A Pet Friendly Community is a great place to live. Studies show that having a pet improves quality of life, from childhood through the elder years. With 69.1 million pet owners in the United States and pet spending having reached $38.4 billion in 2006, it is no surprise that Pet Friendly people look for Pet Friendly Communities when buying a home. The secret power of pets is an amazing thing. Here are a few other great things pets do to enrich our lives, and the Communities we call home.
BENEFITS FOR THE MIND
- Pets enrich our lives with their personalities and provide reliable, faithful companionship
- Pets accept their owners without judgment
- Pets fill the void when there are no children at home
- Pets provide a safe feeling, when walking outdoors alone
- Pets encourage people to know their neighbors and be involved in Community activities
BENEFITS FOR YOUR HEALTH
- Pets help reduce stress and control high blood pressure
- Pet owners visit the doctor LESS frequently than non pet owners*
- Pet owners spent an average of more time outside with their dogs*
- Pets motivate people to become more physically active, and strengthening the heart, muscles, improving blood circulation
- Pets help people have greater well-being and lessen depression
- Pets encourage the elderly to be more independent
- Pets help the handicapped overcome withdrawal and stroke victims recover speech without being held-back by self-consciousness
- Pets can lower medical costs by reducing hospitalization recovery times**
BENEFITS FOR CHILDREN
- Pets promote higher self-esteem and improved social skills in children
- Pets are viewed as peers to children
- Pets teach children about responsibility, animal behavior and death
- Pets can act as faithful, reliable confidants for children
- Pets teach children gentleness, patience and kindness
- Pets help develop non-verbal communication skills and trusting relationships with others
- Pets teach children how to respect other living things P
- ets encourage physical activity in children Pets have been linked to boosted immune systems and better school attendance rates***
Whether for the Mind, Health or your Children, a pet can offer more benefits than you think.
