Kitten Whiskers and Puppydog Tails


The unconditional attention and love that pets show their owners is a valuable commodity. It can be measured in so many ways, having positive medical/ health benefits to their adoring "adoptive parents." Medical studies done on "pet therapy" or "animal-assisted therapy" have proven numerous times that having pets in the home can benefit the owners mental and physical health.

Rover or Boots have been busy earning their medical degrees. Many medical studies have established that they :

  • increase a patient's chance of survival when dealing with serious medical condition

  • lower heart rate, blood pressure

  • calm disturbed children and facilitate incommunicative people to speak

  • reduce stress levels

  • reduce behavioral problems in Alzheimer patients

  • significantly increase your survival rate in the first year after a heart attack

  • increase your exercise levels

  • decrease your need for pain medications

  • decrease your need to seek medical attention

  • provide companionship for those isolated or homebound due to disability

  • decrease the effects of depression

    Pets have the ability to do all of these things! Having a "fuzzy buddy" in your home can reduce health concerns. After all, if you are busy admiring the antics of "Fluffy" you don't have time to feel the pain of your arthritis, or if "Spike" is standing at the front door with his legs crossed, you don't have the luxury of dwelling on your depression. These important "health care providers" take your mind off the challenges of your day to day life, exchanging it with benefits that far outweigh the negatives of pet ownership.

    However, unfortunately, some disabled and elderly people are denied the joys of pet ownership. They may have moved into pet-unfriendly accommodations without realizing that a "furball" could play an extremely important role in their lives, or because it was the only accomondation they could afford. Pet discrimination laws make the assumption that all pet owners are going to be bad pet owners, but in the case of the elderly or the disabled we tend to have copious amounts of time to spend on our pets, it would be surprising if we would fall into that category. Thankfully in recent years due to the scientifically proven benefits of pet ownership many authorities at a governmental level are realizing that these animals can reduce overall health costs, for both physical and mental complaints and are making moves to make pet discrimination a thing of the past.

    Now is the time to check with your local officials and see if laws protecting you from discrimination against your favourite "furbearing therapist" are in place? or join a lobby group to protect them.

    The copyright of the article Kitten Whiskers and Puppydog Tails in Disabilities is owned by Michelle Struik. Permission to republish Kitten Whiskers and Puppydog Tails in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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