PRESS

Four Ways Pets Benefit Our Health

June 26, 2015
Addison Magazine
By Amy Reisner

It has been scientifically proven that pets can help your health.

Did you know petting your dog or cat can lower your blood pressure? We often turn to our furry friends for unconditional love and support when it comes to managing tough times emotionally in our life.

However, it turns out there are other ways pets benefit our health. According to Phillip Kasdorf, founding partner of Citydog! Club, LLC, there are four key ways pets benefit our health.

“Petting your dog or cat helps the body release a relaxation hormone which cuts down on our levels of stress,” Kasdorf says.

Pets can also be an ice breaker of sorts. “Pets can help us connect with other people—they make it more comfortable to meet new people while walking down the street, interacting at dog parks, dog meet-ups and just saying hello more often to complete strangers.”

Sometimes life just gets hectic and we just manage to scrape by when it comes to staying organized and staying on a schedule. “Pets give us a structured lifestyle—they are dependent on us for food, water, shelter, exercise and their overall health,” Kasdorf says. “That responsibility tends to make us take better care of ourselves.”

Finally, Kasadorf explains that having a pet can overall make you are healthier human. “Studies have shown that people with dogs have a healthier heart from the exercise they get from walking their dog,” he says.

“Dog owners walk more than people without dogs which results in lower blood pressure. And people with pets are often less lonely than people who don’t have a pet.”

Citydog! Club provides grooming, boarding and play time for your pet and has locations all over the United States, including Addison.