T HE B ENEFITS OF A NIMAL C OMPANIONSHIP By: Aleigha Rude

“ A DOG IS THE ONLY THING ON EARTH THAT WILL LOVE YOU MORE THAN YOURSELF ” -K ALENA M AWAE

T YPES Pets Service animals Seeing eye dogs Seizure sensing dogs Agricultural purposes Horses Cows Chickens Entertainment Zoos Aquariums content/uploads/2011/08/seeing- eye-dog.jpg 4aAE5NudeG8/TsxyRV8cT4I /AAAAAAAABjg/PISxeYoLG 4I/s1600/17_5_orig.jpg /commons/a/a1/Male_whale_shark_at _Georgia_Aquarium.jpg

P ETS Approximate of 62% of US households have pets Dogs: 78.2 million Cats: 86.4 million

S CIENTIFIC RESEARCH SHOWS THAT THERE ARE MANY PSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFITS OF OWNING A PET

M AIN B ENEFITS F OR C HILDREN Safety Happiness Childhood memories Friendships/bonds

B ENEFITS FOR A DULTS Responsibilities Sense of control Training Stress Reduction Motivation Working out content/uploads/woman-running-withh-dog.jpg

E MOTIONAL P ERSPECTIVE Depression Stress levels Loneliness Illness Happiness Self-Esteem Motivation Activity levels Closer relationships with those around them Decreases In:Increases In:

“ ANIMALS MAKE JUST AS GOOD FRIENDS AS THEY DO PETS ” -B ERLIN S NIDER

P ERSONALLY Chewy Kota Murph

P HOTO URLS content/uploads/2011/08/seeing-eye-dog.jpg 4aAE5NudeG8/TsxyRV8cT4I/AAAAAAAABjg/PI SxeYoLG4I/s1600/17_5_orig.jpg /a1/Male_whale_shark_at_Georgia_Aquarium.jpg content/uploads/woman-running-withh-dog.jpg

B IBLIOGRAPHY Hart, Lynette. "Psychosocial Benefits of Animal Companionship." Psychosocial Benefits of Animal Companionship. (2000): n. page. Web. 16 Nov Knight, Sarah, and Victoria Edwards. "Journal of Aging and Health." Journal of Aging and Health. (2008): n. page. Web. 16 Nov O'Haire, Maggie. "Animals and Human Health." Animals and Human Health. n. page. Web. 16 Nov "Pet Statistics." ASPCA We Are Their Voice. ASPCA, n.d. Web. 16 Nov <