As leaves begin turning and before snowflakes fly, let’s take a few minutes to pause and reflect on the benefits we realize because we have animals in our lives. Approximately 80 million American households have pets. Daily interaction with our companion animals provides us with many advantages.

• Companion animals give us unconditional love and support, enhancing our quality of life by promoting relaxation and providing value, meaning and worth to our exchanges.
• Owning a pet can lower resting blood pressure, improve cardiovascular health and reduce stress levels.
• Walking your dog regularly can reduce your risk of obesity.
• A cat in your life can lessen the development of childhood allergies and eczema.
• Research indicates being around pets can lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
• Classroom pets aid in student learning by improving students’ attitudes toward school and fostering the development of responsibility, respect and empathy.
• Animal companions support those living with PTSD by lowering stress and anxiety, reducing heart rate and depression, and fostering more caring and love.
• Don’t forget their crazy antics and the laughter they bring to our lives.
• Let’s do our best to deserve the trust and love our pets invest in us. This doesn’t mean we share the turkey carcass with them or enrich their lives with costumes. It does mean we take time with them and appreciate the goodness they bring into our lives.

For more information about the human-animal bond and research cited here, check out The Human Animal Bond Research Institute at https://habri.org/research.

Happy Thanksgiving to all creatures.