HEALTH
Lifestyle
WHY I SHOULD
HAVE A DOG
IT’S SCIENTIFIC .
I’m not allowed to have a dog. That pretty
much sums up the pet situation in my life.
It has been the one thing my husband and I have argued over consistently
through 24 years of marriage. Please don’t think my husband is a brute
because he is an animal lover to be sure, but we disagree on the very
basics of having a dog. He lived on a farm where dogs were big, lived
outside and fended off predators. Dogs had a purpose and a job.
I want a dog in the house, to love and cuddle with on the couch, to pour
my heart out to, take funny pictures of and include as a member of the
family on Christmas cards, maybe dressed up in a cute hat. (You know,
like regular people…)
Here is a new argument for me to try...pets can actually improve your
health both physically and mentally. It’s true! Pets are good for your
health. Science mostly, except for a few curmudgeons, agrees!
In the studies I’ve read, doggies are the best pets for improving health,
mainly because they need to be walked and that makes you walk too.
People with dogs walk more than people without and improve their
overall fitness. Getting outdoors in the fresh air, and walking with
your dog has been proven to lower cholesterol better than walking
with another human being. That may be because there’s much less
jibber jabbering going on and your dog is unlikely to suggest a rest
at the ice cream or donut shop in the middle of the whole thing.
24 | whiteoaksclub.com | fall 2015