Pets Are the Key to Wellbeing?

There’s an article about pets being the key to wellbeing in the Body & Soul section of The Sunday Mail today.  I was walking into the newsagent to buy the paper, when I met up with a friend.

She told me of her dilemmas.  Firstly, she had been at a wedding and slipped over and broke her hip and wrist, and spent several weeks in hospital.  She’s back almost to normal, but there are issues with her wrist.  Apparently, it was put in a cast – but the bones were not correctly connected.  She will have to live with the problem.  She is very senior and has other health issues, so operating on it would be foolhardy apparently.   But she is happy with her hip and is walking very well.

Then she went on to tell me about her housing problem.  Again it is as story familiar to me. Stories like hers are why I am working on a project for solo senior women and their housing.

A dog?

She has been renting a house on the beachfront for quite a few years.  Now the owners wish to sell the house, and she has only a couple of months to find a new abode.  Despite being a very senior lady, she is an active artist and she has a dog.  This dog is a great companion to her – it is like her child.  When you visit her you must greet the dog, and say goodbye. The dog expects it.  So does she!  Even if she is feeling unwell, Buddy is the reason she MUST get up in the morning.  He is the key to her wellbeing.

(I might add that the rent on her house is some 80% of her pension – she must earn money from the sale of her artwork to live.)

Pets Are the Key to Wellbeing? 1

Steele

The dog though, her only live-in companion, the friend that is the only piece of company that she has is the one thing that is causing her challenges in finding a new home.  No one wants to rent a home to someone with a dog!  In fact, it would be the same for a cat.

Pets Are the Key to Wellbeing? 2

 

They are big “no no’s” in the private rental market.  You cannot rent a house if you have a dog or a cat.  Cats are easier to “smuggle” into a rental property but must be hidden when the regular house inspection is on.  I know it happens.  But a dog is far more difficult to disguise or hide.

Pets Are the Key to Wellbeing? 3

Looking up with love!

Having a pet will “reduce stress, anxiety and depression” says the article and “can lower your blood pressure and possibly decrease the risk of heart disease and stroke due to increased physical activity that many pet owners, and especially dog owners, are involved with.”

(Thanks to my daughter and her family for the photos of their lovely Steele, the Australian sheep dog).

A pet can make you laugh!!  While humans had some part of this one – Steele looks amused too.

Pets Are the Key to Wellbeing? 4

I think they are laughing at me!




 

 

Share This:

About Di Hill

My business card says "Writer, Traveller, Camera Addict, Bamboo Fan, Workshop Presenter." This website will focus on my writing - and the workshops I present. Workshops on Blogging, Marketing for Writers, and Life Story Writing.
This entry was posted in Seniors and tagged , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.