4 Benefits of Owning a Dog by Donna Fasano

I love my Roo. She is loving and loyal, and cute as can be! Roo is an Australian cattle dog mix; I’m not certain what she’s mixed with. She’s a rescue dog, and when she came to us, she was wild as a dingo. Still a puppy back then, she chewed up wash cloths, socks, and anything else she could find. She swallowed my engagement ring once, but everything came out just fine in the end (if you know what I mean *wink*).

My husband and I debated about keeping Roo; she made more than her fair share of messes back then. But in the end, we realized that no one would tolerate her dingo-of-a-dog ways with more patience than we could. So she found a home with us… and she quickly became a part of our family. That was nearly a dozen years ago. She’s slowed down a lot since then, and I can’t believe I ever thought about not keeping her. I know she benefits us in many ways. The love she brings to my heart tells me that.

Here are a few more benefits of owning a pet:

Lowers Blood Pressure – The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has reported that having a pet has the potential to lower blood pressure, especially for hypertensive or high-risk patients.

Eases Pain – A study from Loyola University reports that the use of pet therapy helps those recovering from surgery to use significantly less pain medication. Pets are also the best medicine for those dealing with chronic pain; pets reduce stress and anxiety, less stress and anxiety means less pain.

Lowers Cholesterol – The CDC says that pet owners—especially men—have lower cholesterol than those who don’t have pets. This is probably because owning a pet means more physical exercise. Dogs do need to be walked!

Childhood Development – Kids benefit in many ways when they grow up in a pet-owning household. When children are attached to a pet, they learn to express themselves and they relate better to others. Children can learn responsibility when they’re put in charge of feeding the family pet (with lots of guidance, of course). Holding and petting an animal can be calming for children and adults, alike.

Here’s a picture of my Roo. Do you have a pet in your house? How do you benefit from having a pet in your family?

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USA Today Bestselling Author Donna Fasano has written over 30 romance and women’s fiction novels. Her books have won awards and have sold 4 million copies worldwide. Her work is available in paperback, audiobooks, and ebooks for Kindle, Nook, Kobo, iBooks, and Google Play. Learn more about her at her blog, check out her books, and connect with her on Facebook,Twitter, and Pinterest. She loves to hear from readers.