Page 9 - Possible Magazine - Issue 8

Dog, cat, bird, fish, or something more exotic, like a lizard. There are lots of benefits to owning a pet and interacting with animals.
Would you benefit from a pet?
Ask yourself:
Have I done enough research on the pet I am considering?
What changes will a pet make to my lifestyle?
How old is the pet? Do my energy levels match up?
CanIhaveapetinmyhome?
What changes would I need to make to make ensure we are both safe and comfortable?
Who would take care of my pet if I couldn’t anymore?
What kind of maintenance will I need to do for my pet?
5. SOMETHINGTOCAREFOR,AND SOMETHING TO CARE FOR YOU
The knowledge that something trusts you to look after its wellbeing motivates us to look after ourselves.
The sense of purpose that comes with owning a pet is one of its strongest drawcards. The responsibility of serving food, taking walks or responding with affection is a huge part of pet ownership. For this reason, a pet’s ability to add structure, purpose and meaning to someone’s daily routine has many benefits.
6. ALONGERLIFE
Over a 12-year period, a Swedish study comparing dog owners to non-dog owners found those who lived alone and owned a dog had a decreased risk of cardiovascular- related death and lower rates of depression.09 The American Heart Association also established links between dog ownership and lower blood pressure and cholesterol.10
There is good news for cat owners too. Those with cats also have a reduced rate of heart attacks and lower risk of cardiovascular disease.11
An Italian study compared the wellbeing of a group of older men who cared for a bird with a group who cared for a plant, and a group that didn’t take care of anything. Over a period of three months, it was revealed that
those who cared for the birds ended the trial with higher psychological scores than those caring for plants. Those not caring for anything had the lowest scores. We are programmed to care.
01 https://www.purina.co.nz/cats/getting-a-cat/benefits-of-having-a-cat/
02 https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article/67/2/147/2900179
03 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0013916515597512
04 https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/148428/NPHA_Pets-Report_FINAL-040319.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y
05 https://www.rover.com/canine-caregivers-dementia-alzheimers/
06 https://web.archive.org/web/20090207160114/http://newsinhealth.nih.gov:80/2009/February/feature1.htm
07 https://search.proquest.com/openview/01712fbceb4df5f3a5ee8b121fbfbe4d/1?pq-origsite=gscholar
08 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16191447
09 https://www.mnn.com/family/pets/stories/11-studies-that-prove-pets-are-good-your-health
10 https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1161/CIR.0b013e31829201e1
11 https://www.purina.co.nz/cats/getting-a-cat/benefits-of-having-a-cat/
JUST BETTER CARE — 9