Entries by Marie Gilmore

10 Benefits of Having a Dog

Weighing up the pros of having a dog? Here’s 10 ways it could improve your life. Most of us love dogs. In fact, 63% of households own a dog, according to the 2019-2020 National Pet Owners Survey conducted by the American Pet Products Association (APPA). This has steadily increased over the years and was helped […]

Dogs Are Coming Back to the Office With Their People

WASHINGTON — During the coronavirus pandemic in the United States, millions of people adopted dogs for comfort and companionship, and because they had the time to care for them at home since they were not commuting to work. As many companies reopen to a hybrid work schedule — allowing their employees to work both at […]

Creature comforts: Owning a pet can yield surprising health benefits

Pets are fur-ever friends to millions of people, providing cuteness, company, and lots of cuddles. But there are also distinct health benefits to animal ownership, both physical — such as exercise from walking a dog — and emotional, including increased levels of calming cortisol and the so-called “happiness hormones”: serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin. Continue reading at the […]

Dealing with pet loss: How to help a grieving pet parent

Since 2012, Dana Topousis has lost four dogs — all young Dobermans — to illness. Galen died of heart disease; the others, Homer, Romeo and Ruthie, succumbed to different cancers. So, she knows grief, which she calls “a lonely thing.” “I live by myself, and my animals are my family, so it takes me a […]

Pets may help protect brains of older adults as they age, study finds

Adults over the age of 65 who owned a pet for more than five years scored better on memory tests than non-pet owners, according to a study. The benefits that companion animals have on ageing brains was revealed by the study that was conducted by researchers from the University of Michigan in the US. They […]

Health Benefits of Owning a Pet

According to the 2021-2022 APPA National Pet Owners Survey, about 90.5 million homes have at least one pet. Newsinhealth.nih.gov claims that there are emotional and physical benefits to owning a pet. “97% of doctors believe that there are health benefits to owning a pet.” According to habri.org.  There are many emotional benefits to having a pet. Some include decreasing […]

It feels like dogs know just when we need them most. Well, they might, experts say

When a family arrived at Koch Funeral Home in State College, Pennsylvania, to identify a loved one before cremation, Monroe took note — staying back to maintain the people’s privacy but ready to offer comfort if asked. Monroe isn’t a grief counselor or therapist. She’s an Australian Shepherd and resident therapy dog at the funeral […]

Benefits of Living With Companion Animals for Patients With Advanced Cancer

Living with cancer is stressful enough without patients having to consider the possibility of giving up their beloved pets. Even people who are not ill will say that their pet gives them a reason to get up in the morning, to go outside for a walk, to prepare food at mealtime, or simply to enjoy […]

Dog owner good news: Petting your dog may lead to stronger memory and better problem solving skills

Petting a dog leads to increased brain activity, researchers in Switzerland have found — and thus petting a dog and observing it may increase your focus and attention. That’s according to a study recently published in the open-access journal PLOS ONE. Lead study author Rahel Marti, a Ph.D. student in clinical psychology and animal-assisted interventions at the University […]

The Power of Pets: Having an Animal to Love Provides Health Benefits

If you’ve ever thought that your dog can sense when you’re stressed or struggling, new research says your suspicions are likely true. A new study, published in the journal PLOS ONE, found that dogs can detect stress in humans. In fact, researchers found that dogs detected the changes with more than 90% accuracy. The dogs […]