Personal Narrative: How Dogs Benefit Our Lives

How Dogs Benefit Our Lives I have loved dogs since I was a young girl. My mother always made sure that I had a sidekick to play with since I was an only child. Some of my fondest memories were with my little white Jack Russell Terrier named Rosco. He loved riding around our big backyard in the passenger seat of my Jeep, and floating in the orange rubber boat in my kiddie pool with me. Dogs make wonderful companions they can bring laughter, love and joy to a person 's life along with many good memories. I think of dogs as an extension to family, so their happiness and health is very important to me. After all, if one takes care of their pets they will gain many more years with them which is beneficial to both the pet and owner’s life. I will

Foster & Smith Educational Staff). Those individuals tend to be happier and struggle less with depression. Spending time with your pet raises the level of Oxytocin in the brain that is a chemical that causes people to be happier. “Even the mere act of looking at your pet increases the amount of Oxytocin, the “feel good” chemical, in the brain” (Kathy Benjamin). That is why therapy dogs are used in hospitals to help with patient recovery. Patients with Fibromyalgia improved in mood and in their pain management when dog therapy was used. “Fibromyalgia patients spending time with a therapy dog instead of in an outpatient waiting area at a pain management facility showed significant improvements in pain, mood and other measures of distress” (Marcus, 2013) [2]. Pediatric cancer patients were also more optimistic and motivated during treatments when dogs were present. ”Therapy animals in pediatric cancer studies improved motivation to participate in treatment protocol, to maintain their motivation over time, and to want to “get better” or stay optimistic” (Sobo, 2006) [13], (Barker, 2008) [14]. Dogs have a special place in the