Pet Ownership

Lesson 1: Appreciating Animals

Pets enrich our lives immensely. They work for us in many capacities as well as provide us with health and social advantages. As long as mankind has existed, pets have shared our lives. Most American homes have at least one pet. The first part of this lesson will concentrate on how pets benefits us. Pets impact our lives in many ways and we will discuss some of the well known ways as well as some you may not be aware of. In the second part we will learn about the jobs that working animals do. We will cover therapy animals, search dogs, guide horses, war pigeons, and more. In the last section we will be meeting some very talented animals such as Koko, a sign language speaking gorilla, Endal, a devoted assistance dog, some elephant artists, some pit bull heroes, and Priscilla, the pig.

Benefits of Pets

Most of us truly love our pets and appreciate their joyful greeting after we’ve been away. We know how much they idolize us and brighten our day. Doctors and dentists take advantage of the calming effects of fish in an aquarium on their waiting patients, while birdfeeders and birdbaths make up an important part of many backyard retreats. Animals do not judge, criticize, or compete, and somehow relate to us that it’s alright to relax and be ourselves. In fact, according to a poll taken by the American Animal Hospital Association, more than half the participants said they’d rather have an animal companion than a human companion if stranded on a remote island. But do we fully realize the impact that animals have on our lives?

Some studies have shown that children who grow up with pets tend to be more emotionally stable. Findings are that pets promote increased attention span, motor coordination, nonverbal learning and language skills, teach rewards of nurturance, play, acceptance, trust, kindness, feelings of self-worth, love, attachment, ethical responsibility, sense of competence, and reduce stress, anxiety, hostility and maladaptive behaviors. For at-risk children who find it hard to relate verbally, animals can increase socialization. Medical evidence has shown that children who had a dog present during a medical exam had a lower heart rate, blood pressure, and behavioral stress than children who did not have a dog present. Moreover, children exposed to pets in the first year of life have a lower frequency of allergic rhinitis and asthma.

Nursing homes in New York, Missouri, and Texas that included animals in their environment, noticed that medication costs dropped from $3.80 per patient per day to only $1.18. In addition, the Eden Alternative residential home for elderly which provides an environment with birds, dogs, cats, rabbits, and chickens reported a 15% lower mortality rate in a 5 year period.

Researchers from St. Louis University School of Medicine and the Veteran’s Administration Medical center in St. Louis studied 45 nursing home residents to determine if there was scientific evidence that pets relieved loneliness. They gave three psychological tests to each resident at the beginning of the study. Then fifteen received three dog visitors a week, another fifteen received one dog visitor a week, and the other fifteen received no animal visitors. At the end of six weeks, the residents were tested again. Results showed a significant reduction in loneliness in all residents who had dog visitors.

Isolated individuals reported that, because their pets are so trusting and dependent upon them, they feel needed and have a sense of purpose. Not only did they value their pets as wonderful companions, but felt encouraged to get outdoors more often which increased social contacts .Pets can also offer a sense of security. Not only dogs and cats will warn of an intruder, but some birds and rodents will sound the alarm as well. While walking or traveling, the presence of a dog can be discouraging to a would-be assailant.

Recently the medical community has recognized that touch may be more important to our health than previously understood. The simple act of stroking a pet can reduce heart rate and blood pressure. Pet ownership has been found to increase the odds of surviving a heart attack. Of those without pets, 6% survived one year after hospitalization while 28% of those with pets survived one year after hospitalization.

Pets seem to actually lessen the risk of having a heart attack as well. In a report from Dr. W P Anderson Baker Medical Research in Australia, it was stated that out of 5741 participants, the pet owners had lower systolic blood pressure, triglyceride and cholesterol levels. These are all accepted risk factors of heart disease. Another study of 100 Medicare patients showed that dog owners had 21% fewer doctor contacts than those who did not have dogs.

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