubs, that gives you the information on breed rescue organizations for purebred dogs in America.

If you are planning for dog adoption, you should drop by a known dog rescue organization that can give you the right kind of information as to why and how a particular dog was rescued. Dogs are rescued or taken to the animal shelters owing to several reasons, some of which are:

Backyard Breeding: Unscientific backyard breeding causes overpopulation of dogs. Breeding for money is dangerous for both both the so called breeders and the pets. Not-so-reputable and unrecognized breeders usually find less number of quality purchasers, who can actually take up the guardianship of a pet in the right manner.

Demise of Dog owners: Sad demise of dog owners is a real pathetic situation for the pet.

Health Issue of the Owner: Many good owners who look for responsible people to adopt their beloved dogs because they experience serious health issues.

Lost Dogs: Rescue teams often rescue lost dogs and look for responsible people who are planning for dog adoption.

Moving abroad: Many people have to leave their countries; quarantine laws in most countries prove to be quite treacherous to pets and their owners. In order to avoid the situation, their owners tend to look for responsible people who are planning for dog adoption.

Big black dog syndrome: Black dog bias is a human psychological problem in which the black dogs are passed over adoption, while the lighter dogs are favored. Many animal shelters often use the term Big Black Dog (BBD) to describe the type of larger black mixed-breed dogs that are typically passed over by novice adopters.

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