Thank your dog every day: The Power of Pets

After a hard week I need someone to listen to as I try to talk things out. I need someone who cares; someone who doesn’t judge. Cody is good that way, sitting quietly with his dark brown eyes on mine. Cody is my dog and best confidante. I trust him to be discreet, and he never disappoints. Experts agree: that’s what pets do best.

The internet is full of articles from reputable medical and mental health researchers on the power of having pets. In fact, research from Cigna Healthcare reveals that all of us, especially seniors, benefit from parenting pets. Pets help us stay healthy by encouraging us to go for walks, they help keep blood pressure and cholesterol in check, and ward off loneliness and feelings of isolation. “Pet owners were 60% more likely than non–pet owners to know their neighbors,” and pets help us feel needed and appreciated.

Research shows pet ownership may speed up healing and recovery from injuries, the reason for pet visitation programs in some hospitals, long-term care facilities, and rehab centers. It’s also the reason airports like PDX have therapy dogs strolling around waiting areas to calm people who experience pre-flight anxiety.

Research by the American Heart Association has shown the value of owning pets in lowering blood pressure, helping control diabetes and obesity, and providing social support. If 20-pound Cody knew he was so helpful, he’d want a raise in his daily biscuit allowance.

One more interesting detail: The National Institutes of Health offers research showing “pet ownership was associated with a reduced risk for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and diffuse large-cell lymphoma.”

Viva Village understands the roles animals play in our lives. Village drivers may take pet owners and their pets to veterinary or grooming appointments. Volunteers may walk or care for pets if their owner is unable to do those tasks.

Our responsibilities to each other within Viva Village are not unlike our responsibilities to our pets. We care, we want the best for each other, and we may look to each other for emotional and physical support.

The takeaways are: