My wife and kids got a dog some time ago and insisted that it was their dog; and as such they are responsible for all of its necessary care and upkeep. If you know anything about modern-day dogs I believe you know what this means. Everything that humans need for their daily upkeep is essentially what’s needed to properly take care of a dog today.

You need to bathe and groom them, at least weekly. They must be housed properly which may sometimes mean purchasing special housing and bedding. (Of course you know there is the pet shop that tells you that you need all of this stuff.) Oh, and let’s not forget feeding; there is the special food that must be purchased because they can’t eat the regular human food. This would give them heart worms and a myriad of other ailments.

Unless I forget, let me mention the monthly vet visits now. This is at least ninety dollars assuming that everything is ok; otherwise the cost of supplements and medication will definitely swell this cost. I told my wife that I wasn’t getting involved with their dog, but I know that some of this cost is being indirectly passed right down to me; someway, somehow. The high cost associated with pets is one of the reasons I didn’t want to get involved with a pet in the first place and secondly because I travel quite a bit. Unfortunately or fortunately, it looks like I’m gradually been entrapped into caring for this dog.

I don’t feel too badly about it though because I was reading some where the other day that pet owners are reaping unexpected health benefits from the companionship of their pets. Several studies have shown that owning a pet may be directly related to lower risks for chronic illnesses like hypertension and coronary heart disease. Moreover, there are some indications that dog owners showed even lower risk of developing these ailments.

Given these findings, I’m now going to consider setting up an aquarium again, something I especially enjoyed in my early twenties. This along with my default dog ownership should result in many health benefits in the months and years ahead. Are you a pet owner? If not, why not consider adopting one from one of the local shelters? It’ free and the rewards are immeasurable. What’s your favor; a cat, a dog or maybe even both? Whatever the choice, you will feel great about yourself and at the same time live a longer, happier and healthier life by taking advantage of these and other natural health treatments.