Article after article you can read about the endless benefits of owning a pet. Here are some of the main benefits of owning a Low Shed Lab for Children, Families, Adults, Seniors, and Families.
For Children, growing up with a dog enhances:
Social-Emotional Well Being & Makes Them More Responsible
Having a pet comes with so many social-emotional benefits for children. Positive relationships with family pets, like cats or dogs, can boost a child’s self-esteem and confidence. Children also learn how to “nurture” when caring for a pet, which is the act of taking care of others. Through nurturing and helping to take care of their pet, they learn to form a trusting relationship, which is an important part of social-emotional development. Taking part in routines like walking the dog or feeding their fish can give them a sense of responsibility.
Motor & Play
Pets have a lot of energy, so they can be a great way for kids to get physical activity! From crawling together to going for a walk or a swim, pets like dogs need to move around every day, and children can be a part of that. This is not only a great way to get moving, but for children to also practice unstructured play.
Communication
Talking to your pet helps baby just by watching and learning. Soon enough, they will learn the special ways to communicate with them too! Children also learn nonverbal cues and the importance of nonverbal communication from pets. Pets can also be great subjects as children learn new communication skills. For example, they can practice reading to their pets (even if they don’t understand the story!).
Sensory
Interacting with pets provides many new sensory experiences! From touching their fur to watching them move and interact, pets open up a whole new sensory world.
During play with pets, children learn to use their balance and body awareness senses. They learn to apply different types of touch based on the animal. For example, children will learn to have a lighter touch with more delicate animals like rabbits or cats, as compared to a dog or a horse.
Executive Function
There’s a lot that goes into taking care of a pet. As children get older, they can take on some of these responsibilities, and start to establish a routine for helping with the pet. Routines are a great way to strengthen executive function skills. Additionally, they may need to problem solve while helping or playing with their pet if unexpected issues come up. For example, what if Fido doesn’t want to walk today? Why would that be? And what can you do to play with Fido instead? It’s all a great way to get those executive function skills working!
Children with Special Needs
Dogs serve as a "social lubricant," making kids more likely to engage in behaviors such as introducing themselves, responding to other people's questions or asking for more information.
When children with special needs take their service dogs out in public, other kids stop and engage. Kids with autism don't always readily engage with others, but if there's a pet in the home that the child is bonded with and a visitor starts asking about the pet, the child may be more likely to respond.
For Families
Building family bonds. When families play together with their pet, they also bond and have a positive shared experience.
Teaching life lessons. Pets are living creatures who teach children about topics like birth, health, and getting older.
Learning responsibility. Pets depend on us to feed them, wash them, walk them, and so much more! Children can take on some of these tasks and learn what it means to be responsible.
Respect for living things. Even though they look and act differently from us, pets are living animals that children can learn to respect and care for.
Cognitive development. Some studies have indicated a positive correlation between brain development and being raised with a pet.
Therapeutic treatment. Some highly-trained dogs can even take part in Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT), which is a form of therapy that uses animals in treatment to improve social, cognitive, motor, and emotional functioning.
For Adults & Seniors:
Lower blood pressure, better heart health, reduced stress, anxiety, and depression.
Playing with a dog can elevate levels of Oxytocin (The Love Hormone) & Serotonin (The feel good hormone), Dopamine (calms and relaxes). Pet owners have lower triglyceride and cholesterol levels (indicators of heart disease) than those without pets. Heart attack patients with pets survive longer than those without.
Sense of purpose, connection, companionship
Pets provide us with a sense of belonging, connection, and contentment for which we all long.
The excitement dogs often display when you arrive home makes you feel special and loved.
Socialization, Social Buffer and Lubricant
Studies suggests that when dogs are around, groups are closer, more cooperative, and more trusting. When people work in teams, the presence of a dog seems to act as a social lubricant. Dogs seem to be beneficial to the social interactions of teams. Dogs make us feel good, which then impacts our social behavior.
Taking a dog for a walk or outing is a great social buffer and lubricant for adults and seniors that would like to increase their social interaction. Other adults will want to stop and engage with your dog, and ask about your dog, giving you more social opportunities.
So what are you waiting for? You are cordially invited to out you and your family first, get a Low Shed Lab! Reserve one today!
