Have you ever had the pleasure of having a dog as a pet? Are you aware of the many health benefits that owning a dog can bring? I am a bit biased I suppose because I have always loved having a dog around the house, but I find it hard to understand why more people do not take the plunge and own a dog. In this article I write about the ways in which a dog can help and improve peoples health.

Owning a dog can help people who are often stressed out in their life. Going out in the garden or in the local park and throwing a ball to my dog to fetch, often brings a smile to my face. I can see my dog wagging her tail in enjoyment as she retrieves the ball, she then drops the ball at my feet in the hope that I will throw it again. As she runs full speed after the ball again, I just stand their in amazement at the sheer power of her. Being somebody myself who has always struggled to cope with stress, I find this whole experience helps me in a number of ways. As well as bringing the smile to my face as previously mentioned, which of course is showing that I am happy, this game is helping me to take my mind off all of the things that I was worrying about.

When back in the house the dog shows me a lot of love and likes to cuddle up with various members of our family on the sofa, including me of course. This makes our home so much cosier and warmer, this itself helps in reducing the amount that I stress. The warmth and love always makes me feel better and helps me to think in a more positive way. There is nothing worse for somebody like myself than spending long periods on my own as this makes my mind start to wonder, I basically start to think too much about aspects of my life and the future. This thinking is probably better described as worrying.

Taking the dog on these walks to the park is also a great form of exercise for me. I am sure that I do not have to explain the health benefits of exercise to the readers of this article, but you can see that this is another good reason for owning a dog. When walking the dog, the fresh air and the time away from the house helps me to clear my mind. As an example, if my wife or children are starting to annoy or nag me, which in turn can lead me to becoming a bit stressed, this is then the time that I will put the dog on her lead and take her for a walk. Sometimes I do this eight times a day! I hope that when I return home that the house will be a lot calmer and a more relaxed place to be.

As you can probably tell, I gain a lot of pleasure out of having a dog as a pet and I am sure that more people could as well, if only they were willing to give it a try.