Biology in Action

I firmly believe that dogs (and other animals) positively impact a person’s life. Like you stated, animals provide unconditional love that can always brighten a person’s day. When I have a stressful day, seeing my dog running toward the door when my car pulls up immediately puts a smile on my face. Not only does my dog, Molly, greet me at the door but she also seems to sense when I am upset.
While I completely agree with that pets simply make one happier, I also agree with the idea that they keep their owners healthier. When my uncle first got his dog, he was overweight. He only kept the dog for two years because his daughter was training it to be a seeing- eye dog, but within that two years he lost about sixty pounds from just walking the dog twice a day. Now that the dog is gone, he has begun to put on the weight again. He misses the dog so much that he sometimes takes the neighbor’s dog for a walk.
I found it interesting that the article claims that dogs make better walking partners than humans because humans often discourage exercising due to their incessant complaining. I experience this when I go to the gym with my friend. While we are there, we complain about how out of shape we are, how hot we are, etc. This is quite the contrary when one takes a dog for a walk. Not only does the dog not discourage you, but it pushes you to go farther. For instance, my dog is always game for a longer walk. Whenever I try to take the short way home, she sits down and will not move until I give in and go her way. I really enjoyed reading about the article you found. It served as yet another affirmation of how great dogs are!

Love this post! I am a huge animal lover, especially of dogs. I feel that animals can have just as much a positive affect on people just as other humans do, maybe even a larger.

The story about your mom and dog is awesome.

I really enjoyed reading this article for a few reasons! Growing up I have always had pets as a part of my family, whether it be dogs, cats, fish, or ginny pigs, my family has had them all. I completely agree that they have a role in living a healthier and happier lifestyle. Currently my family has a boxer Bella, who we all absolutely adore and my cat Max. Both of them are playful and loving animals and i feel that they keep everyone in the house sane. I know my entire family gets plenty of exercise playing with Bella because she has a lot of energy. Thankfully everyone in my family is healthy and I agree that some of that has to do with constantly having a dog. Whenever I am having a bad day Bella and Max are always there to make me smile, and when my dad is ever away or both my parents are away having Bella gives me and my two younger sisters a sense of security. Animals are the perfect addition to a family I could not ask for a better dog or cat.

I was interested in this article because I love dogs and have a 1 year old puppy at home. He is full of energy and gets me and my niece running around the backyard and taking him for walks all the time. My other dog passed away last year he was 13 years old but he felt like a person to me. In the backyard he was my biggest opponent in soccer because he would hit the ball with his paws and chase me with the ball. I actually wasn’t surprised reading the fact that dogs were more encouraging and helpful as walking partners. The good thing about dogs is that they can’t talk back and they always want to go out no matter what the weather is. Pets are a great and encouraging way to get people up and exercising.

It is so great that having a family pet led to you and your mom exercising and bonding! I absolutley believe that pets provide an element of health and happiness. I have always heard that animals are great for the elderly. Having a pet creates a different type of companionship, for some it is the only relationship they have. I personally JUST bought a fish and that made me happy if that does anything for your point. : )

This was an interesting article. Pets, especially dogs, really do have a significant impact on their owners and other humans that they are near. After my grandfather died, my grandmother was living alone. After having someone to take care of for many years, she felt depressed and very much by herself. A month later she got a dog and she became much happier. The dog depended on her for companionship, food, and daily walks and time outdoors. I think that this had such a positive impact on her and ultimately led her to live longer than she would have. The dog was a great motivation for her. I was surprised that the ReCHAI study said that the seniors who were paired with a dog improved their walking ability by 28% while those paired with other humans only improved by 4%. That is quite a significant difference.

This is a very interesting blog and I agree with it 100% that having an animal in your life is beneficial to your health and emotional wellbeing. Ever since my family adopted two beagles our daily lives have benefited from the exercise we get with them and the joy they bring to our family. Pets are especially helpful to the elderly and young children with disorders. Many nursing homes will adopt a dog or a cat for the residence and the benefits are endless. When my grandma was in a nursing home they had a resident dog and it made the senior citizens happy and kept them active. The dog would provide the seniors with companionship and love. I have also seen pets being used to help children with their disorders. Another important point is that we use pets to help the disabled like the blind or paralyzed. Without a Seeing Eye dog a blind persons’ life would be very difficult and they would have little independence. But with a work dog for a pet they get their independence back and can live a normal life. For someone that is in a wheelchair a work pet is used to pick up things for them, get the phone, open doors, and much more. Whenever a person is feeling stressed out about something or is having a bad day one thing they can look forward to is coming home to a wagging tail that will cheer you up.

You know, this is a great article. It really helps with the elderly understand there is ways to prolong their lives. I have always grown up with a pet and realize how much work it really is. Yet, that animal provides company, loyalty, and unconditional love. When an elderly person can take care of an animal, they don’t just sit around and watch tv all day, they would have to feed it, take it out for walks, change its liter box etc. This would help our elderlly stay more active, and even long term, take the obesity rate down because everybody is walking their pets and what not.

With societies constant emphasis on obesity, we clearly have an easy way to keep in some what shape. At least not get as bad as some people have become. They will perform minumal activity that will help them live longer for their kids and kids kids. Great Article!

I really enjoyed reading this article especially because i love dogs. I have always believed that a pet keeps a home happy and healthy, but I never knew a pet could help health problems such as lowering blood pressure or encouraging exercise. This is great to know for adults as well as children. I definitely believe a pet helps senior citizens. It is great that at the end of the program that was performed, the experiment with dogs improved seniors confidence walking. It is so nice that your mother’s blood pressure went down and you all could bond by taking a walk with Toby once a day.

I completely agree with this article. I’ve always had kitties in my home and they provide instant pick-me-ups and entertainment. Whenever I was stressed out at home, one of our cats would always curl up onto my lap and sleep. My kitten Mittens is also always chasing around a little soccer ball or carrying her mouse dolly around in her teeth, and she’s so adorable that just seeing her silly antics improves my mood. When my parents bring home groceries, my kittens are always jumping in the grocery bags. My mother and father run a business together and sometimes it can be very stressful. Having the cats around to lighten the mood is important to their health and well-being.

Great article! It’s funny to think that something as simple as walking your dog can actually improve your current health situations. You’d think it would be obvious that walking your dog would give you excessive, but the fact that it actually motivates you as well is something that not many people would think of.

There have also been studies relating having a pet to improving mental health as well. They say that merely owning a pet can cure mild cases of depression. By petting and spending time with the animal, it gives off a certain pheromone that increases serotonin levels in people. Funny how pets can help people more than modern medicine.

I enjoyed reading your blog on this article so much! My entire family, especially my immediate family, have always been true animal lovers. Most of the pets we have ever had have been rescued and I am so proud to say that we have saved the lives of so many different animals, including cats, dogs, birds, hamsters, guinea pigs, bunnies, and even ducks! It is really amazing to see that although we are helping them and saving their lives, they are returning the favor by saving ours.
I can relate to this article and I have never really thought about it, but taking a walk around the lake is a lot more fun when you have your pet with you. Not only are they good to keep people healthy, but they are amazing to have around children to teach them responsibility. I plan on having pets in my classroom, as well as in my home with my own children when I get older. They are such a great asset to everyone it seems!

I really enjoyed this article as well. It’s so amazing how much a pet can do for someone’s life. I have a cat and it’s always a nice feeling to come home and have her run up to me and just so happy to see me. A similar story to the one Amy has involves my Grandma who also has a problem with high blood pressure. On her birthday, my mother surprised her with a little yorkie, who she named Charlie. The moment that Charlie was brought into my Grandma’s life, you could see a change in her morale. She had a companion and a little walking buddy. My grandmother tried to get up and walk around everyday, but sometimes she just doesn’t feel like it. In having the dog, she walks Charlie everyday, she has not missed a day. Having Charlie has really got her moving around and boosting her energy. Like someone stated before, it’s amazing how a little exercise can go a long way. She may not have been taken off her medicine, but she has so much more morale since she recieved Charlie.

I completely agree with this article. For years studies have revealed to us that social interaction increases our happiness, or satisfaction in our everyday lives. If you look at people who live alone or naturally tend to be “loners” they usually own pets. Pets provide us with that social interaction that is necessary in life. Socially conscious studies have continued to prove that being alone can cause depression. It has been said that in order to live healthfully you should have social interaction.
When I was younger I had pets but I haven’t had a pet in almost five years. When I did it taught me a sense of responsibility; I was responsible for feeding and cleaning up after my cats and guinea pigs. This in itself taught me the responsibility of having someone/something depend on you; that alone is a lesson in itself.
Dogs in particular can help you lead healthy lifestyles when it comes to fitness. Even if you don’t have a partner to share your fitness routines with, a dog will always be willing to go on a run or throw a frisbee around with you. Its a win-win situation, unless of course you have an allergy towards furry animals. There are so many domestic animals who are in need of homes so why not adopt a furry friend and positively influence your lifestyle all at the same time?