Animals are natural stress busters. Our four-legged friends reduce stress and are good for your physical, mental and emotional health. The shelters are overflowing with animals so please consider bringing home a new member of your family.

Reasons to Get a Pet

1. Animals relieve stress and boosts your mood. 

Research shows our pets help relieve stress and enhance mood. Indiana University Media School reported that people who viewed cat videos felt less sad, anxious, or annoyed and more positive after they watched them.

2. Increases your physical activity.

Research shows people with pets get more exercise and keep active. As a result, they have better weight control and overall health. This makes animals natural stress busters.

3. Good for your heart health.

The American Heart Association published a study in the journal “Circulation,”  containing  studies of pet ownership and cardiovascular disease (CVD). The researchers concluded that “there is a substantial body of data that suggests that pet ownership is associated with a reduction in CVD risk factors [e.g., heart rate, blood pressure] and increased survival in individuals with established CVD.”

4. Helps kids read. 

You may not know this, but children who have difficulty reading do better when they read to a dog. This is because dogs are patient and give them unconditional love.

You can find even more stress reduction tips on our sister site, Mindful Living Network as well as reasons to have animals near you to help reduce stress.