Owning a Pet Is Good for Your Health

Pets in America are incredibly well loved: according to a 2015 Harris poll, 95% of owners think of their animal as a member of the family. About half buy 【小题1】 birthday presents. And it’s a two-way street. People who have pets tend to have lower blood pressure, heart rate and heart-disease risk than those who don’t. Those health benefits may come from the extra exercise that playing and walking 【小题2】 (require), and the stress relief of having a steady best friend on hand.

Scientists are now digging up evidence 【小题3】 animals can also help improve mental health, even for people with challenging disorders. Small 【小题4】 the studies are, the benefits are impressive enough that clinical settings are opening their doors to animal assisted interventions — pet therapy, in other words — used alongside conventional medicine. “【小题5】 (think) of an animal in a hospital used to be one of the great no-no’s,” says Alan Beck, director of the Center for the Human-Animal Bond at Purdue University, citing the fear of causing infection. “Now, I don’t know of any major children’s hospital 【小题6】 at least some kind of animal program.”

The rise of animal therapy 【小题7】 (back) by increasingly serious science showing that social support — a proven antidote to anxiety and loneliness — can come on four legs, not just two. Animals of many types can help calm stress, fear and anxiety in young children, the elderly and everyone in between.

More research is needed 【小题8】 scientists know exactly why it works and how much animal interaction is needed for the best results. But 【小题9】 (publish) studies show that paws have a place in medicine and in mental well-being. “The data is strong,” Beck says. “If you look at 【小题10】 animals do for people and how we interact with them, it’s not surprising at all.”

A few years ago, after a long morning of sightseeing in New York, my children and I took a rest on one of the park 【小题1】 (bench) in Central Park.

“Look!” my son said, 【小题2】(point) to a nearby rubbish bin. That’s when we saw our first raccoon (浣熊). Quite at home in the big city, he paid us no attention, concentrating only on finding a 【小题3】 (taste) lunch. He sorted through a few options before coming out with a wrapped sandwich 【小题4】 (hold) between his paws.

【小题5】 (surprise), rather than run away, he jumped down and walked casually to a spot on the path, not a metre from where we sat. The children were spellbound, the raccoon providing better【小题6】(entertain) than any museum. He glanced at us, perhaps checking to see 【小题7】we were about to steal his lunch.

【小题8】delicate fingers, he peeled back the layers of plastic wrap until the half-eaten sandwich 【小题9】 (uncover).

Then he surprised us all. Instead of starting his food, he turned to a nearby pool of water and 【小题10】 (dip) his paws in. With a casual air, he rubbed his paws together underwater for a moment, brushed his fur, then started gracefully picking at his meal.

When my father was a boy, he had a dog named Laddie. Laddie stayed constantly by Dad’s side—fishing, playing ball, and even 【小题1】 (follow) him to school. Laddie would simply follow Dad’s smell and track him all the way to school. Arriving after all the doors were closed, Laddie would sit outside the school, waiting 【小题2】 (patient). Eventually, someone would open 【小题3】 door and Laddie would slip in after him. Once inside, the dog would walk from room to room 【小题4】 he found his master. Of course, Dad’s teacher would immediately demand that the dog 【小题5】 (remove).

Later, my father went off 【小题6】 (join) his five brothers in World War Ⅱ, but Laddie continued to attend school, lying quietly each day 【小题7】 the feet of Dad’s younger brother, Dick. Laddie’s attendance was 【小题8】 consistent that Howard Junior High School awarded him an honorary diploma when Dick graduated. Now, that’s one smart dog.

Years later, when my dad was an adult, he met another dog: Casey. Casey went everywhere with Dad. In fact, I complained Dad spent 【小题9】 time with Casey than he did with any of his human family members. Casey trusted my father unconditionally, 【小题10】 sometimes Casey’s blind faith in my dad got them both into trouble.