The Healing Power of Pets

The healing power of our pets is no longer just superstition. The social, behavioral, emotional and physical benefits of having pets are now backed by scientific evidence. Because of the human-animal bond studies conducted over the last five years, scientists have found pets to be valuable from families going through death or divorce, the isolated elderly, children with low self esteem, AIDS victims, Alzheimer's patients, to children with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD).

Did you know that...

• Pet owners tend to have lower blood pressure.


• Senior citizens with dogs have less doctor visits than those who don't.


• Having a pet may decrease heart attack mortality by 3%, factoring up to 30,000 lives per year.


• People with pets feel less fearful of being a victim of a crime while walking their dog or living with a dog.


• Babies exposed to pets during their first year have a lower chance of getting asthma.


• Having pets develops nurturing behavior in children which transfers to the way they treat animals and other humans in their adulthood.


• Having a pet (especially a dog) in the household helps children adjust better to the illness or death of a parent.