Pets Minimize Stress Levels

When shaggy little Mr. Higgins came into our lives, it was as if a gust of wind came unexpectedly and whooshed all my stress away.

I was struggling with broken relationships in the family, problems at work, and not enough money to pay all the bills. It was nearing the end of a long, dark, Midwestern winter and the winter blues nearly had me whipped. My insides were churning and wreathing from stress; I'd had a dull headache and a sinus cold for weeks. I lugged my heavy, weary self into the house on a Friday afternoon in mid March, glad for the end of another work week, wanting only to flop on the couch and waste away the hours until bed time.

On the back deck, however, was a little white dog running back and forth, yelping and yipping, begging for attention. I went out to greet him. I scooped him into my arms and when I did so, the warmth of his body against mine and the enthusiasm of his kisses changed the upheaval I felt in my own body. He squirmed and wriggled, then nestled into my breast. I laughed out loud and released a most healing breath. More stress than I even knew I had was let go in that sigh.

I brought him into the house and fed him. I bathed him and dried him with a towel, rediscovering purpose and value in my time. He needed me, and I needed to be needed.

Research shows that pets relieve stress through the unconditional love they express and the call to interaction with life that they present. They require feeding, walking, and attention, and in return, the love they shower on us far exceeds what we deserve. By transferring some of our attention and energies to the care and love of a pet, we divert unnecessary worries about things we can not control, thereby relieving stress. Pets absorb and reflect: they take in our stress and give back pure delight.

Mr. Higgins joined our family that day. Our pack of four other dogs welcomed him with grace and ease. The arrival of Mr. Higgins reaffirmed for me that pets are perhaps the best means of stress relief.

Mr. Higgins is curious and comical; and his is a bundle of energy and love. Not a day has gone by since his arrival that I have not laughed aloud and felt an undeniable joy in the pit of my being. Joy is the antidote to stress. I am forever convinced, not by scientific research, but by personal experience, that pets keep us balanced and keep stress levels low enough to tolerate.

Cheers to Mr. Higgins (who, by the way, is watching me write this, patiently waiting for me to take him out to play)!