Pets- One of the Best Stress Busters

An animal kept for companionship and enjoyment or as a household animal is known as a pet. Dogs and cats are the most favored domesticated pets.

Dogs can be trained to fetch things like newspapers and perform tricks for enjoyment. Dogs are intelligent and loyal and one can depend on them to guard houses, prevent unknown people from entering the house and also to catch thieves. If they are trained right from their childhood, they learn many things. They can give solace to sick people, they can lead blind owners, and they can reduce the stressed person by showering love and affection on them.

There are several types of dogs and some are kept by people for their beautiful and pleasing appearances. When a dog welcomes its owner by wagging its tail or by jumping or licking them, the owner feels elated. All his worries seem to get washed away and he relaxes.

Some dogs can even be trained as ‘therapy’ dogs. Statistics show that these dogs help in leading a healthier life as people remain better and faster when a pet is around. By merely stroking a dog, one relaxes and a person gets proper exercise, fresh air and social interaction while taking his pet dog for walks. A pet can lower a person’s blood pressure and even reduce the risk of heart attacks by two per cent.

Other animals like monkeys, white mice, turtles and hares have also been kept as pets. Birds like parrots and lovebirds, fishes like goldfish are also some of the favorite pets. They are all kept by human beings as they give pleasure and companionship, someone to talk to if the person is staying alone, and if they are pleasing to look at or if they can sing. Having a pet reduces the stresses and strains of a busy life. They give a lot of affection and love and do not demand much in return.

There are medically approved ‘therapy’ animals, which are specially trained to help sick people. Dogs help blind owners by leading them. Patients get cured faster when a pet is near. More than 63 per cent houses in the US have pets such as dogs, cats or even reptiles and others, though dogs and cats top the list.

Cats please their owners when they purr. Dogs need more maintenance than cats. The major portion of expenses in having pets goes for their food, their houses, grooming aids, their toys and their treatment. Pets necessitate regular health care. They need cleaning and have to be given medicines and annual preventive shots. Looking after pets is important and often time consuming, hence before one decides to get a pet; the whole family has to be consulted.

Also there are certain housing complexes and condominiums, which have laws associated with pets. Some may allow one pet per family; others may draw a line at having reptiles as pets. Some others may prohibit pets on grounds of cleanliness or hygiene or infection.

Fishes and birds require low maintenance and do not need as much space as dogs. Dogs need kennels or beds to live in. But fishes need only an aquarium or a bowl and their food is also not very expensive.

Though pets are desirable but there are certain drawbacks too. You can catch an infection from your pet, or you may develop an allergy for its fur or hair, and if the pet bites, then there may be cause for alarm. A fertile cat can produce 12 to 18 kittens a year and this can result in having 420,000 cats in seven years. So, a person needs to consider all the aspects before keeping a pet.

Linus Orakles
http://www.authorclub.info/