Research on dogs positive impact on our mental health is extremely topical at the moment, but let us not forget about the physical health benefits for owners!
Apart from the positive hormones owning a dog that can improve physical health and recovery, there are many other physical health contributions from your dog.
They help you exercise more and get more vitamin D if you go on these relaxing walks in the sun – even if it’s just a daily walk around the neighbourhood. Dogs have a lot of pent up energy and if it does not get exerted in the right ways it can lead to them acting out and either digging in the garden, chewing on furniture, etc. So if exercising them isn’t enough of a motivation, having an ‘obedient’ dog definitely is!
They help us socialise more – it’s hard not to strike up a conversation with someone while their dog is playing with yours. We are always communicating via electronic platforms, but it is much more beneficial to our health to socialise face to face, with research showing about 40% of dog owners found it easier to make friends.
It even has better physical health improvements for children. As children grow up, their immune system is developing based on your exposure – this means a reduction in the possibility of allergies as they grow up. They even help your children who have ADHD! ADHD children are known to have above normal amount of energy, making it hard for them to keep their concentration. Having a dog, who also has loads of energy, could allow your child to play with the dogs in order to exert as much energy as they can – with adult supervision of course!
Trained medical alert dogs can even save their owners before their medical issue by alerting them they need to get help. There are many physical health ailments that can be assisted by medical alert dogs, including seizures, diabetes, narcolepsy and many more.
Basically, the benefits of owning a dog seem almost endless!
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