Puppy Power: Mental Health Benefits of Having a Dog

They say there’s nothing purer than the love of a dog for its owner.

With reference to a conversation with Prathama Raghavan, Mental health and Disability Professional 

According to research, it was found that 90 percent of dog-owning families consider their dog as a family rather than pets. With the kind of unconditional love that a dog nurtures for its owner, the attachment created between an individual and their dog is one of the strongest bonds built. Growing up with a dog, there are a series of mental health benefits that come along with building such a beautiful relationship with an animal, with love at its purest form.

Especially during these difficult times, dogs can be the perfect best friends when one has to self -isolate them from other people. Just having a dog around the house, when you need to stay away from other social interaction, can already overcome the sense of loneliness you may have and become your one loyal company throughout your day at home.

Here are 7 Mental Health Benefits of Having a Dog!

Good Attachment

Especially for kids, when they have a dog around to grow up with, it teaches them to enroot the quality to develop a positive attachment with someone else. It makes them understand how lives work, as for the dog, they need to think of someone else’s need and how necessary that is. Having a dog around also helps kids to learn to tend for animals, and other people as well. It makes them cautious about the well-being of others, developing their ability to be more compassionate and empathetic. Dogs can also be an amiable company now that kids don’t get a lot of social interactions during these times of lockdown periods.

A Constant Support System

Dogs have this strange quality to understand how their humans are feeling and know when their humans need them. Because of that intuition, they are always available for support. Just the thought of knowing that, no matter what happens, you can always count on your dogs to be there for you, love you and make you feel better. For small kids, the companion of a dog makes them believe that they always have this one friend around. The kind of friend that is always willing to play with them, never fights with them and always finds their way back to them. 

Stress and Anxiety Relief

It is a known fact that dogs help to reduce anxiety, stress and loneliness. With consistent support and companionship, you always know that they are waiting for you at home after you’ve had a long day at work. Even when you’re self-isolating yourself, your dog will always be right there and come to you when you need a little break from all the weight of the day you’ve carrying. Just looking at the excitement they show when they see you, it helps brighten up your heavy mood. For kids, dogs become more like their best friends from a very young age, reducing high chances of them being socially anxious in later stages of life. It is proven that dogs are deeply connected with your mental health and your stress level. Even now, some therapists keep dogs to create a calming and friendly environment in their offices, as a result of which, the concept of animal-assisted therapy was developed. 

A Safeguard

The topmost priority of any dog is to, naturally, love their owners and protect their owners. A dog would indeed climb mountains and wait for days only for you. Nothing can beat the loyalty and dedication of a dog towards its owners. You know you’re safe when you are with them and they would willingly spend their entire lives admiring and protecting you. 

Makes you feel needed

A dog is majorly responsible to make you believe that, you are what matters to them and that they’ll always love you. Along with that, it is a natural fact that people feel more needed when they have something to take care of, as the act of caregiving carries a series of mental health benefits on itself. In short, it gives your everyday life a sense of purpose and meaning. As a result, dogs are also responsible to reduce depression and loneliness.

Help in building a healthy life

Because you always have to think about the needs of your dog. It gives you an excuse to get a hold of your everyday life routine. For instance, dogs tend to make you physically more active as you need to make sure they get their walk and active play of the day. Dog owners are more likely to meet their daily exercise requirements. Similarly, you need to make sure they get their food on time, in the mornings especially; so, you develop a habit of waking up early.
Dogs also create a space for you to properly think about yourself and give you the willingness to take more good care of yourself. In a nutshell, they are like an excuse to get up and build yourself up to support not, only your life, but theirs too.

A source of unconditional love

Most importantly, dogs are a constant source of unconditional love. They simply are happy to see you every day and want to spend more time with you, without asking for anything more in return. With the kind of genuine love, that they hold inside of their precious little hearts for you, all they long for is your love and attention in return. This kind of love and acceptance is good for one's mental well-being, as it stimulates the brain to release dopamine, the chemical involved in sensing pleasure, making you happier from the inside every single day.