Choosing A Family Pet

A Family Pet
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The Advantages of Having a Family Pet

Whether its petting a purring kitty, playing with a pooch, guinea pig or hamster, there is no doubt that pets can bring their owners (both old and young) great happiness, joy, and excitement. Pet ownership goes well beyond the fact that they’re lots of fun, cuddly, and cheerful. Getting a family pet can be a great step for grooming your children, while bringing the family closer together. There are many animals to choose from, each of them offering their own unique personality to families.

Of course, they do come with a great deal of duties and responsibilities as well, but at the same time they can provide important lessons for young children and adults. Therefore, if you’re still contemplating on whether it’s the right time to bring a four-legged, multi-finned, or two-winged critter into your family, you might want to speed up the decision-making process. For some expert input on how animals can enrich your family’s life particular for little kids, look at these benefits below:

A Family Pet

Bring the Family Together in Reaching Verdicts

Grooming children the right way involves using unique techniques that teach them to love outside the family and at the same time getting them intrigued into making serious decisions. The process of deciding on what kind of animal a family should get can prove to be an exceptional bonding experience that brings parents and children closer.

While dad and mom may take on a majority of the responsibilities, there is a strong role for children as well. Particularly, lending a tiny hand with the easier jobs like pouring food into the dish or keeping an eye on what the pet is doing – develops a sense of responsibility in kids. This can prove to be beneficial in terms of raising your children, as it teaches them to take accountability for their actions. It also teaches them that animals just like people need love, food, shelter, and exercise.

Boost Children’s Self-Esteem and Confidence

There have been numerous researches concerning the effects of keeping a family pet. One of the results showed that kids with family pets boast better confidence and higher self-esteem. How is that possible? Well, having an animal that kids can turn to for talking, playing, or getting unconditional love when no one else is around boosts self-confidence and morality.

Later on, when your children start going to school, pets can further help in boosting their academic skills. According to a study, it was revealed kids that read aloud to a loyal (and nonjudgmental) companion like dogs can transform a reluctant reader into a rather self-confident one. It can also help kids talk about their feelings better with others, as who doesn’t vent out to pets (regardless of age)?

Good for Everyone’s Health

Children that grow up with pets are less likely to get affected or develop common allergies – thanks to exposure of certain bacteria from a young age. Of course, there might be some kids who are genuinely allergic to animals, so you might want to consult a doctor before taking the plunge. For instance, it might not be a good idea to keep a Persian cat due to their heavy shedding of hair, if your child has breathing or respiratory related problems.

Conversely, if your kids are free from all allergies and can stay around pets, research shows that people with pets get sick less often. A study conducted in 2012 determined that children who lived with dogs were generally healthier during the first year of life with less frequent ear infections and fewer respiratory problems than kids without canines. Patting or brushing a furry creature has even shown to lower stress levels in humans (regardless of their age). Even a cat “purring” can provide great health benefits.

Therapeutic for Children and Parents

Pets are a great way to beat the blues, not only for kids but parents as well. Studies have shown that pets can help in reducing anxiety and stress, lower blood pressure, and speed up recovery time. Their unconditional love gives their owners a sense of purpose, which can be crucial for people who aren’t exactly going through a good phase in life.

Pets also help combat feelings of loneliness for both adults and children by providing friendly companionship, which boosts overall mood and increases feelings of happiness and joy. In fact, patients who often experience anxiety undergo Animal-assisted Therapy (AAT) or Pet-facilitated Therapy (PFT) to treat their stress and depression.

Teach Kids Empathy

If children don’t have a safe place to share their truest of feelings and emotions, they may develop tendencies of a bully and project those emotions onto other children. Since a pet is guaranteed to love your child, no matter what – it gives kids confidence to verbally pour out their frustration, fear and anger. Caring for a pet that is so loving and dependent on you also teaches empathy.

Your child learns to read your pets needs, while also understanding moods. For instance, maybe the pet is scared of the snow or rain and needs extra comforting. Maybe he needs some playtime or is hungry. Empathy and understanding is one skill that can be taught by keeping a family pet.

Give Unconditional Love

One of the main benefits of having a family pet is that they offer unconditional love for everyone, something that humans can’t really commit to. These loving creatures are non-judgmental, caring, and down-to-earth. This can prove especially beneficial for children who have emotional distress, sibling rivalry, or have trouble communicating.

A pet gives them someone to open up to and talk, while also receiving comfort and support. Pets can sense when a human isn’t in a healthy state of mind and can listen to a child’s trouble without consequence or judgment. And, when playing, your family pet can even become your child’s best friend and partner. What else can a person ask for?

Act as a Personal Trainer

Want your family to be healthy and fit? A pet is the perfect friend for gaining exercise motivation for everyone in your family, regardless of their age. When in the mood to play, kids enjoy the physical activity and exercise with pets. Elders too gain motivation to exercise, as most pets need to be walked several times a day, particularly dogs.

According to research conducted by the National Institute of Health involving 2,000 adults, dog owners responsible for walking their pups are likely to be less obese than those without a pet or who pass the duty off to someone else. Adults can enjoy quality exercise time with pets at a range of locations. There are many training classes, parks, outdoor cafes, and even pet-focused social sites, like Petpop.com, Dogster.com, and Catster.com for finding entertainment for your four-legged munchkins.

Fills Your Heart with Love

There is no doubt pets can fill your heart with love and affection. There is no major evidence to deny the presence of a pet can even improve the health of the actual organ? The National Institute of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention both conducted heart-related studies on pet owners. The findings revealed that pet owners exhibited a decrease in triglyceride, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels, all of which ultimately reduces the risk of a stroke in the future.

For adults who have had a heart attack, keeping a dog can help them recover faster and achieve better health. If you’re responsible for taking care of your family, but have heart-related issues, there isn’t any denying the benefits having a pet can bring to YOU.

So, if you want to receive the above-mentioned advantages, perhaps it’s time you considered bring a pet home.

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