An animal will never leave you, judge you, or ask to borrow money, but they CAN improve your health and change your life forever. I am the proud parent of 5 rescue animals from the Escambia County Animal Shelter, Panhandle Animal Welfare Society and even one that came straight off the street. Of the 6 – 8 million homeless animals in shelters across the country, approximately 100,000 of those animals are in our region alone (americanhumane.org). Adopting a pet from a shelter is better than buying a pet from a breeder or pet store and adopting changes (and SAVES) lives. You may be wondering how adopting is so different from buying a pet from a shelter or breeder. Of the 6 – 8 million pets in shelters in the U.S. nearly all are the offspring of pure breed puppies and kittens from breeders and puppy mills as well as family pets. Pets in shelters are less expensive than those from pet stores and commercial breeders. Pets in shelters are current on their vaccinations, most are house trained and if they are old enough they are already spayed neutered Adopting pets from shelters saves lives. Now that you know the difference between shelter animals and animals from breeders, let’s talk about how animals can contribute to your well-being. Over the last 25 years research has shown that being a pet owner provides certain health benefits. Infants that that live in a home with dogs and cats are less likely to show evidence of pet allergies – 19% vs 33% and they are less likely to have eczema, a skin allergy that presents with dry, itchy red patches (webmd). Playing with your pet or even just stroking their fur has been shown to elevate serotonin and dopamine levels – these are nerve transmitters known to have a calming properties, thus lowering stress levels and blood pressure (Blair Justice, PhD, University of Texas School of Public Health and author of Who Gets Sick: How Beliefs, Moods and Thoughts Affect Your Health”). The elderly in nursing homes as well as terminally ill patients are less likely to suffer from depression than those without pets. Studies show that Alzheimer’s patients are less likely to suffer from anxious outbursts if there are animals in the home (Lynette Hart, PhD, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Emory University, Atlanta). Having a pet can actually help you get a date by helping to ease social shyness and anxiety. Now that you know how a pet can improve your quality of life, let’s talk about how adopting a pet from a shelter can improve the quality of life for pet’s everywhere. Ladies, could you imagine getting pregnant every time you got your monthly cycle? Guys, what if that was your wife or girlfriend? Female animals in commercial mills are bred every time they come into heat, not allowing the animals to recover and regain proper health between litters. Animals in mills are bred purely for profit and spend their entire lives locked up in filthy and cramped cages with no time to play and no affection. Many of them never even step paw on grass. Commercial breeders produce as many as 4 million animals a year and of the roughly 11,000 animals that die each day in shelters across the country, 20% are pure breeds (awarenessday.org). Animals need space to run and play and they crave to love and be loved. Adopting an animal can improve your well-being both physically and mentally as well as making a positive difference in the animal’s life. With millions of animals, 20% of which are pure breeds, entering shelters each year, there is no reason to believe that anyone wouldn’t be able to find the perfect addition to their family if they would only take the time to visit local shelter and rescue groups. By not supporting commercial breeders directly or indirectly we can decrease the number of animals in shelters and put an end to their suffering. The more love you give, the more love you get in return. Besides, cages are for criminals!!!!
Posted on: Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:52:50 +0000
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