How to Live Longer, Healthier, and Happier

 Most of us would like to have longer lives filled with happiness and good health.  There is an easy and low cost way and it doesn't involve a gym membership, an internet dating service, or investing your life savings into the next big thing.     

The way to live happy, healthy, and longer is........drum roll......... get a pet!    

There have been studies which show that people who have pets are happier.  After a stressful day I challenge you to go home and pet your dog and see if you can still frown.  Dogs seem to know when we are sad and then work hard to comfort us.  I still vividly remember a beautiful retriever coming into our shelter with his owner.  The dog was extremely old and his body was shutting down.  Because he was suffering, his owner had decided it was time to end that suffering and have her dogs pain end by having him put to sleep.  When I saw the sitting pet owner begin to cry, I was stunned to see her dog stand up and put both his head and his paw on her knee as if to say "Thank you for our life together.  Please don't be sad."  After that, I just had to hug a few of our adoption dogs because I knew they would make their new owners happy.  The ability of a pet to make us feel better is the greatest power I have ever witnessed.    

     Don't forget your health!  Petting a dog lowers stress and equalizes blood pressure.  I'm not kidding.  Multiple studies show this to be true.  Walking a dog gets you to exercise.  There are no studies showing that exercise is bad for you.  One study even shows that pets expose a person to doggie or kitty germs.  Even though these germs normally do not affect us, our immune system responds by fighting them anyway.  When we get exposed to a pathogen that does affect us, our immune system is sometimes already prepped by the earlier fight with the pet germ.  A big study showed that children with pets were less likely to become ill and consequently miss school.  So we see that having a pet makes us more educated too!    

     Many assisted living facilities have animal therapy groups bring in animals for their residents.  They know that their residents will be happier and healthier just petting an animal.  I have personally witnessed a person with severe dementia in an assisted living facility become clear minded and happy while petting a cat.  It was amazing to see.

     After all of that, you might think "But I can't have a pet where I live!"  That's not a reason to forgo the benefits of having a pet because you could go to a shelter and donate your time.  This costs you nothing other than a little time and the benefits to you may be substantially more than buying a roomful of equipment that will later be used to hang clothes on.  Volunteering adds even more benefits including helping your community.

      So, get happy.  Get healthy. Volunteer at a shelter or adopt a pet!     Adoptions at Pinellas County Animal Services are $40 or $25 if the animal has been with us for too long.  Visit this link to see animals available for adoption right now:http://www.petfinder.com/pet-search?shelterid=FL367