Pet ownership builds a healthy life
Pet ownership, or the desire for a pet, is on the rise in the United States. An estimated 66% of households in the US own a pet, with 65.1M households owning a dog, followed by an estimated 46.5M households owning a cat (Megna). With so many Americans owning pets, the question is if having a pet just makes us feel fuzzy, or if there are actual benefits to ownership. Are we just being selfish with ownership, or are there justifiable reasons to rooming up with a fur baby? Should you adopt or purchase? What are the benefits of having a dog around the home?
One of the highlights of a pet is to occupy our children’s time or make them happy. Kids and pets go together like peanut butter and jelly, and the benefits are numerous. To start, there is a known reduction of allergies in children who grow up around pets, as well as signs of better learning habits, behavior, and obedience of the child, as well as improvement in those with disabilities (M). Dogs help children feel safe, and less stressed, when dealing with disabilities in uncertain situations, and help to assist in cognitive abilities.
Service dogs are a prime example of a dog working with disabilities in people. Service dogs have a variety of legal protections. While these laws define how service dogs are treated, they often can be confused with emotional support animals, which are governed with different protections. It is important to know the difference between a pet, service dog, working dog, and emotional support animal. There are a variety of terms that can be confusing, and all have different legal protections.
Service dogs are best defined as a dog that has a prescription and has been specifically trained to perform a task. Under the ADA, service animals are treated not as an animal, but as a medical device. This includes legal protections that allow the dog to be used off lease if needed to complete its tasks, as well as being allowed to go places other dogs cannot go, such as restaurants and no pet housing (US Government, ADA). These protections allow and prohibit certain actions from businesses and organizations from discrimination and companies should familiarize themselves and train employees to handle service dog encounters according to the law.
Emotional support animals, however, differ in that, when under prescription or other authorization, are limited to protections only within the fair housing guidelines (NSAR). They do not carry the additional protections of service dogs and may be restricted access from certain places or situations. Pets and working dogs, however, are not protected under the law. Working dogs are those used by a company for business, such police dogs and volunteer groups using dogs for missing persons.
If you’re looking to get a dog, deciding where to get your new fur friend is important. You need to first decide its purpose. A working dog, service dog, ESA, or similar activity dog may be best sourced from a reputable breeder, while a pet could be adopted from a shelter or rescue. With a shelter, you may not know what you’re getting, although it may cost less; you also get to save a life, and many rescues are already house trained (Fritz); although you typically have a better idea of what you are getting if you use a reputable breeder, and you can train them as a pup to build and guarantee the outcome desired in your new dog.
How do dogs help us as adults, outside of our disabilities? Canines offer a variety of benefits as we grow up, including socially, psychologically, and physically. According to Mayo Clinic, dogs can help get you moving and lose weight, both which will help improve cardio health (Mayo Clinic Health Systems). This also leads to an improvement in overall health, including bones and joints. Psychologically, dogs also help people to cope in times of crisis, reduce stress and anxiety, reduce tension, and assist with dealing with PTSD; such as with veterans (M).
So, why get a dog? Well, they are an asset from birth until death. They offer children growth opportunities in obedience, allergy mitigation, cognitive development, and maturity (US Government, ADA). Dogs can even help overcome and assist with disabilities, anxiety, stress, PTSD, and other psychological and physical hindering (NSAR). Matter of fact, dogs help us look more attractive, and give us better social standings, while also detecting blood sugar changes, decreasing the risk of stroke, and helping us to increase activity (The animal health foundation). The only question left is if you are better off using a reputable breeder or adopting from a shelter. If you’re not ready to fully own a dog, consider fostering part time and you can still gain all the benefits while knowing you are helping save the life of a pet until they are adopted. Either way, fitting a dog into your lifestyle only looks to improve your quality of living and add to your joy.
Works Cited
Arford, Kaitlyn. 10. science based benefits of having a dog. 21 August 2023. 21 November 2023.
Fritz, Julie. Rescue vs Breeder: Deciding whats right for you. 23 February 2023. 20 November 2023.
M, Eric. Why kids and pets make the perfect pairing. n.d. 19 November 2023.
Mayo Clinic Health Systems. No bones about it: dogs are good for your health. 4 May 2023. 21 November 2023.
Megna, Michelle. Pet Ownership Statistics 2023. 21 June 2023. 30 November 2023.
NSAR. ESA vs Service Dog: Whats the difference. 25 April 2022. 2023 19 November.
The animal health foundation. 8 health benefits of having a pet. 6 October 2021. 23 November 2023.
US Government, ADA. Service Animals. n.d. 30 November 2023.