Almost a year ago, my husband and I got a skittish little rescue dog. Stewie is a white fifteen pound terrier mix who came into our home not knowing how stairs worked or how to walk on a leash. He didn’t want to be touched at first and hid when we approached him. During his first weeks at our house, Stewie learned to trust us enough to cuddle and play with toys and ask to go for walks. While we were hesitant at first to own a dog, both my husband and I agree that adopting Stewie was one of the best decisions we’ve made in a long time.
Stewie makes me laugh out loud. He makes me laugh when he slides out on the wood floor or discovers a new toy and plays catch with himself. He 
makes me laugh when he jumps up onto the bed, but misses and then acts like he meant to do that. He makes me laugh first thing in the morning when he wakes up full of energy and excitement that this is today! It’s time to get up! Let’s go for a walk! He makes me smile because his love is unconditional. He doesn’t care if I’m wearing my ratty sweatpants or having a bad hair day. I’m his person and he’s always glad to see me.
During the Covid pandemic, having a dog has been a lifesaver. Stewie gets us out of the house several times a day; times that I normally would be at my computer or hunkered down doing nothing. He has kept me focused on something other than all the chaos in the world. And he’s kept us sane during a time when we’ve been looking at each other and the same walls for the past six months. It’s no wonder that many of the dog rescue organizations and Humane Societies have very few, if any dogs available for adoption right now. I have talked to a number of people who would like to adopt a dog, but have waited for months or have had no luck finding a pup to bring into their home.
And while I know that having Stewie in my home is a good thing for me, there’s a lot of research that supports the healing benefits of having a pet. For example:
- Having a pet is measurably good for your health. According to the CDC, owning a pet can lower your blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
- Pets help lower your stress.
- Owning a pet decreases feelings of loneliness and increases social interactions.
- Having a pet can improve your immunity. They expose you to all kinds of dirt and germs that don’t make you sick, but make your immune system stronger. Scientists have found that kids who grow up with pets tend to have fewer allergies than kids who have no exposure to pets.
- Owning a dog promotes exercise in the form of regular walking, with all the accompanying health benefits.
In addition to the physical and mental health benefits, owning a pet can teach us life lessons. They live in the moment. That thing that happened a half hour ago is long forgotten. They teach us compassion, how to have fun, and once bonded, they’re loyal for life. Stewie is always happy to see me and has no agenda other than eat, play, walk, cuddle. The bottom line is adopting a dog is the best thing I’ve done in a long time for both my physical and mental health, and I think Stewie would agree.
