Your dog’s excitement upon your arrival from a hard day at work is an all-inclusive package for you to feel happy and fresh. Nothing can be compared to this mutual admiration and happiness. The bond of humans with dogs has long been one of the most researched topics for scientists. It is in the genes of both the species to find comfort in each other’s company. Though my personal fondness for dogs began in the third decade of my life, it assumed its tremendous grade in almost no time. For the utmost devotion that dogs have to offer us, we can hardly put together everything to be thankful to them. Their love and affection, and constant companionship seem little in front of the many positive affects they have on our lives. Read on to know how dogs have been aiding in humans’ health.

More Exercise

Several studies have showed that people who have pet dogs are often much healthier than those who do not have dogs. Fostering a dog makes you more active. Daily walks, playtimes, and a good bath, your dog’s routine essential tasks will keep you motivated and more active. A good 30-minute walk routine with your dog will make both of you fit and healthy.

Reduced Stress

Several studies have indicated that a human’s stress level decreases considerably when they pet or interact with dogs. Playing with dogs boosts the production of oxytocin, a hormone that reduces stress in humans. It also reduces the production of cortisol, which is a hormone related to stress. Service and therapy dogs have been proven to be highly beneficial for humans’ physiological and psychological wellbeing. Researchers also say that a pet dog at home means that you will feel lesser symptoms of depression. In fact, this fact has been taken seriously by several organizations who have retorted to therapies involving dogs and other animals for treating patients with various mental illnesses.

Better Heart Condition

Some researchers have concluded in their studies that petting dogs is linked to lowering heart rates. This means that an owner or a dog parent will more likely have a healthier heart than a person who does not own a dog. The Department of Health and Nutrition Sciences, New York, studied and concluded that people who own a dog have more likelihood to survive for about one year after a heart attack. (Pet ownership, social support, and one-year survival after acute myocardial infarction in the Cardiac Arrhythmia Suppression Trial (CAST), 1995)

Fewer Allergies in Kids

New studies have shown that children who grow up with dogs are more resistant to some of the most common environmental allergies. However, it is necessary to always be around when dogs and kids are playing together. You may also ask a veterinary doctor online about fostering a dog in a home where there are kids and elderly.

Feeling Safe

For ages, people have been taming dogs for various purposes. From assisting in hunts to securing homes, dogs have proven their worth and importance. At home, a dog is a natural guard, regardless of their breed. It is so because their barks can alarm and deter robbers. Also, their remarkable sense of smelling and listening to faintest of noises makes them vigil and ready. All in all, a dog at home can be an excellent security and can provide to their owners a strong feeling of security.

Better Social Life

Walking a dog has more advantages. Other dog lovers might want to pet your dog and might start a conversation with you. A walk with a dog will not only bring you good exercise, but also possibly new friends, or even a date.

How do we benefit dogs

Human beings are not the only ones who are incalculably benefitted from their furry companions; dogs too gain several benefits of their friendship with us. Dating back to the ages when dogs were mainly domesticated for hunting, they have been immensely adored and loved by the humans. Their food and safety has forever been taken care of by the human owners. A research done on the shelter animals, who are mostly rescued, showed that their stress levels came down considerably with increased human interaction, love, and care. Such animals are generally found to be highly stressed and anxious because of their history where they might have been treated badly or had been abandoned. Human interaction helped them relax and calmer, which made things easier for their further adoption.

In this study that was conducted on more than 100 dogs at a shelter in Colorado, the dogs were divided into two groups. One group was given a play or a walk time every day, where they interacted with humans for grooming or obedience training sessions. The other group was not allowed to go out of the kennels with no interaction with humans. The dogs in the first group were tested for cortisol in their saliva at the time of their return from their interaction time with humans. Regardless of the gender, breed, or age of the dogs, the dogs who had interacted with humans showed much lower levels of cortisone than the other group.

The companionship of humans and dogs has always stormed the Internet. I have hardly met anyone who didn’t feel emotional while watching the movie, A Dog’s Purpose. In fact, the adorable canines can be too funny, excited, and playful, keeping us running along all those vibes. I often try to fix a day gone bad by watching some guilty dogs videos, some of whom didn’t wait a second before blaming the other pet. Though my kid and my ‘once mischievous’ black lab do not interact the way I have seen several Internet babies, it is absolutely lovely to see them standing for each other, waiting up to go on adventures together, and stealing a kiss or two from each other. It is this ingrained love for each other in humans and dogs that has massive effect on our brains, instantly switching the ‘happy’ button.

BIO of Vet: 

Dr Manish Chaudhary

I am a veterinary by profession and a passionate animal lover. My passion for animals made me become a veterinary surgeon and my vision is to spread animal health and welfare through online dissemination of information and assistance, like what we are doing at Drwaggers.com.