Lifestyle

The perks of pet ownership: how furry friends can help boost our wellbeing


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t’s well-known that owning a pet brings multiple benefits. Studies have shown that sharing your life with a dog or a cat makes humans generally healthier, calmer, and increases physical activity. At times of heightened stress – the like of which many of us have experienced this year – having a pet around can be a blessing. Moreover, at a time when lots of us are still working from home, and will be for some time, having a cat or dog around makes us feel good about ourselves – which no doubt helps when meeting deadlines or getting that presentation done.

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Psychologist Jo Hemmings believes pets ‘calm people down’

/ Jo Hemmings )

That’s according to psychologist Jo Hemmings. “Pets have always been shown to increase productivity in the workplace,” she explains. “They calm people down, they lower blood pressure and they provide a sense of wellbeing. It’s no wonder pet ownership has increased this year. I certainly feel better having my cat around. It feels innately comforting.”

Indeed, research undertaken by pet food specialists Purina has found that 91% of Brits find having a dog around them calming and 85% think working in a pet-friendly environment has a positive effect on their wellbeing.

A boon for mental health

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Pets have been found to reduce stress

/ Purina/Rachel Oates )

So what makes pets so beneficial to our mental wellbeing? Hemmings, who has worked alongside Purina in extolling the benefits of pet ownership, believes that it’s partly because they’re so oblivious to what’s going on in the wider world. 

We might have spent most of the year rather fearfully, under a dark cloud with the accompanying high levels of cortisol and adrenaline, but Hemmings notes that the beauty of having a pet is that it’s just another day for them.

“Dogs want their walk when they want their walk,” she says, “and cats want petting when cats want petting. They don’t really have any sense that anything is different and that’s quite comforting, because there’s a normality there.”

Pets, then, can help reduce stress and rising anxiety levels, and they’re also an antidote to insomnia or the creeping realisation that reaching for the wine bottle gets earlier every day.

A ready-made exercise routine

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Dog walks can bookend the day

/ Purina/Rachel Oates )

In terms of physical wellbeing, owning a dog provides an easy motivator. They need to be exercised, and as Hemmings says this means that “in terms of exercise, you have something ready to roll.”

This also helps with structuring your day. Dogs like a routine and therefore taking your dog for a walk before you start work, and then again at the end of the day, is a nice way to bookend your work. There is, of course, the temptation to work past the time you would have done in the office. Shutting the laptop and getting outside with your dog can help prevent this.

Beating the isolation blues

Pets are also great in combatting loneliness and isolation, explains Hemmings, particularly if you’re used to working in a vibrant office.

“Having a pet around is a great source of comfort,” she says, “even if you’re unaware of it. Having another being with you, that probably unconditionally loves you and will accept a cuddle or a stroke whenever you want to provide it, that takes away some of that feeling of isolation that has hit a lot of people recently. Which also provides a sense of self-worth.”

Find out more tips and advice for WFH with pets here and for more pet care help and advice on pets, go to purina.co.uk



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