January is
Mental Wellness Month and February is American Heart Month (and Valentine’s
Day), which somehow makes this weekend between the two months a great time to
talk about the all the good that our pets bring to our lives.
Every year
thousands of humans venture out to their local animal shelters, or to a breeder
or pet store, in hope of adopting just the right pet for self or family. For
some, their noble mission is to provide a loving home to an animal that’s
unwanted, neglected or abused, or that would be euthanized if someone didn’t
take it home. Others are looking for a specific pet companion. Hopefully all
are committed to giving their new pet the structure, safety and love it needs to
live a happy life – often proud to have rescued an animal from a terrible fate.
What
happens next is often displayed on paw print bumper stickers that read, “Who
Rescued Whom?”
Many pet
lovers, like me, will admit that it doesn’t take long for our adopted “kids” to
capture our hearts, take control of our schedules and pretty well insert themselves
into every aspect of our lives. In no
time at all we find ourselves asking, “Who’s in charge here – me or the dog?” Duh. It’s the dog. Well, for me it’s the dog,
currently a small mixed breed named Coco, but I’m an equal opportunity animal
lover and it’s okay with me if you’d rather share your life with a cat or another
kind of creature that’s suitable for home life – such as a bird, fish or turtle
– whatever works for you that isn’t a mountain lion or an alligator. Dogs help our hearts, physically and emotionally. The American Heart Association describes that if people actually walk their dogs, the people are “more likely to achieve the recommended level of physical activity.” In other words, even if your life seems otherwise balanced but you’re sitting all day at work, walking your dog on a regular basis adds a heart health component that you may need to live a longer and better life. Listen to your canine. Most like to walk, run and play. It seems that if you follow the dog’s lead (I did say that) and take it outside for at least one long, brisk walk every day, the dog may be rescuing you from obesity and heart disease. In addition, you’ll feel positive about exercising and taking good care of your loving pet, and you’ll probably sleep better at night. Go play – it’s good for you!
It gets
better. Dogs can be natural mental health
healers. Face it – life really sucks sometimes and many of us have faced
that dark hole of pain and despair or the clutch of stress and anxiety that
sends us reeling. Here comes your own Coco dog, happy to receive all the hugs
and attention you can give, and always willing to go for a walk or a hike with
you - the perfect companion who loves you and doesn’t judge you. Your dog
understands both your body language and your speech, with a vocabulary of 200-1000
words (genius dog), so go ahead and communicate. The dog will learn to respond to
your words & commands, especially if you take it to obedience training
classes for consistency.
No matter what,
no matter how low or how tense you feel, your dog still has to be taken for
walks on its own schedule, which gets you off the couch, out the door and out
of your own head. Walking the dog gets you outside in the sun and breeze (or
rain or snow) where there are other dog-walking people (or person-walking dogs)
– some of them hurting like you are. There are new friends out there. Go on and
meet them. Live in the moment and be grateful for the lessons you’ve learned
from your four-legged companion. You’ll feel better for it.
People rescue dogs. Dogs rescue
people. Ain’t nothin’ wrong about that.
