Pet Perks

          Organizations such as New Hope or the SPCA do amazing work. These compassionate and dedicated rescuers and caretakers of lost, hurt and abused animals do so much to ensure they are well taken care of.  The dogs we have had over the years were “rescue dogs”.  We enjoyed and loved them and never did we regret saving them.  Besides providing their owners with love and joy, I have learned that owning a pet is actually good for your health!

          Researchers at several universities, including the University of London, the State University of New York and Henry Ford Hospital have found there are several perks to owning a pet. Besides the obvious reason of the benefits of the love between a pet and its owner, there are several health reasons which make owning a pet good for you and your children!
          Researchers have found that children with dogs take 360 more steps a day and exercise more each day. They believe owning a dog could help in the battle against to childhood obesity. Other research indicates that cuddling with a furry friend helps children relax. Petting animals actually slows down the heart rate and makes you feel calmer. Adult pet owners had lower blood pressure when responding to stress than adults who do not own pets. Studies have also shown that taking care of their pets teaches kids empathy. Pets help children and adults cope with stress such as moving or dealing with a divorce. Therapy for traumatized Bosnian children included pet therapy. It works because pets provide companionship and unconditional love. As well, they encourage play and laughter. This helps adults dealing with depression.  Pets can make them laugh and play when nothing else works.  Special care homes and nursing homes have discovered this as well and many now have resident dogs and cats.
          The biggest surprise to me was finding out that children living with a pet are 50 percent less likely to develop allergies! Studies done at Henry Ford Hospital and the Medical College of George indicates that this may be due to compounds called endotoxins found in the mouths of cats and dogs. Kids are exposed to them through petting and playing with their animals.
          There are many benefits to owning a pet, but I think the best reason is to bask in the love of our furry friends.  If there are other health benefits to owning a pet, that is a bonus.
          So, go ahead and rescue a pet.  You will be loved unconditionally and you may even improve your health because of it.  Loving a pet . . .  it’s a good thing!

That First Day of School

Just before I sat down to write today, I saw my neighbor leaving to walk her daughter home from school on her first day in grade two.  I spoke to her for a few moments and she described her daughter’s excitement at returning to school and her own anxiety at sending her off on that first day.  The first day of school is certainly an emotionally charged day for students and for their parents.

          For families, the start of the school year signals a return to a regular routine after the summer off.  It is also the beginning of the “busy season” as sports, dance and many other activities begin,  and life begins once again to rush at a quicker pace.  As I walked through local stores during the past couple weeks, I saw many parents and their children purchasing supplies for school, trying on new school clothes and heard more than one argument over which item to buy. Although it is a little sad to be nearing the end of summer, I think everyone appreciates a routine to regular hours and scheduled activities.
          When I was a student, I waited in anxious anticipation as the new school year approached. It seemed that each year the summer holidays sped by faster. Suddenly it was time to return to school and with it came all the fear, nervousness and uncertainty.  I was always very nervous that first day: would I like my teacher?  Would he/she like me?  Would my friends still like me?  Had Mom packed a good lunch? What if the whole years turns out to be awful and unbearable?  How will I know which bus is mine when I come out of school at the end of the day?
          Everything wasn’t sad or awful.  There were some happy things about going back to school. Each year I would get a new set of clothes that would usually arrive in a huge package from Sears, which was how most farm families shopped.  Mom would pick out our clothes and surprise us with it when the parcel arrived.  Once I was a little older, I would carefully go through the Fall and Winter Catalogue (which, of course, arrived in June) and pick out my new clothes. I loved new clothes! It almost made it worth going through the pain of that awful first day of school.
          I also loved shopping for new school supplies. Mom always made a special celebration of writing our names on all our new supplies. She would set aside an afternoon for "marking" and we kids would stack our supplies in front of us, and we would write our names on everything (maybe this is where I developed that love I have for the "new book" smell).  If Dad was home,  he would sharpen out pencils and scratch the paint off in a spot close to the eraser so that our names could be written on each pencil. Despite my discomfort at facing that first day of school, I enjoyed putting on my new clothes, grabbing my new books and waiting for the bus.
          Loving - and fearing - the first day of the new school year . . .  it’s a good thing!