Are Pets Good for Us…
And Are We Good for Them?
In this day and age, more people are considering pets as part of the family.
In fact, in some societies, people are opting to have pets over children, with a study showing a whopping 72% stating that they prefer the company of pets over the company of children.
Some of the reasons stated behind opting for pets over children ranged from;
Desires to pursue other personal interests (such as career, personal projects, hobbies)
Financial reasons
Less stressful
But other than these reasons stated above, could there be other benefits to raising pets?
Social Cohesion
Aside from providing companionship and reducing feelings of loneliness, pets can help foster friendships between people and increase feelings of social support.
Researchers found that pet owners were 60% more likely than non–pet owners to get to know people in their neighbourhoods they hadn’t known before. This not only applies to dog owners and walkers but all pet owners.
An analysis of 148 studies on the topic found that people who have solid social networks are 50% more likely to live longer than those with limited social networks. In other words, pets indirectly improve our health by helping us make friends!
Physical Health
Studies have found that owning a pet can improve your health!
The University of Liverpool found that dog owners are four times more likely to meet recommended physical activity guidelines than non-dog owners.
By just walking 30 minutes a day, one’s risk of coronary heart disease, osteoporosis, colon and breast cancer, and type-2 diabetes are greatly reduced!
Dog walking has also been found to provide unique health benefits for older adults who do not own dogs. The increased physical activity through participating in community pet care, improved their physical, social, and mental well-being.
Though health benefits are not just limited to dog owners and walkers, as the American Heart Association has reported owning pets in general can significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by lowering stress, blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar.
Mental Well-being
It has been well-documented that being around or owning companion animals can reduce depression and anxiety or increase emotional stability.
Simply petting a dog or interacting with animals can significantly reduce the stress hormone, cortisol, and help us de-stress whilst also causing us to release dopamine and oxytocin, which play a key role in relaxation and bonding.
Child Development
Those hoping to have pets and children will be relieved to know that pets are just as good for a child’s development, helping to boost self-esteem and empathy whilst teaching responsibility.
Studies have also found that pets can be a positive influence on a child’s social skills, physical health, and cognitive development, with one study showing that children between two to five years old with a family dog were more active, spent less time on screens, and slept more on average, than those without a pet.
With all these benefits pets bring, it therefore comes as no surprise that several treatments are beginning to include animals in what is known as Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT). Including animals in therapy has been shown to improve social, cognitive, motor, and emotional functioning.
But don’t worry!
Companion animals benefit from the interaction too!
One 2020 study found that dogs shown a picture of their owner responded with increased activation in areas of the brain associated with emotion and attachment processing and activated the “reward” areas of the brain when seeing that face show a happy emotion.
In fact, the Five Needs of Animal Welfare suggests positive experiences influenced by interacting with humans can improve the overall welfare state of an animal!
These positive experiences included humans participating in enjoyable routine activities, being a calming presence, providing positive reinforcements during training, as well as tactile contact and provision of preferred food. These rewarding human-animal interactions can enhance the positive behaviour which positively influences their psychological well-being, resulting in a higher level of overall animal welfare.
So, in short, yes, keeping and interacting with pets has many benefits that can be good for our overall well-being. However, it can also be beneficial to companion animals too, contributing to improved animal welfare, especially when humans adopt a positive attitude during these interactions.
To ensure more people in Hong Kong can experience the joys of keeping or interacting with pets, as well as improve the experience of keeping pets, the SPCA offers adoption services for companion animals of all shapes and sizes and frequently advocates and lobbies for more pet inclusivity, accessibility, and responsible pet ownership so that this can become a reality for more citizens in Hong Kong.
A high standard of animal welfare, supported by a robust legal framework, is a key foundation to ensure that animals are truly beneficial in human-animal interactions, which we, at the SPCA, continuously strive for!
