Ways a Pet Can Improve Your Health

If you have ever owned a dog and sadly experienced its loss, then you know how much he have meant to you and how close you had become. Now you can truly say that a dog was part of your family because you have experienced this wonderful relationship.
A dog brings so much to our lives and the lives of our family, yet we can sometimes overlook just how much.
While a dog brings unconditional love to us, there are many other real and tangible benefits to improve your health, such as mental, physical, social and emotional benefits.
1. Improve Mental Health
Today, studies are showing more and more that pets improve our mental health status. Many years ago, dogs were brought into the psychiatric hospital wards as a test to help calm patients, as well as encourage these patients to cooperate. Today, we know that dogs can improve our moods drastically.
Have you ever felt sad or down in the dumps and had your dog bring you his ball to play? How did it make you feel, especially if he was panting and wagging his tail while looking into your eyes? Most likely your mood changed and you began playing ball with your pooch. This is a perfect example of how a dog can cause an automatic shift in your mood and get you out of a slump. Unconditional love offered by a dog can also cause positive chemicals to be released to the brain, thereby averting negative stressor chemicals (such as cortisol) found in the flight or fight syndrome. When positive occurrences are experienced, mental health improves greatly.