Impact of Owning a Domesticated Animal

I have always had a natural love for animals of any kind. The fact that something created or put these living things on this earth to live harmoniously with humans baffles me. Or at least, they should live harmoniously with us and we should live with them. Sadly, this is not the case most of the time unless we are talking about owning a pet that is domesticated. This is where my love comes in. A lot of kids will continuously beg their parents for a pet of some sort until the parent either gives in or completely shuts down the kid’s hopes and dreams of having that companion. I am definitely guilty of this, as I’m sure most of us humans are. So here I am going to describe why you may not want to give your child an indefinite ‘no’ when they ask for a puppy.

There can definitely be times where a pet is not practical and necessary, so I’m not saying that it’s always the right time to acquire one, but there are definitely plenty of times where it could only benefit. There are plenty of lessons that owning a pet teaches us. It teaches us compassion, especially for other living beings on a lower level than us. This is important because I believe loving something so seemingly miniscule in comparison to the millions are out there can teach us that each thing is one of a kind, and no living thing; pet or human, is the exact same as another. Not only is it worth mentioning that animals, namely dogs, help induce the stress-reducing hormone oxytocin, and slow the release of the stress-inducing hormone cortisol.

There are cases where this is very applicable in modern society’s health and wellbeing. According to animalsmart.org, “These hormonal changes can help a nervous child feel more relaxed about reading aloud. Reduced stress can also benefit physical health. In a 2001 study, researchers found that pet-owning patients with high blood pressure could keep their blood pressure lower during times of mental stress than patients without pets.” I find it very striking and surprising to find out about this scientific information. Sometimes I wonder why my parents are on their blood pressure medication at all and not just surrounding themselves with hundreds of adorable dogs.

There is also the giant factor of responsibility. This is perhaps the biggest reason why people do not get pets, but I also believe it should be the biggest reason why they do. It is important to make sure that if you are buying a pet to partly keep your child company, then you must make it well known that you won’t be the only one doing all the dirty work. By this I mean cleaning up after it, potty training, feeding it, giving it affection, and all the in-betweens that sometimes give us a run for our money. However, as a young kid growing up with multiple pets in the house, I can definitely say it has only helped me. It taught me responsibility, and how important it is to make sure that if you are willing to spend your money on a pet it is well worth to spend lots of time to make sure it isn’t lonely or neglected.

I don’t see why anybody would not want a pet to keep themselves and/or child company. There are so many cases where it is nothing but an amazing opportunity for us to connect with the important other side of nature. It lets us give love, respect, and loyalty to the animal and it will mostly always return to you with the same virtues. On top of this it can teach young people how to be responsible and why you must be respectful for any living thing you come across.