Back Talk: A Pet’s Gift of Unconditional Love Dr. Karl Schwartz Emotional wellbeing is a major component of health. We can receive emotional support from our spouses, families, friends, even coworkers with whom we are close. However, the type of emotional support I want to highlight is the emotional support we receive from our pets. It seems like the older I get, the more value I see of having pets around me in the home, especially related to my emotional health. We have six cats and two dogs. Each cat has its own unique personality but I am closest to my black cat who loves to be petted. Research shows simply petting an animal reduces anxiety. A pet provides vital emotional support, especially to a person who lives alone. Humans are social beings, and living alone can be destructive to emotional and physical health. Pets can fill that void. I often find myself talking with my pets; they don’t conversate too well, but the looks of confusion and wonder they display are priceless! Last week, I had a patient who brought an emotional support dog that she was training. The benefits of a sight dog for a blind person or a hearing dog for a deaf person are obvious, but we are just beginning to understand the less obvious benefits of a support dog for people with anxiety. Dogs that visit chronically sick children in hospitals can raise the endorphin (the ‘feel good’ hormone) levels in the brain. In the television show, “Pitbulls and Parolees,” dogs are shown to give unconditional emotional support and love to people who have experienced the lows in life, often changing the paths of their humans’ lives. I recently saved a terrier puppy that I found terrified and stranded in the middle of a six-lane highway, with cars speeding by at 60 mph. Upon seeing him, I immediately did a U-turn, speeding back to the scene, fearing that the puppy might be killed before I could get to him. Fortunately, drivers were alert and managed to avoid hitting him. Several people had stopped to help him, but no one really wanted to take him home. I took him home, and
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attempted to find his owner, with no success; he had a collar with no tags and wasn’t chipped. Fast forward three months and he is assimilating into our home with our other dog and six cats. He has turned out to be a real joy. If you or someone you know would like to change your life and improve your health, consider providing a forever home for a displaced cat or dog. Contact Lifeline Animal Project at DeKalb Animal Services. They provide animal welfare services for DeKalb County, including no-kill shelters and adoption centers (with a cat-only shelter in Tucker!), and managing foster programs for animals in need. Check them out at lifelineanimal.org, or follow them on Facebook for current animals in foster and adoption programs. Make your holidays even happier by sharing your joy with an animal in need. Dr. Karl Schwartz is a graduate of Life University in Marietta, Georgia; he has been practicing chiropractic in Tucker for twenty-one years and a resident here for fifteen years. His office specializes in preventing sports injuries and maximizing performance by analyzing posture, weight bearing, and gait. If you have a question you would like addressed in a future column, please email karlschwartzdc@gmail.com. Note “Back Talk” in the subject line.
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