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Pets come with some powerful health benefits, including relieving depression and anxiety, lowering stress levels, and even improving your heart health. Most pet owners are clear about the immediate joys that come with sharing their lives with companion animals. However, many of us remain unaware of the physical and mental health benefits that can also accompany the pleasure of stroking a furry friend

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Pets have evolved to become acutely attuned to humans and our behavior and emotions. Dogs, for example, are able to understand many of the words we use, but they are even better at interpreting our tone of voice, body language, and gestures. A loyal dog will look into your eyes to gauge your emotional state and try to understand what you are thinking and feeling.

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Pets, especially dogs and cats can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, ease loneliness, encourage exercise and playfulness, and even improve your cardiovascular health. Caring for an animal can help children grow up more secure and active. Pets also provide valuable companionship for older adults. Perhaps most importantly, though, a pet can add real joy and unconditional love to your life.

While people with pets often experience the greatest health benefits, a pet does not necessarily have to be a dog or a cat. Even watching fish in an aquarium can help reduce muscle tension and lower pulse rate.

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Adults and children have a strong need for touch. Even hardened criminals in prison show long-term changes in their behavior after interacting with pets, many of them experiencing mutual affection for the first time. Stroking, hugging, or otherwise touching a loving animal can calm and soothe you when you are stressed or anxious. The companionship of a pet can also ease loneliness, and most dogs are a great stimulus for healthy exercise, which can substantially boost your mood, ease depression, reduce anxiety, and calm the symptoms of PTS, and PTSD.

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The pet/human relationship can help prevent illness and even add years to your life, while isolation and loneliness can trigger symptoms of depression. Caring for a live animal can help make you feel needed and wanted, and take the focus away from your problems, especially if you live alone. Most dog and cat owners talk to their pets, some even use them to work through their troubles.

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There are many children in particular who have other pets including snakes, lizards, rabbits, birds, and fish who bring them comfort, joy, and a sense of responsibility. Children learn empathy, confidence, accountability, and an awareness of our natural world.  

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For children with disabilities, pets ease behavioral problems or an inability to deal with stress as they provide a source of positive, nonverbal communication. The playful interaction and gentle touch from a well-trained, docile animal can help soothe and decrease aggressive behavior—as can simply being exposed to bright aquariums or fish tanks. In many cases, a child’s problem behavior is a reaction to the stressed response of the primary parent. Pets can help ease the stress of mom and dad.

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• Children respond positively to pets because unlike parents or teachers, pets are never critical and do not give orders.

• They are always loving and their mere presence at home can help provide a sense of security in children. Having an ever-present pet can help ease separation anxiety in children when mom and dad are not around.

• Having the love and companionship of a pet can make a child feel important and help them develop a positive self-image. Kids who are emotionally attached to their pets are better able to build relationships with other people. Studies have also shown that pets can help calm hyperactive or overly aggressive kids. Of course, both the animal and the child need to be trained to behave appropriately with each other.

• A bird can help develop a young and expanding mind by teaching a child empathy and understanding. Kids can talk with their birds without a fear of rejection, which enables them to build their confidence, and even their vocabulary.

• Getting a guinea pig is a great way to teach your child responsibility. Guinea pigs are easy to care for—all they need is a small amount of formulated pelleted food, a large cage, and a vitamin C supplement, which makes them an ideal pet for young children.

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• Children and adults alike can benefit from playing with pets, which can provide a source of calmness and relaxation, as well as a source of stimulation for the brain and body.

• Playing with a pet can even be a doorway to learning for a child. It can stimulate a child’s imagination and curiosity.

• The rewards of training a dog to perform a new trick, for example, can teach kids the importance of perseverance.

• Caring for a furry friend can also offer another benefit to a child: immense joy.

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Some children with autism or other learning difficulties are better able to interact with pets than people. Autistic children often rely on nonverbal cues to communicate, just as animals do. And learning to first connect with a pet may even help autistic children in their interactions with people. Pets can help children with learning disabilities learn how to regulate stress and calm themselves, making them better equipped to overcome the challenges of their disorder. Playing and exercising with a dog or cat can help a child with learning disorders stay alert and attentive throughout the day. It can also be a great antidote to stress and frustration caused by the learning disability.

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