Celebrating National Pet Day With Monday Morning Coffee
Monday, April 11 is National Pet Day, and while your initial decision to get a pet may have had nothing to do with your health, it turns out that in addition to little Fido’s irresistible puppy eyes, he may be helping you boost both your physical and mental well-being.
It sounds like a desperate plea from an 8-year-old, trying hard to convince his parents that a puppy will answer every need: “I’ll get more exercise! I’ll be more creative! I’ll improve my cardiovascular health!” As this enthusiastic kid does his research, he may become convinced that he can have the fun of a furry little buddy and have an argument for skipping vegetables.
Do pets really come with the many health benefits you’ve seen reported in the news? Well, the jury is still out. While one large study found that heart attack survivors that live alone were 33% less likely to die if they had a dog, researchers aren’t sure if it’s because of dog ownership or if it’s because people who own a dog are also more likely to walk regularly.
Either way, it’s a good thing!
There are other benefits, as well:
- Creativity: Pets can help you think outside the box. When you have an animal that needs frequent walks, or that invites you to take a break from work to play for a few minutes, your mind may be able to step away from a challenge long enough to think of an unexpected solution.
- Reducing Stress: Whether it’s a cat purring on your lap while you review materials for a presentation or a fish swimming lazily around an aquarium, animals are great at helping your body release endorphins for calming down and focusing on your work.
- Breaks: As if those Cheetos in the kitchen weren’t enough excuse, pets encourage you to look up now and then and step away from your desk.
And a few fun facts about pet ownership in the U.S.:
- 19% of Americans own a pet, and you might say that the other 71% just don’t know what they’re missing!
- The most popular pets are dogs (45%), followed by cats (30%), and a distant third is fish (9%). Dogs are saying, “well, yeah!” and cats are pretending they didn’t hear that. Fish are….well, fish don’t know what’s going on.
- If you are dating someone with a pet, save some love for their furry friend. 22% of Americans are attracted to people that treat their pet like one of the family.
- Pets are pretty important. 10% of people consider their pet to be their best friend.
On this National Pet Day, we raise our mugs to our furry buddies that make home, work and everything else more enjoyable and maybe even a little healthier. We hope you enjoy these pictures of some special Team SJC pets!
