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Audio Library — Music for content creators

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Up In My Jam (All Of A Sudden) - Kubbi (No Copyright Music)

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1. Only 1 out of every 10 dogs born will find a permanent home.                         2. Roughly 2.7 million dogs are killed per year because shelters don't have room.                     3. Almost 4 million dogs go INTO shelters every year.            4. Only 15 - 20% of lost dogs are returned to their owners.   

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1. Only 1 out of every 10 dogs born will find a permanent home.                         2. Roughly 2.7 million dogs are killed per year because shelters don't have room.                     3. Almost 4 million dogs go INTO shelters every year.            4. Only 15 - 20% of lost dogs are returned to their owners.   

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1. You are saving a life                               2. You will save money                               3. Helping to eradicate puppy farms and pet shops           4. Can improve your health and make you happier           5. Can benefit children                               6. Many of the animals are house trained               7. Unconditional love.                               8. You get a pet you never expected                    9. Older animals can prove to be the best companions     10. Adopting supports spaying and neutering

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1. You are saving a life                               2. You will save money                               3. Helping to eradicate puppy farms and pet shops           4. Can improve your health and make you happier           5. Can benefit children                               6. Many of the animals are house trained               7. Unconditional love.                               8. You get a pet you never expected                    9. Older animals can prove to be the best companions     10. Adopting supports spaying and neutering

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Adopting a pet has many benefits, some of which you may have not considered. Here are some reasons why adopting a pet would benefit you and your family.

1. You are saving a life

By adopting from a shelter, you are providing an animal with the second chance they deserve. Many have been rescued from horrific circumstances such as cruelty, neglect and abandonment, or quite simply their owners were no longer able to look after them due to illness or a change in situation.

Shelter staff work tirelessly to nurse animals back to health, rehabilitate disturbed animals and do everything they possibly can to ensure they are prepared to go to a new home. Sadly, not all of them are as fortunate. Some shelters have to euthanise due to lack of space, meaning many healthy animals lose their lives. By rehoming a pet you can give an animal that has been abandoned through no fault of their own a loving, stable home, and help to stop overpopulation.

2. You will save money

Shelters often microchip, spay, neuter and vaccinate the animals that come into their care. This saves you a lot of money because you don't have to pay for the procedures yourself and it ensures the pet you are taking home is healthy. Also, the prices of adopting a pet from a shelter are often a lot lower than the rates charged by breeders.

3. Helping to eradicate puppy farms and pet shops

A puppy farm, or mill, is the illegal practice of breeding puppies for the sole purpose of maximising profit, without any regard to the dogs' health or wellbeing. Dogs at puppy farms are forced to breed several times to their detriment and they are often kept in terrible conditions without basic necessities.

People who run such places are not concerned with producing healthy dogs, so they can be born with severe problems that emerge over time. The dogs usually don't receive any veterinary care, and will often be destroyed once they can no longer reproduce. Additionally, dogs at pet shops are often products of puppy farms. Adopting from a shelter aids in stopping dogs from being subjected to such horrific circumstances, because rather than funding this illegal trade you will be rehoming a pet from somewhere reputable that supports animal welfare.

4. Can improve your health and make you happier

Various studies have shown that a having pet can elongate your life, whilst improving your overall happiness and health. It also helps people with depression, stress, anxiety and many other ailments. The affectionate and loyal nature of dogs as pack animals that form close relationships with their owners can help sufferers of depression, who may feel like they don't have anybody else.

Stroking your pet can reduce your blood pressure and stress levels, and playing with them can increase the levels of serotonin and dopamine your body produces, making you feel calm and relaxed. Walking the pet is a way to exercise and provides sufferers of anxiety and depression with a reason to leave the house. It also creates opportunities for socialising with other dog walkers. The animal you have helped through rehoming can help you.

5. Can benefit children

Children can be taught valuable life skills through pet ownership, such as the importance of maintaining responsibilities. Rehoming a pet will also encourage empathy by making them think about how they have helped to give an unwanted animal a loving home. Pets can help children with separation anxiety and provide them with security, as they can be safe in the knowledge that someone will always be there. As well as this, they can be a loving companion and playmate.

6. Many of the animals are housetrained

Animals at shelters have often been housetrained in their previous home, particularly if they are older. This saves you a lot of time and extra effort when training your new pet where to go to the toilet.

7. Unconditional love

A pet is a companion that will never judge you, will love you regardless of whatever happens and will always be there. As well as making you feel great, their unconditional love raises your self-esteem because of the affection they show you. It is said that animals know when they have been rescued, so the bond between you and your rehomed pet will be especially strong.

8. You could get a pet you never expected

Although you may have an idea of what you are looking for, there are a wide variety of animals waiting to be adopted from shelters. This may mean an animal you would never have imagined could turn out to be the best match for you. Therefore, it is always important to have an open mind when visiting shelters.

9. Older animals can prove to be the best companions

Many people want to adopt puppies and kittens without considering the advantages of having an older pet. If trained in their previous home they will be less likely to destroy furniture than a younger pet, and as such, will probably require less supervision. Older pets are often calmer and quite happy to sit in your company rather than demanding constant attention. They also have more developed personalities than puppies or kittens, so it may be more apparent when visiting them at the shelter whether or not you are suited.

10. Adopting supports spaying and neutering

Spaying and neutering animals is important in controlling the animal population. Many pets that aren't spayed or neutered often contribute to the problem of unwanted animals, which can lead to more being left at shelters. Adopting an animal from a shelter means that your new pet has been spayed or neutered where possible.

Insuring your pet gives you peace of mind that you and your pet will be covered if anything were to happen. Animal Friends offer a wide range of policies for you to choose from.

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10 Benefits of Adopting a Pet - Animal Friends Pet Insurance

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Adopting a pet has many benefits, some of which you may have not considered. Here are some reasons why adopting a pet would benefit you and your family. By adopting from a shelter, you are providing an animal with the second chance they deserve.

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Quote 1:                 "Every dog owner I spoke to said, “They need a puppy!  They make your life better!”             Quote 2:               "Through my interaction with Pepper I have come to believe that puppies are the product of sorcery (the good kind). How else can you explain the spell this dog has cast on everyone in the house?"

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Quote 1:                 "Every dog owner I spoke to said, “They need a puppy!  They make your life better!”             Quote 2:               "Through my interaction with Pepper I have come to believe that puppies are the product of sorcery (the good kind). How else can you explain the spell this dog has cast on everyone in the house?"

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I should start out by acknowledging I'm the last person on earth who should be writing this post. While I certainly have compassion for animals, I have never been an actual "animal person". Litsa's the animal person, I'm the kid person; it's usually best if we stick to our roles.

Before you go thinking I'm an awful person, I'm not. My attitude on animals is clearly the product of childhood trauma. You see my parents refused to get me and my many brothers and sisters a dog and instead appeased us with a string of small pets like outdoor cats, mice, rats, fish, frogs, gerbils, turtles, and iguanas. You will note that many of these pets are of the slimy, scaly or rodent variety and they almost always wound up dead or on the lam.

For most of my parental life I've managed to maintain a pet-free household. My perception of the hassle - escape attempts, vets, mess, chewing, and fur - far outweighed any potential benefits I could see. I've always found comfort in being able to walk past the pet aisle at the grocery store without having to load an 8 pound bag of dog food onto my already too full shopping cart.

I was firm in my conviction until Christmastime when my daughters launched operation: Get Puppy. They asked so often yet so sweetly that I had to consider. Every dog owner I spoke to said, " They need a puppy! They make your life better!" and somewhere in the back of my mind I saw my 7 year old self staring unenthusiastically at my tiny pet frog swimming back and forth through murky aquarium water.

You can probably guess what happened next. Everyone, meet Pepper.

Through my interaction with Pepper I have come to believe that puppies are the product of sorcery (the good kind). How else can you explain the spell this dog has cast on everyone in the house? She is an undeniable pain 65% of the time and yet she's the most beloved object of everyone's affection. I wish I could boast similar statistics.

She makes us laugh when we're grouchy, she soothes the kids when they're sad, and even when she's done something really agitating I find myself cuddling her and calling her " baby". I used to be unmoved by even the cutest puppy calendar, I don't understand what's happening to me?!? Naturally I turned to the Internet to investigate.

Most of you probably already knew this, but it turns out that pets are kind of good for our emotional and physical wellbeing; you might even say they help us cope during times of hardship and struggle. Truthfully I'm not new to this idea, I've heard many people count petting, playing, or being around animals as a coping skill. Although I knew the research supported this thought, I never quite got it until now.

Humans love animals in ways that are similar to how they love their children. From an evolutionary standpoint this may prove puzzling to some. Why would humans dedicate resources like time, money, love, and protection to a member of another species unless they received something in return? Obviously pet ownership does nothing to continue our own species, but perhaps this relationship is made mutualistic by more subtle benefits. Let's take a few moments to look at all the reasons why a person might benefit from owning, loving, or spending time with an animal.

The Healing Power of Animals

Emotional Benefits:

One word: hormones. Research has shown that people who interact with animals may experience increased levels of oxytocin (otherwise known as the "trust hormone", "love hormone", or "bonding hormone"). In fact one study found that the simple act of making eye contact with their dogs when they got home from work increased oxytocin in a sample of women. On an emotional level oxcytocin helps mothers bond with their newborn babies, human couples establish a a greater sense of intimacy and it has been linked to increased feelings of self esteem, optimism and trust.

In addition to oxytocin there is some evidence to suggest that interaction with a friendly animal can decease levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, and raise levels of the feel-good brain chemical dopamine. Taking these benefits into account, it's no wonder that we're now finding animals involved with a number of therapeutic interventions. You may have even heard of programs that bring animals directly into hospitals to help cheer up, calm and distract patients.

Physical Benefits:

Pet ownership has been linked to physical benefits such as reduced risk for heart disease, lower stress levels, fewer doctors visits, lower cholesterol, and lower blood pressure.

Again we can refer back to hormones and chemicals like oxytocin, cortisol and dopamine. Oxytocin has been found to relive pains like headaches, cramps and overall body aches. Lower levels of cortisol can account for lower stress levels and contributes to some of those heart and blood pressure related benefits.

Social Benefits:

In 2013 Leslie Irvine, a Sociologist at the University of Colorado interviewed "pet guardians" experiencing homelessness in Boulder Colorado. She found that many of those she interviewed credited their animal with changing or saving their life. One woman stated her dog helped her quit heroin, leave an abusive relationship, and improve her HIV status. Another man said his dog has helped him combat isolation and depression by making him get out, walk and socialize with other people. Others interviewed believed their animals had saved them from attempting suicide, protected them from danger, and kept them healthy and happy.

I think it makes logical sense that pet ownership would reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation. Pets fulfill emotional needs like the need for love, security, companionship, and comfort. Taking care of a pet also fulfills the need to nurture and take care of a other living thing and can give people a sense of purpose.

I'm sure all you pet owners and animal lovers are thinking, "T ell me something I don't know." Whether you were aware of the healing power of animals or you just realized they made you feel good, I now encourage you to include your pet in your list of strengths when it comes to coping and healing from grief.

For all you animal skeptics, I get you. I know your thinking, "animal healing is not for me," and there's a good chance you're right. I'm not suggesting you run out and adopt a pet tomorrow, I'm simply asking you to open your mind to the possibilities because you never know when the opportunity to pet a puppy might present itself.
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Whether you were aware of the healing power of animals or you just realized they made you feel good, I now encourage you to include your pet in your list of strengths when it comes to coping and healing from grief.