With the holidays being here and everyone reflecting on what they are grateful for and enjoying a feast of turkey and other delicious dishes, our pets can sometimes be left out of the festivities. However, they are such an important part of our lives! How can we show our gratitude towards our pets and what should we be thankful for? Continue reading to learn more about some reasons to be thankful for pets.
Reasons To Be Thankful For Pets
They Keep You Healthy
Your pet can keep you healthy by doing many different things for you. For starters, pets make great exercise buddies. This means that you will be getting in the exercise along with your pet. You can even bring out the whole family to ensure that everyone is getting exercise and staying healthy.
Another way your pet can help keep you healthy is by reducing the risk of . The research on whether or not this is true, is in fact mixed, however, they do suggest that pet owners often have lower blood pressure.
They Can Help With Mental Health
Pets can also help aid those who are from a mental illness. The Mental Health Foundation states that "Dogs especially are great at encouraging owners to get exercise and this can be beneficial for those from depression." Taking care of your pet can also help owners feel like they are valuable and needed.
They Brighten Your Day
There are many ways that your pet can brighten your day. If you are feeling sad or upset your pet will come over and try to comfort you. They can do this in many ways. Your dog might come up and lay their head on your lap or try to do something to make you laugh.
If you are feeling sick, your cat may come and sit on your lap as you watch the tv. As they snuggle up in your arms you might start to immediately feel better.
They Stay Loyal
Pets are loyal to their owners. This is because they depend on them for a wide variety of things. These include safety, shelter, reassurance food and playing with them. This earns the loyalty that our pets give towards us.
Dogs are well known to stay with their owners no matter what and protect them. While a cat might not do the same, they show loyalty in a different way. A cat might still be protective of their owners, they might not just show it as much as a dog would.
They Love You
No matter what happens, your pet will always show unconditional love toward you. This love goes hand in hand with the loyalty that we have earned from our pets. Your pet does not care about where you work, your fashion choices, or even how weird you might be. Your pet still loves you.
They Are Excited To See You
Sometimes, there is nothing better than when you get home after a long day of work and you are greeted by your dog. No matter how long you have been gone, whether it is 20 minutes or 2 days, your dog will be wagging their tail to see you.
They Teach You
There are many things that we can end up learning from our pets. Just by simply spending time with them you can learn a lot. One thing is the loyalty that was mentioned above. Another thing that we can learn from spending time with, and taking care of our pets is responsibility. Even young children can learn from taking care of a pet.
One example of things that you can have your children do to help learn responsibility from your pet is having them clean up after them and be in charge of them daily.
How To Show Gratitude Towards Your Pet
There are many different ways you can show gratitude towards your pet. To start you can simply show them the same loyalty and unconditional love that they are always giving you. Redrover.org, an organization that has helped people and animals in crisis since 1987 says that you can, "bake some homemade pet treats," and to "make a toy for your cat." These are both great ways to show your gratitude for your pet. One final way is to spend more time with them and give them more belly rubs or snuggles. Another way to show gratitude for your pet this Thanksgiving is to give them a little food from the table. Check out this article to learn about some Thanksgiving Food Your Pet Can and Can't Eat.
Conclusion
There are many different reasons to be thankful for pets. There are also many great ways that you can show gratitude for your pet. This list is not the only reason that you should be thankful for your pet, as your pet is different from any other pet in the world. Have a Happy Thanksgiving from everyone here at Liquid Health Pets.
Sources:
http://atgprod.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/Owning-a-Pet-May-Protect-You-from-HeartDisease_UCM_453586_Article.jsp#.XdxnrehKiUl
https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/a-to-z/p/pets-and-mental-health
https://redrover.org/news/5-ways-show-your-pet-gratitude/
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/lifestyle/10-reasons-to-be-thankful-for-your-dog/
