Pet Ownership The many Healthy Benefits
... The benefits of this connection are numerous as they encompass everything from simple companionship to deep enhancements in mental and physical health. Pet ownership can improve the lives of heart patients, the elderly, mentally ill, chronically ill patients and children. ... Owning a pet involves many expenses, the food, regular vet visit, and the care of the pet while the owner is away. ... ” (Folkenburg, 1990, pg 28) But, with proper pet and owner hygiene and vaccines, the chances of a zoonosis occurring is very low. Another disadvantage is what will happen to the pet if the owner dies. The benefits and the disadvantages all must be carefully weighed before becoming a pet owner. ... Responsibility, kindness, and learning to accept and understand that others have feelings are all important skills that young children learn when raising a pet. ... Often, adolescents who were molested or neglected during childhood rebel against society, but still depend on the family pet to fulfill emotional needs (Katcher, 1983, pg 436-443). ... For older pet owners, a pet is a way to reduce loneliness, minimize depression, lower stress, and can result in fewer doctors’ visits. ... Bring a pet into the home has been shown to increase the activity level of the elderly persons. ... Marty Becker wrote an essay about his mother and the positive impact of her pet schnauzer (pg 164-181). In this essay, he sites several studies that show that seniors are benefited most by pet ownership. ... One of the amazing benefits of pet ownership is its effect of the cardiovascular system. ... Another heart related benefit of pet ownership is the relationship between owning a pet and the survivor rates for those who suffered a heart attack. Erica Freidmann’s research showed that people who returned home to a pet after suffering a heart attack where twice as likely to survive twelve months or more (2000, pg 143).