As every pet owner knows, companion animals reciprocate love unconditionally and irrepressibly. In fact, medical experts tell us that the human-animal bond, in addition to being a mutually pleasurable exercise, actually benefits a person’s health. A University of Maryland study on heart attack patients revealed that pet-owning patients recuperated not only quicker, but were more likely to recover fully and live longer. Some researchers have found that the simple act of petting a cat consistently lowers the blood pressure. There are many scientists who believe that only the tip of the iceberg has so far been seen relative to the significance of pets in our lives. Scientists are assiduously exploring this new research frontier.
Recent studies have also shown that people in the presence of pets behave in a more relaxed and open manner. They are happier and they smile more readily. These characteristics are known to be part of a path that leads to improved general health.
So, when Fido gives you an affectionate greeting at the end of a stress-filled day and you ‘feel’ an ease from the tension, it is not your imagination. Your pet can truly lift your spirits and be good for your health mentally and physically.
A contributor to the Sunday Chronicle earlier this year, one PS Thakur, reminded us that pets support us humans socially and emotionally. Speaking to a companion animal soothes both the pet as well as the person. A psychologist, Dr James Lynch, noted a drop of blood pressure in his clients when they play with their pets. Pets are palliative. It has been shown that their presence has a calming effect on the heart and the entire central nervous system. The pet, writes Mr Thakur, has the power to draw away from negative thoughts which produce anxiety and depression. He believes that pets have an even greater positive effect and boost our immune system.
Allow me, dear readers, on this first Sunday in 2008 to share with you a ‘Tribute to a Dog’ that was written almost a century and a half ago by one George Vest, who was a US Senator. His sentiments reflect an undiluted truth:
“The one absolutely unselfish friend that man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous, is his dog. A man’s dog stands by him in prosperity and in poverty, in health and in sickness. He will sleep on the cold ground, where the cold winds blow and the rain drives fiercely, if only he may be near his master’s side.
He will kiss the hand that has no food to offer; he will lick the wounds and sores that come in encounter with the roughness of the world. He guards the sleep of his pauper master as if he were a prince. When all other friends desert, he remains. When riches take wings and reputation falls to pieces, he is as constant in his love as the sun in its journey thru the heavens.”
Please implement disease preventative measures (vaccinations, routine dewormings, monthly anti-heartworm medication, etc) and adopt-a-pet from the GSPCA’s Animal Clinic and Shelter at Robb Street and Orange Walk, if you have the wherewithal to care well for the animals. Do not stray your unwanted pets, take them to the GSPCA’s Clinic and Shelter instead. If you see anyone being cruel to an animal, or if you need any technical information, please get in touch with the Clinic and Shelter by calling 226-4237.
