Pets Make People Happy (Science Proves It)

Anyone who uses pet food coupons know that the rewards of pet ownership far outweigh the costs. But now, there’s science to back that up – the emotional benefits of pet ownership can in fact be equal to the benefits of human friendship, according to findings by psychologists at Miami University and St. Louis University.

            The findings, which were based on the results of three separate experiements, were recently published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
            In the first study, 217 people filled out questionnaires to gauge their self-esteem, loneliness, illness, depression and activity level.  Survey respondents who own pets scored far better overall. They had higher self-esteem and were less lonely than those people who did not own pets.

            In the second study, 56 dog owners answered the same questionnaire from the first survey but also offered information about how they related to their dogs. In the cases where the dog was seen as a compliment rather than a complication, people experienced the greatest emotional return.

            "In fact ... we repeatedly observed evidence that people who enjoyed greater benefits from their pets also were closer to other important people in their lives and received more support from them, not less," the study says.

            In the final portion of the survey, 97 undergrads wrote about socially uncomfortable experiences and then about memories of their favorite pet. The feelings of exclusion brought up by recollecting bad memories were remedied by thinking about happy memories of pets.

            This may sound pretty groundbreaking – who knew that people who used pet food coupons were happier than people who don’t have pets? But other earlier studies elsewhere have also shown that pet ownership is linked "to decreased pain transmission" and found that the benefits pet ownership can especially be especially pronounced in people older than 50. All of this just goes to show that dogs really are man’s best friend!!!

Canine Climate Control

As a human being, I am very grateful to William Havilland Carrier for inventing the miraculous machine we know as the air conditioner. This 100-plus degree summer wouldn’t be bearable without an AC in my house, but I’ve learned that humans aren’t the only ones who suffer when the dog days of summer hit with full force. Dogs obviously can’t sweat and have much more body hair than humans, so they’re especially susceptible to the dangers of heat stroke in the summer. You can use Lowes coupons to protect your pet’s health by installing an AC in his dog house this summer.

You might think that sounds crazy – who gives their dog their own personal air conditioner? But canine climate control isn’t just for the pampered pooches of the rich and famous, it’s a relatively inexpensive way to ensure the health and safety of a loved one as temperatures rise. According to the Humane Society of the United States, a dog house does not provide adequate refuge from summer’s soaring temperatures because the lack of air circulation in these structures can cause the temperature in the doghouse to swell high above the temperature of the outside environment – and if you won’t be home during the day to let your dog come in and enjoy the cool air in your home, using Lowes coupons to get a small, cost-efficient air conditioner for his house is the best way to protect him from the summer heat. You can find instructions for how to easily install an ac for your dog here.