What to think about before getting a pet
Having a pet is usually a multiyear responsibility.
Here are a few questions to ask yourself before you make the commitment, according to the Animal Humane Society and SPCA of Northern Nevada:
Why do I want to get a pet? Being clear on your “why” will help you choose a pet that suits your needs and lifestyle. Do you want a pet to exercise with? To cuddle? To sit calmly beside you while you work? Would a high or low energy pet suit your lifestyle?
Would my pet feel happy in my home? Are you OK with a dog that barks at passersby? Are you OK doing the work of potty training, or would you prefer an older animal that’s already trained?
Do I have any living or rental restrictions? Does the place you live allow pets? If you rent, you may need to get approval from your landlord and pay a pet deposit.
Can I make the time commitment, daily and over my pet’s lifetime? Most animals need daily care. Cats can spend longer periods alone, while dogs often need more of your time and attention for exercise, training, and potty training. Many pets also need special care at the end of their lives. Are you willing to commit to your pet for their full lifespan?
Can I afford it? Consider the costs of owning a pet, including adoption, licensing, supplies, food, boarding or pet sitting whenever you travel, vet fees, medications, training, and grooming.
How would it affect my other household members? Will you be sharing pet care duties with other people in your home? Do they have allergies, phobias, or other important boundaries? Do you have other pets that might be affected?
Possible health benefits of having a pet
Here’s how having a pet — or even just being near one — might help boost your well-being.
1. May reduce allergies
Dogs, cats, and other pets introduce all manner of potential allergens into your home in their dander, saliva, and more, plus endotoxins from the bacteria they bring with them.
But pets can also help desensitize you and the people you live with to those allergens.
However, it may depend on what type of animal you have. An analysis of studies found that exposure to cats helped prevent asthma, while exposure to dogs increased the risk of developing it.
However, young children appear to reap clear immune system benefits from having pets.
In babies under 1 year old, exposure to both cats and dogs is associated with decreased risk of asthma and allergies at age 5.
2. May increase emotional well-being
Even just being in the same room as a pet or companion animal may benefit your well-being.
A 2020 study found that interacting with pets can have complex effects on our feelings.
A pet just being present appears to help reduce negative feelings, whereas interaction — like petting and talking to them — may actively increase positive feelings.
A study involving 263 adults in the United States found that those who owned pets reported being more satisfied with their lives than those who didn’t.
But the same study also found that owning a pet wasn’t linked with other measures of well-being, including emotional regulation and the satisfaction of their needs.
Plus, the 2020 study suggests there’s no reliable link between having a pet and increased well-being, and other evidence has found that having a pet can actually decrease well-being because of the increased caregiving burden.
So, the results are mixed.
The effects of having a pet in your life will likely depend on many factors, like your personality, living situation, your pet’s specific needs, and your willingness and ability to care for them.
3. Encourages exercise
Getting regular physical activity can have major long-term benefits for your health.
People with canine companions may get more exercise than people who don’t have dogs, though this may not be true for everyone.
Walking has tons of benefits for people of all ages, including:
increased mental well-being
improved creativity
stress reduction
improved sleep
longevity
reduced risk of diabetes, dementia, heart disease, and more
pro-aging effects at the cellular level
age-related disease prevention
4. Companionship
Pet owners typically consider their pets an important part of the family. Many people say they have a deep attachment to their pets.
Some research acknowledges that living with a companion animal helps boost self-esteem and relieve loneliness in some people.
5. Can boost social interactions with other people
If you have a dog, you probably know this phenomenon well. Walking with a dog significantly boosts the number of social interactions you have with strangers.
The same thing can be true with other animals, like turtles or rabbits, or even cats if they’re leash trained.
That casual daily chat at the dog park can go a long way.
Having regular social interactions with other people can have many physical and mental health benefits and help you live a longer, more fulfilled life.
6. May reduce stress
People tend to get a surge of oxytocin, the bonding hormone, when they have loving interactions with animals — including petting and prolonged eye contact — and oxytocin helps reduce stress.
For example, researchers of one study involving Japanese inmates found that a dog-assisted therapy program reduced levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
Stroking an animal may also help reduce blood pressure and heart rate.
And you can even get benefits by just looking at animals.
Watching videos of animals — whether it’s of fish, a monkey, or even birds — has been shown to reduce stress in the moment.
7. Helps lower blood pressure and reduce risk of heart disease
Evidence shows that people with pets may have lower blood pressure than those without them.
Long-term high blood pressure can damage your organs and blood vessels. It’s a contributing factor for several health conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease.
Along the same lines, some studies suggest having a dog in particular may help reduce your risk of developing heart disease.
Managing your stress — such as by petting a companion animal — can help reduce these health risks.
However, the research is mixed, and experts note that you shouldn’t get a dog just in an effort to reduce your heart disease risk.
8. Higher chance of survival after heart-related emergencies
People who have a pet have a greater chance of survival after heart-related emergencies like a heart attack. This was especially true with dogs but not so much with cats.
9. May help with depression
Depression is a common mental health condition, and some research has looked at how taking care of a companion animal might help alleviate symptoms.
Having a pet has been shown to help decrease symptoms of depression in various studies in people living with hearing impairment, homelessness, and HIV.
However, the research results vary overall, and some studies did not find a link between depression-related symptom improvement and pet ownership for populations including people with Alzheimer’s and unmarried men.
More research is necessary to help untangle whether or how pets really affect depression.
10. Improved health for older adults
Many studies on the benefits of pets have focused on the health and well-being of older adults.
Having a dog, in particular, can help older people get more exercise than they otherwise would.
If you’re a caregiver, consider bringing your pet on a visit to meet the person you’re caring for, if they’re welcome. The presence of your companion animal may help lower stress and encourage good feelings for everyone.
Pets also appear to help improve feelings of purpose and belonging.
Having one may help reduce depression and loneliness in older adults and provide an increased sense of community. Pet ownership also appears to prevent the decrease in quality of life some people experience after retirement.
One small 2019 interview-based study involving 14 adults 65 years and older asked participants how their pets made them feel. They said their pets:
increased feelings of safety
offered comfort
improved their social lives
helped create a structured daily routine
gave meaning to their lives
Research has shown that the presence of pets, especially dogs, reduced blood pressure in people ages 50 to 83 years old with high blood pressure.
However, the research is mixed and some studies found pets had no benefits for older people.
11. Positive effects on your brain health
The physical and mental health benefits of pets may have downstream benefits for your cognition.
A 2022 study performed brain imaging and cognitive testing on 95 people between the ages of 20 and 74 with and without pets.
They found that pet owners could focus their attention better, remember stories more accurately, and had a higher processing speed compared with non-pet owners. Dogs appeared to have a particularly positive effect.
The researchers suggested that owning a pet could reduce cognitive age by 15 years.
Bottom line
Having a pet may offer health benefits, including lower stress, reduced depression, an increased sense of well-being, better mental sharpness, and a lower risk of heart disease.
But it’s important to note the research on most of these benefits is mixed.
Do pets have health benefits? Probably for many people. But the better question to ask might be: What feels good to you?
Would a pet bring you joy? Would they make you feel relaxed and content? If so, that’s a good sign a furry pal would probably have other positive downstream effects on your health and well-being.
And if you’re not ready or interested in owning a pet, no sweat. Watching animals on social media or a nature show may still help take your stress down a notch or two — with no poop pickup required.