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Pets can do wonders for improving the quality of life. Research has shown that they can improve owners' health. Pet owners have known for a long time that they are happier when they have pets, of course. They have the animals' unconditional love and companionship. There is someone to talk to about whatever is bothering them. Someone who will listen attentively and not ask any questions. Someone to share the happiness when things are going well. To warm people's feet when they are cold.

Caring for pets is a way for both children and adults to feel that someone depends on them. They are the most important people in the animals' lives, and most will not hesitate to show it. Their loyalty knows no bounds.
Researchers at The Baker Medical Research Institute in Australia studied the lifestyles of 5,741 subjects, including their diets, exercise and whether or not they owned pets. They found that pet owners had lower systolic blood pressure, as well as lower plasma triglyceride levels. At Brooklyn College in New York, clinical research on heart-disease patients after they left the hospital showed that the ones who owned pets had a stronger survival rate (The Pets For the Elderly Foundation).
Many Americans live in households of one person. Retired people, especially women because they tend to live longer than men, sometimes live alone for years. The difference between having an animal in the home and being completely alone cannot be underestimated. The gratitude that a cat or dog or other small animal will show after being fed is enough to brighten anyone's day.
Animal shelters in most cities have large numbers of cats and dogs that are ready to be adopted. Some have ferrets and other animals as well. They have been examined by veterinarians, spayed or neutered if they weren't already, and immunized. The adoption fees are to cover the costs of these services and of running the shelters. Some of the animals have lived in loving homes, but the people have passed away or can no longer take care of them. They are ideal for people who want pets but are not up to taking on the responsibility of training the young ones.
Getting a new pet is not something that should be done on the spur of the moment. A lot of thought and planning should be put into the living arrangements, what will be done when it's time to go on vacation, and who will be doing what parts of taking care of the animal. From then on, it'll be time to live healthily ever after.
Additional Resources
Pets For The Elderly Foundation (https:// www.petsfortheelderly.org)

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