{"id":3763,"date":"2019-12-03T16:41:11","date_gmt":"2019-12-03T21:41:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.musingsbymichael.com\/blog\/?p=3763"},"modified":"2019-12-03T16:41:11","modified_gmt":"2019-12-03T21:41:11","slug":"having-a-pet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.musingsbymichael.com\/blog\/2019\/12\/03\/having-a-pet\/","title":{"rendered":"Having a pet"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.musingsbymichael.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/New-Dog.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2870\" src=\"http:\/\/www.musingsbymichael.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/New-Dog.jpg\" alt=\"New Dog\" width=\"1958\" height=\"1468\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.musingsbymichael.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/New-Dog.jpg 1958w, http:\/\/www.musingsbymichael.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/New-Dog-300x225.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.musingsbymichael.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/New-Dog-768x576.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.musingsbymichael.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/New-Dog-1024x768.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1958px) 100vw, 1958px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 18pt;\">Why having a pet is one of the best things that you could do for yourself.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 18pt;\">Per the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/healthypets\/health-benefits\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Centers for Disease Control<\/a>, \u201c<i>Studies have shown that the bond between people and their pets can increase fitness, lower stress, and bring happiness to their owners. Some of the health benefits of having a pet include:<\/i><!--more--><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 18pt;\"><i>Decreased blood pressure <\/i><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 18pt;\"><i>Decreased cholesterol levels <\/i><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 18pt;\"><i>Decreased triglyceride levels <\/i><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 18pt;\"><i>Decreased feelings of loneliness <\/i><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 18pt;\"><i>Increased opportunities for exercise and outdoor activities <\/i><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 18pt;\"><i>Increased opportunities for socialization<\/i>\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 18pt;\">The downside is \u201c<i>However, pets can sometimes carry harmful germs that can make us sick even when the pet appears healthy. The diseases people get from animals are called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/onehealth\/basics\/zoonotic-diseases.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">zoonotic (zoe-oh-NOT-ic) diseases<\/a>.<\/i>\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 18pt;\">I have a young dog who needs to be walked quite often and by virtue of walking him I have went from just over 200 pounds down to about 182 pounds in just one year. What I must note also is that I am fixing my own meals instead of using prepared foods. But all the good exercise sure does not hurt me any and I go out with him in all kinds of weather. Normally if there were bad weather conditions going on outside, I would stay in. With having the dog I am forced to go out and exercise, which to me is a good thing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 18pt;\">From the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.huffpost.com\/entry\/the-10-health-benefits-of-dogs-and-one-health-risk_n_57dad1b8e4b04a1497b2f5a0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">HuffPost<\/a>, \u201c<i>Dogs don\u2019t just fill your heart; they actually make it stronger. Studies show that having a canine companion is linked to lower blood pressure, reduced cholesterol, and decreased triglyceride levels, which contribute to better overall cardiovascular health and fewer heart attacks. What\u2019s more, dog owners who <\/i><em><i>do <\/i><\/em><i>have heart attacks have better survival rates following the events.<\/i>\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 18pt;\">While a dog forces you to exercise more, owing a cat does have an up side too. Remember that that cats also will express their love to you and that will help to combat depression, loneliness, etc. And there are many other pets who can fill similar roles that are very beneficial for you.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 18pt;\">There are downsides to owing a pet, such as the cost. But I must stress, in my opinion, that the costs are minor compared to the benefits.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 18pt;\">Also from the CDC, \u201c<i>Whether you have a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/healthypets\/pets\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">dog, cat, horse, parakeet, gerbil, bearded dragon, or other fun pet<\/a>, providing regular, life-long veterinary care is important for keeping your pet and family healthy. Regular veterinary visits are essential to good pet health. Talk to your pet\u2019s veterinarian about how to keep your pet healthy. Provide your pet with a good diet, fresh water, clean bedding, and plenty of exercise. Keep up with your pet\u2019s vaccines, deworming, and flea and tick control. Some pets can carry ticks that can spread serious diseases like Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever to people. In areas with plague\u2014including some rural areas in the western US\u2014fleas can be a risk to both animals and their owners.<\/i>\u201d Remember that you have to be a responsible pet owner and take care of both yourself and your pet.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 18pt;\">So if you decide to get a pet, make sure you involve everyone who lives with you. Also it is far better to adopt rather than going to a breeder and above all do your research so you will not get surprised by some unexpected problem\/expense.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif; font-size: 18pt;\">And above all have fun and be a good pet owner!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: comic sans ms, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;\">That is my opinion- Jumpin Jersey Mike<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"ccfdc6a66d730659f1\" ><script async defer src=\"\/\/assets.pinterest.com\/js\/pinit.js\"><\/script>\n<a data-pin-do=\"embedBoard\" data-pin-board-width=\"150\" data-pin-scale-height=\"60\" data-pin-scale-width=\"800\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/mkendallpk\/stuff-for-sale\/\"><\/a>\n\n<\/div><style type=\"text\/css\">\r\n.ccfdc6a66d730659f1 {\r\nmargin: 5px; padding: 0px;\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 1201px) {\r\n.ccfdc6a66d730659f1 {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 993px) and (max-width: 1200px) {\r\n.ccfdc6a66d730659f1 {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 769px) and (max-width: 992px) {\r\n.ccfdc6a66d730659f1 {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 768px) {\r\n.ccfdc6a66d730659f1 {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (max-width: 767px) {\r\n.ccfdc6a66d730659f1 {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n<\/style>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Why having a pet is one of the best things that you could do for yourself. Per the Centers for Disease Control, \u201cStudies have shown that the bond between people and their pets can increase fitness, lower stress, and bring happiness to their owners. Some of the health benefits of having a pet include:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3763","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-national"],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.musingsbymichael.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3763","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.musingsbymichael.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.musingsbymichael.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.musingsbymichael.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.musingsbymichael.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3763"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.musingsbymichael.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3763\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.musingsbymichael.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3763"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.musingsbymichael.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3763"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.musingsbymichael.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3763"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}