Who doesn’t love a furry friend? Or maybe a water-bound friend? Or a reptile friend? The possibilities (and benefits) are endless! What’s your reason to have an animal companion?
The American Pet products association calculated in 2016 that there were around 78 million dogs and 86 million cats owned in the United States. This means that approximately 40% of all households in America have a dog, and around 35% have a cat.
Pet owners cite benefits like preventing loneliness, encouraging exercise, and reduced anxiety. According to this infographic, the research shows that humans who own pets have lower resting heart rates.
Pet owning seniors reported 30% less call for medical treatment than non-pet owners. This suggests that the stress-relieving benefits of pets not only keeps us healthier but also saves money on costly medical expenses.
Nevertheless, more than 6 million pets enter animal shelters in the US every year. Even more heartbreaking news? Only around 3.2 million shelter animals are adopted, making shelters every day more crowded.
So what can you do? First, if you’re interested in a pet, look into adopting, especially from high kill-rate shelters. If you can’t commit for the long run, you can also foster! Volunteers are always needed to care for the ones that need one on one attention. If all else fails, you can always donate every penny counts!
There are many ways to find the right pet for you. The benefits of pet ownership make owning a pet a healthy life choice.