Olivia Hicks

L. Fields Carey

English III

February 28, 2012

How Domestic Animals Affect our Health and Economy

In the world today, people are surrounded by domestic animals. These animals serve a helpful purpose in human lives. However, they can also be harmful to human society. Mankind in general has different views on domestic animals which raise many different questions and answers about domestic animals. Domestic animals affect people’s health and economy by their ability to relieve stress from a stressed out person and the cost that it takes to take care of them if a person is short on money.

Pets Help People’s Health

Domestic animals can benefit a person’s health. Take infants that are raised in homes that own pets, for example. Jeanie Lerche Davis, in her article “Five Ways Pets Improve Your Health,” states, “If a dog lived in the home, infants were less likely to show evidence of pet allergies.” This means that these infants have stronger immune systems because their bodies have become accustomed to the allergens (Davis).

There are many other ways in which pets help people. Any person that has a job to do experiences stress, some more so than others. Stress can release harmful chemicals such as cortisol and norepinephrine, which can harm the immune system (Davis). These chemicals are linked to plaque build-up in arteries (Davis). How can pets help? It has been observed that “heart attack patients who have pets survive longer than those without” (Davis). A simple way to raise healthy chemical levels in the body is by petting (Davis), walking, feeding, and/or playing with a pet (Davis).

Jeanie Davis also states that “…playing with a dog can elevate levels of serotonin and dopamine – nerve transmitters that are known to have pleasurable and calming properties.” Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease have a hard time focusing on

eating a meal, which can cause them to lose weight (Weaver ). When Alzheimer’s patients are placed in front of an aquarium or in a room with an animal, they have fewer outbursts and can focus long enough to eat a meal (Weaver). This helps the patient by reducing his or her weight loss (Weaver). Since pets can help Alzheimer’s patients so well, they can help others. Ideas such as animal-assisted therapy can become a mainstream medically-accepted intervention that could be prescribed to patients (Weaver). Animal-assisted therapy is also used in prisons. Pets do not judge by appearance or a persons background so this helps the recipient focus on the present and not on worries of the past (Wells).

Locally, at WakeMed Hospital in Raleigh, North Carolina, Pet Assisted Therapy is used. WakeMed uses only one dog named Scully, who was sent to a nine-month Advanced Training class, spending the first two weeks undergoing health and temperamental tests (“PAT”). 35% of the dogs sent to this program pass the health and temperamental tests and continue the remaining seven weeks left in the program (“PAT”). In August 2006, WakeMed applied for a canine companion and during two weeks of training, Elizabeth Penny, a Licensed/Certified Recreation Therapist, met Scully for the first time. Elizabeth soon adopted Scully as a member of the WakeMed Rehab staff and a member of her home (“PAT”).

Scully works three hours a day in the rehab part of the hospital and does a good job at helping people regain their health (“PAT”). In physical therapy, Scully helps people when they play fetch with him and walk him around the facility because this increases their balance and endurance (“PAT”). Other therapies that Scully helps with are occupational, speech and recreation (“PAT”). Occupational therapy helps a patient work on his/her motor skills when he or she grooms, pets and plays fetch with the canine companion (“PAT”). Patients in speech therapy learn to increase breath support when they give Scully commands and also learn to remember more information (“PAT”). Last, in recreation therapy, Scully works with those who may be socially isolated or who may be suffering from depression (“PAT”). There is always something to talk about when a person has an animal around, so the animal gives those who are socially isolated an opportunity to socialize and gain self esteem. Scully may make people feel more motivated and draw them out of depression (“PAT”). The benefit of using animals in the medical field is truly seen at WakeMed Hospital.

Pets can improve the quality of our lives (Weaver), even emotionally. Studies have been done on how animals affect humans (Wells), such as a study done in 1999 showing that a pet added to a stockbroker’s life reduced his stress level (Weaver). Simply watching a video of animals can help reduce stress (Wells). When people are suffering from emotional stress like depression, or are limited by an illness, the presence of an animal helps lower any depression or feelings of helplessness (Davis) (Wells).

Pets Harm People’s Health

Owning a pet can also have a downside. If not controlled, the animal population in a person’s home can reach overwhelming numbers. This is called hoarding, and it is unhealthy for the person hoarding and all the animals they are keeping. Dr. Laurel Causby, who works at Plantations Animal Hospital in Clayton, North Carolina, comments on this matter, saying, “Sanitation is a very low concern for most hoarders. Hoarding can cause diseases and eventually some of these diseases can jump to different species.” Not only are the hoarder and the animals affected, but the neighbors as well. If

animals are not properly contained, they can break loose and roam wherever they please, sometimes into a neighbor’s yard (Causby). A smell may eventually develop due to the lack of sanitation, also.

Number of people in millions that owned a pet from 2000-2010

Number of people in millions

Years 2000-2010

People Cannot Keep Their Pets

Some people may not be able to handle taking care of a pet between working a job and taking care of a family. Instead of their pet reducing stress, it may cause more stress. “The average annual cost of owning a dog is about $1,400…” states Robin Bal. Economic struggles make it hard for owners to spend $1,000 a year for vet care and pet food (Bal). Giving up a pet is something no one wants to do but the economy forces them to (Belt). Bonds between pets and owners are continuously being broken by economic stress (Bal).

The number of people giving up their pets is rapidly increasing (Bal). With more and more people losing their jobs due to the falling economy, pets become “too expensive to keep – that’s the number one reason why pet owners are giving up their cats and dogs” (Coueignoux). People also give up their pets because they lose their homes. Even if people are not giving up their pets because of the recession, many are reducing the amount of money they spend on their pets (Bal). It is very sad to see families reach this point. One example of when pets were given up on a massive scale is when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. Generally, pets are not allowed in public places unless they are service animals. This was the case when orders were given that no pets were allowed on buses or helicopters. This left them to fend for themselves until they could be rescued.

Shelters Become Overcrowded

What becomes of all the rescued animals that owners have to give up? Animal shelters, such as the SPCA, are often the answer. This is just one of many examples of why pets are sent to animal shelters. It would be inhumane to leave these animals on their own to suffer so rescue groups were sent out to collect these animals until their owners could return and claim them. Sadly, many of these animals were never claimed, which led to shelters and kennels becoming extremely overcrowded. It is estimated that six to eight million pets are sent to animal shelters and about half are euthanized (Bal). Some of these shelters are “no-kill,” meaning they do not euthanize the animals they receive. “No-kill” shelters easily become overcrowded and they urge people to adopt animals (Coueignoux). People cannot afford to care for these animals or are not physically able to so the animals stay in the shelters for months at a time (Coueignoux). Shelters even turn away people looking to give away their pets because they are too crowded (Bal). Robin Bal comments, “The population growth at animal shelters shows how the weak economy is also shrinking the pool of potential adopters.” The more animals that a shelter boards, the higher food and medical bills will become. As discretionary income shrinks, pets get fewer health checkups, meaning less money going into the shelters (Webster). Some people, when unable to keep their pets, simply abandon them and leave it to the shelters to find and care for their pets.

Animal shelters are even asking people to find ways to help them. They suggest strategies such as contacting relatives or neighbors and asking them to care for the pet. Two other ways to lessen the money spent on pets are looking for quality pet foods that

are less expensive and cutting down on treats, using safe table scraps, such as skinless chicken or boiled rice, instead. Some vets encourage people to get their pets insured. This way, all the owner has to do is fax the vet office a copy of the bill and they in return will send a check for a large majority of the expenses. It is also important to eliminate unnecessary pet-related expenses such as a multitude of outfits, too many toys to keep up with and doggie beds that some dogs do not even sleep on (Biddle).

The down economy does not affect all pet owners in a bad way. As a companion or “child” to some, pets are sometimes spoiled compared to how they were treated in years past. They have made their way into homes, under dinner tables, and even into beds (Brady). Pets play important roles in being part of a family, so why would an owner not want to treat them like one? More money is spent on pets than it is spent on recreational things such as buying video games, going to the movies and buying music: $41 billion a year for pets, $11.6 billion on video games, $10.8 billion on movies and $10.6 billion on buying music (Brady). Pets have been upgraded from kennels to doggie hotels and can even get braces if their owner pleases (Brady). With pets being treated more and more like humans, businesses selling pet clothing and accessories bloom and make considerable profit (Brady).

Domestic animals are very beneficial in how they help a person’s health, whether the person is stressed or just needs someone to keep him company, but they can also cause more stress in their cost and overpopulating animal shelters. Depending on a persons’ situation, a pet can do more harm than good or vise versa. It is good to consider the pros and cons of owning a pet because they can greatly effect health and the economy in several good and not so good ways.