Opinion: Why Every Home Should Have a Pet

Introduction

Don’t worry, we’re not proposing legislation that would require every home to have a pet, although such a policy could have its benefits.

Instead, we’d like to explore our personal opinions when it comes to ways in which pets can enhance one’s daily life, on several different levels.

Not everyone is well suited to take care of a pet, and allergies can also limit an individual’s options when it comes to the kinds of pets they can have in the house.

We’re also not focusing solely on dogs and cats in this article. We believe there are benefits to having pets of any kind in the home, from lizards to fish to ferrets.

With that, we’d like to present our editorial piece on why every home should have a pet, along with some supporting evidence.

Contents

Introduction
Helping Animals in Need
Health Benefits
Good Old Fashioned Fun
Practice for Raising Children
A Connection to Nature
A Social Facilitator
Companionship and Love
Closing

Helping Animals in Need

As many of us are already aware, there are thousands and thousands of domestic animals in desperate need of shelter and loving care.

Animal shelters around the country do their absolute best to take in as many stray animals as they can. They also do their best to avoid having to put pets down.

But unfortunately, there are many medical conditions as well as issues of space that may require animals to be euthanized.

And while it may not be possible for a society to responsibly adopt all the animals that need homes, pet adoption from a shelter helps alleviate the situation.

It’s a very simple exchange: animals need shelter, food, and love, and every one of us needs the love that pets can give.

So if you’re in a position where you could responsibly adopt a pet and care for it, we highly recommend looking into some local animal shelters in your area.

This way, you can help pets find a true home. While buying pets may seem like a good idea, especially if you want to be assured of the type and breed, it is highly discouraged.

This is done so that all animals have an equal chance at getting the best life possible. Just like people, animals have feelings, and they also want to be loved, cuddled, and taken care of – they deserve everything the world can offer.

Even if you’re unable to adopt, you may want to volunteer with a shelter about once a week.

Health Benefits

Some people may not be aware that having a pet in the home can have major health benefits.

After all, there’s a good reason that well-trained cats and dogs are often used as a form of therapy in hospitals, elder care homes, and college campuses during stressful times.

Petting a dog can lower an individual’s blood pressure. Even staring at fish in an aquarium has been proven to have mild de-stressing effects for many people.

And while pets in the home may cause brief moments of frustration, for the majority of their stay they can provide psychological relief and an excellent low-cost way to relax and destress.

Aside from this, pets that aren’t trained for medical purposes like therapy can also help your overall outlook in life. Your pets can keep you entertained and make you happier, and they can also ready how you feel, especially when you’ve bonded for a long time and have taken care of your pet with all the love and support you can muster.

Good Old Fashioned Fun

Having a pet in the home is just plain fun. Don’t believe me? Then maybe you aren’t familiar with YouTube and the (literally) thousands of videos showing just how much fun pets can be.

Best of all, each pet tends to have its own personality, making for specific quirks and habits that can be entertaining or even comforting.

And if you happen to have children as well, then playing with a pet can serve as a great recreational alternative to watching television or playing with various electronic devices.

It also helps that cats and dogs, in particular, have a built-in desire for play, especially when very young.

Practice for Raising Children

Remember the film adaptation of Marley and Me starring Owen Wilson? There’s a great scene in that movie where someone recommends that the couple get a dog as a way to practice for having a child.

While it’s not a foolproof plan, there’s something genuinely useful in the idea.

Of course, caring for a pet can never fully prepare you for raising a child. In fact, nothing can fully prepare someone for the challenges and joys of raising a child.

But owning a pet does introduce you to the idea of caring for something nonstop, and not always being able to tell exactly what they want.

Owning a pet requires a lot of responsibility, and if you haven’t matured enough, your pet will surely push you to your limits. They need to be fed, bathed, and loved – and if that’s not enough, just like children, they also like to mess things up at home.

Thus, it will be a challenging experience for you, but it will surely be a huge learning curve.

A Connection to Nature

Human beings tend to be fairly self-centered, not just on an individual level but as a species. We tend to care most about other human beings, which is entirely justified.

But the environmental protection movement of the last 20 or so years has served as an excellent reminder that sometimes we need to think outside of ourselves.

Having a pet in the home can be a great way to step outside of yourself and connect with nature in a very small way.

It’s wonderful to observe the simple and immediate needs of pets and the joy that they experience when meeting new people or exploring the outdoors when out on a walk.

A Social Facilitator

Another reason that every home should have a pet is that pets can serve as a great way to alleviate social anxiety.

For example, you may feel uncomfortable having family members over to your house. There’s a lot of preparation to be done and it’s almost inevitable that there will be some unpleasant topics of conversation.

But having a pet around can help alleviate some of the uncomfortable moments.

If there’s ever a lull in the conversation or uncomfortable silence, everyone can just direct their attention toward the pet, who will almost always be doing something cute or entertaining.

Companionship and Love

This is probably one of the most significant benefits of having a pet, no matter what kind.

Pets can provide their owners with unconditional love and companionship for years at a time. Regardless of your situation and personal life, we can all use some more unconditional love in our lives.

And all you have to do is take care of your pet and do your best to provide well for them.

This is especially helpful if you happen to live alone. Every time you come home, you will be treated to a happy pet who’s just glad to see you.