For Pet Owners, Families & the Community
In the Life of Your Pet
As teachers of unconditional love they have few equals. As examples of intelligence, good heartedness and dependence upon us, they are right up there with most children.
Most of us are familiar with the poem that states:
If you can start the day without caffeine,
If you can get going without pep pills,
If you can resist complaining and boring people with your problems,
If you can eat the same food every day and be grateful for it,
If you can understand when your loved ones are too busy to give you any time,
If you can overlook it when something goes wrong through no fault of your own and those you love take it out on you,
If you can take criticism and blame without resentment,
If you can ignore a friend's limited education and never correct him,
If you can resist treating a rich friend better than a poor friend,
If you can face the world without lies and deceit,
If you can conquer tension without medical help,
If you can relax without liquor,
If you can sleep without the aid of drugs,
If you can say honestly that deep in your heart you have no prejudice against creed, color, religion, or politics,
Then, my friends, you are almost as good as your dog |
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 The Animal Kingdom Foundation of Compassion, Care, and Concern (AKFCCC) invites you to take a moment and appreciate all that your pet does for you. How do you show your gratitude? Extra food treats? Buying expensive toys or the highly marketed more expensive brand of food in the supermarket? Cute outfits? Doggy day out, either for a run in the park or to attend a pet makeover?
When was the last time you actively sought additional education on the proper care and feeding of your favorite four-legged family member. This can be done from the privacy of your own home via books from your local library or through the miracle of the internet. It can also be done by visiting your local veterinarian at least twice a year for preventative check-ups and availing yourself of their expertise and advanced knowledge when it comes to issues of how to really improve the life of your faithful pet.
When you consider how much we spend buying over marketed products that make no real difference to your pet’s actual quality of life or overall and long-term health, this may actually save you money. Even if it doesn’t, aren’t they worth it?
Read this article from PreventDisease.com and then decide just how much compassion, care and concern our pets really warrant.
from PreventDisease.com
In a recent survey by the American Animal Hospital Association, 57 percent of pet owners indicated that if they were stranded on a desert island, they would prefer the company of their pet to another human. Simply put, it makes us happy to experience the wagging tails, enthusiastic greetings, amusing antics and utter devotion of our pets.
And research demonstrates that, on average, pets help keep their owners healthy and active. Some insurance companies have even started offering lower life insurance rates for pet owners.
There is very good evidence that pets have a positive impact on a number of health conditions. A study published in the April 1999 edition of the journal AIDS Care found that people with AIDS who have pets are less likely to suffer from depression than people with AIDS who don't own pets.
Several studies have also demonstrated that pet owners tend to have lower cholesterol and blood pressure levels than non-pet owners, and are therefore at a reduced risk for cardiovascular disease.
Research also indicates that pet ownership increases the odds of survival for people who have had a heart attack. A study published in the American Journal of Cardiology in 1995 found that dog ownership in particular increased the likelihood of surviving after a heart attack.
Pet ownership also offers many benefits to older people. A study published in the March 1999 Journal of the American Geriatrics Society showed that senior citizens who own pets are less likely to be depressed, are better able to tolerate social isolation, and are more active than those who do not own pets. And these increased levels of activity are not explained solely because dog owners take their dogs for walks. Cat owners are equally active. |
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