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07/06/2008

IMPROVE YOUR LIFE- ADOPT A PET

Improve Your Life! Adopt a Pet. The 50 plus community will find that pet companionship and adopting from the SPCA can be a very rewarding and life enhancing experience. Pets provide loyal, long-lasting friendships and significantly decrease feelings of loneliness, often experienced by seniors – particularly following the death of a spouse. Studies show that pets not only boost physical health by lowering blood pressure and cholesterol, they can actually reduce stress and increase a person’s overall feeling of happiness. Researchers in geriatrics at the University of Guelph in Guelph, Ontario recently published a study showing how elderly people who own pets are more active than those who do not, suggesting that pet ownership has positive effects on physical well-being. In a study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, the daily activities involved in caring for a dog or cat also reduces feelings of isolation and loneliness in the elderly. Pet ownership was shown to have a "statistically significant effect on the physical health of older people," according to the Canadian team of researchers led by Dr. Parminder Raina. Raina and his team conducted interviews with over 1,000 independently living, elderly Canadians, 286 of whom owned either a dog or cat. The researchers discovered that pet owners were "more physically active than non-pet owners," scoring higher in their ability to carry out the normal activities of daily living. The findings also showed that dog ownership, and the regular walks that can entail, was linked to physical activity levels similar to those found in cat owners. Researchers also report that pet ownership "buffered" the psychological impact of social isolation in some elderly individuals. In fact, the authors found that elderly people who lacked strong social support (for example, family and friends) remained relatively emotionally healthy during life-crises compared with non-pet-owners placed in similar situations. Dr. Parminder Raina and his team believe their findings support the notion that pets provide real health benefits to the elderly.Anatole France once said, "Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains un-awakened". But, sadly, thousands of unwanted pets end up in SPCA shelters across Newfoundland & Labrador each year. Some are stray and neglected while others are given up by their owners because of divorce, allergies or moving out of province. The majority of these animals are highly adoptable and in most cases, the adult animals are already house-trained and ready to go to new homes. Sadly, the cold reality is that there are too many animals and not enough responsible homes for them all.The most wonderful feeling in the world when you adopt from a shelter is, knowing that you are saving a life. Additionally, by adopting instead of buying an animal, you are not contributing to the serious pet overpopulation problem in the Province. The cost of adopting is far less than buying from a breeder or pet store. By adopting a mature cat or dog, “what you see is what you get” and you can avoid the challenges in training a kitten or puppy. Anyone who has ever experienced the unconditional love that comes from a pet knows how much they enrich our lives. It is a win-win situation for everyone. If you are considering adopting an animal in need, be sure to visit your local shelter to discuss with the experienced staff all your options to be sure a pet is the responsible choice for you.

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