In the eyes of an animal lover, pets are yet another key part to wellness and can improve mental health. Pets of all kinds can help in this instance, anything from a goldfish to a dog. Currently, I myself have one hamster, two guinea pigs, and one dog (although the dog doesn’t currently live with me). Pets can be good for mental illnesses, such as depression or anxiety. I find that to be very true. If nothing else they can be a reason to get someone out of bed in the morning because they would need food, water, and possibly a walk outside.
Growing up, I had a dog. He was a boxer and his name was Zander. He was definitely the best thing for me for the years I had him. He’d lay on the couch with me when I had a migraine, was recovering from surgery, or even if my anxiety was simply just so high I couldn’t even move. Zander was there. He didn’t have a good start in life.
He was a rescue dog, and because of this he wasn’t a fan on loud noises or some men. Once we got him, at just over a year old, we noticed that he seemed very timid and afraid of everyone and everything. Although we can’t say if this is because of his start in life or because he was no longer living with his foster family, we started treating him like you should treat a pet that you love. He quickly turned from a shy, afraid puppy, to a happy and confident dog.
I believe that pets are not just put on earth to make working life easier for humans, whether it’s a dog for herding sheep or a therapy cat, but also to enrich our personal lives.
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