There are many benefits to getting a dog it can benifit both you and the dog. Some important benefits are:
A dog will make you leave your house because they needs frequent walks, so you will likely run into people on the trips that you begin to recognize. These same people will become friends in time.
One study from the American Journal of Cardiology suggests that pet owners have a better chance of surviving at least one year after a heart attack. The study showed that people who lived with dogs were less likely to die within a year of having a heart attack.
We've all seen the videos of soldiers reunited with their dogs, and most of us recognize that dogs can help us through tough times in our lives. The Walter Reed Memorial Hospital even has a program to help rehabilitate soldiers with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
According to a Harvard Health publication, several studies show that dog owners usually have a lower blood pressure than non-dog owners. Most experts agree it's because dogs and other pets have a calming effect on humans. Dogs also help owners stay more active, which can help reduce blood pressure.
Stress and other environmental factors can cause a relapse in recovering addicts and alcoholics. Adopting a dog can be a great way to help reduce stress levels to make recovery more manageable. In fact, some rehabilitation centers, like
A 2014 study suggested that having a dog assist with rehabilitation therapy after major joint surgery reduced a person's need for medication by up to 28%. Most experts suggest that animal-assisted therapy can improve the quality of life and physical, social, emotional, and/or cognitive health for patients.
Walking your pet will put you in contact with many people, and some can become more than just friends.
One of the main reasons we encourage people to adopt instead of using a pet store or breeder is that doing so will help free up resources that can help other pets in need. Most shelters are at or near capacity and don't have the funds or support from the community to house a pet long-term, so it's important to adopt when possible.
You can usually adopt even rare animals at a fraction of what it would cost from a breeder or pet store. In many cases, adopted pets will already have received some of the shots they require and may even be spayed or neutered, saving you hundreds of dollars on the initial purchase price in some cases.
If you are used to dealing with breeders, you know that many have a long process you need to go through before you receive your dog, which can last several months, and that's if there aren't many people ahead of you already waiting. In some cases, you may need to wait a year or more before you can take your pet home. Adoption moves much quicker, and you can usually take your pet home the same day.
The best reason we can give you to adopt a pet is that you are likely saving their life. As we mentioned earlier, most animal shelters are at maximum capacity and receive little help to keep the animals fed and well cared for. The longer an animal sits in the shelter, the more at risk they are of being euthanized. According to PETA, animal shelters handle more than 6 million animals each year, but nearly four million remain without a home. Many of the animals get euthanized. You can help prevent this problem by adopting a pet at the shelter and making sure your pet is spayed or neutered, so they don't reproduce and create animals without a home.