owner and cat high five
General tips,  Pets

9 Ways Pets Improve your Quality of Life

May 23, 2022

If you are a pet owner, you already know that your pet brings you joy and comfort. Each of our pets has its unique attitude and temperament we have grown to love. Our furry friends are our family members and are very special.

Those who may not own a pet are missing out!

Okay. To be fair, not everyone can own a pet for one reason or another. However, I must say that a life shared with another is so much better than riding solo.

With that said, here are 9 ways pets can improve your quality of life.

1) A best friend & family member

When we adopt or take in a pet, they become one of the family. With this said, our pets share all our ups and downs and everything in between.

They share this life journey with us, give us comfort, listen, and are always by our side. And on top of everything else, they show us love with a purr or a slobbery wet kiss on the cheek.

They often take on the role of best friend and family.

dog approaches woman on a bridge

2) Heart Health/Physical Activity

Secondly, studies show that dogs help to benefit our heart health by helping lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

Ideally, dog owners get out of the house to walk their dogs multiple times daily and incorporate more physical and recreational activities into their daily routine. These two aspects benefit the overall wellness and health of the heart.

3) Help with Depression

Pets help with lifting our mood and easing feelings of depression and negativity. Their presence helps make us smile and alleviate tension.

Also, the act of snuggling up next to you on your lap or beside you helps promote touch and comfort. And let’s not forget their cute faces!

These are little ways in which pets help positively alter our mood.

4) Reduce feelings of loneliness

Daily interaction with our pets helps ease or even eliminate feelings of loneliness. Our pets never leave our side and constantly show support when we need it most.

This even applies to the most aloof kitty. They offer support and sense when something is wrong with us, whether we realize it or not.

Regardless of the chaos in our lives, our pets remain loyal. I’m sure you can name a time when you felt the whole world was against you, but your pet was right there to be your support system.

woman petting dog

5) Stronger Immunity in Kids

An interesting aspect of owning a pet is the ability for children to develop stronger immunity and reduce the chance of allergies. According to an article written by Time magazine,

Children who live with dogs and cats are less likely to develop allergies to those animals later in life, but only if the pet is under the same roof while the child is still an infant, a new study suggests.”

6) Social magnets

Are you an introvert? Do you have trouble meeting new people?

Well, if you take your dog outside for a walk to your local park or even just a stroll, somebody will take notice of you AND your dog. Dogs walking in public are magnets for socialization.

I cannot tell you how many times I have walked down the street and noticed a cute puppy before an infant in a stroller. As an animal lover, you cannot help but see their cute furry face.

I remember one day I had a bad morning, and while commuting to work, I ran into a man with his dog dressed to impress in a pink sparkle collar and doggie coat. Seeing this dog cheered me up instantly. Those big brown eyes were looking at me as she happily wagged her tail was all it took for me to soften my bad attitude that day.

7) Reduce overall stress

Pets have a great way of helping us reduce our daily stress. Dogs and cats have an uncanny ability to soothe us with a purr or wag of their tail.

Or perhaps your pet is the type to demand attention and snuggles up next to you.

Sometimes, every once in a while, your pet will do something silly to make you laugh out loud.

All these little things make me smile; remember to take a breather and not sweat the small stuff so much.

8) Service dogs/Animal-assisted therapies

Another clever way pets help make our lives better is by assisting people. They can do this in various ways, from military pets being united with war veterans to Seeing Eye dogs helping the blind. There are even dogs and cats that help to give comfort to terminally ill elderly patients and also young children battling illnesses in hospitals.

Dogs have also been known to warn and alert patients that live with conditions like seizures or diabetes. Some people swear their dogs helped to save their lives because they were able to warn their owners when their sugar levels were too low or too high.

Service dogs also have been able to comfort kids with ADHD and Autism.

young boy walks white dog on leash

9) Unconditional love

Last but not least, our pets give us unconditional love and support. No matter what we look like or what we wear, our pets demonstrate to us what real love truly is.

They exemplify what the definition of love is. Our furry friends are right along with us for the bumpy ride in this journey called life until their own heart stops beating. 

“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.”

– Anatole France 

Final Thoughts

Pets improve our quality of life by leaps and bounds. I’ve just covered nine ways they do so, but there are so many more ways they make our lives better.

What did you think of this list? Would you add anything extra? How has having a pet improved your quality of life?

Comment and share your experience below.

9 Ways Pets Improve your Quality of Life PIN

Post originally published February 8, 2017. Updated May 23, 2022.

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