Madeleine McFadden

ENG 1101.221

Professor Kiewitz

4 May 2017

Dogs For Everyone

My entire life my family has always had pets, especially dogs. As a young kid we always had at

least one dog and during the years I was in high school we had six at one time! My parents are the type

who can’t say no to an animal in need so that’s where I get my love for them. Everyone should have a

dog if they can care for them properly.

The biggest reason people should have dogs is the unconditional love you get from them. My

dogs are so excited to see me when I come home from work at night and it’s a great feeling getting to

see their adorable faces after working 13 hours. Another reason is dogs are great as emotional support

tools; dogs can sense their owner’s emotions so when you get upset they know and they will try to

comfort you. According to the Encyclopedia of Nursing Research, “Pets provide companionship and

feelings of security and of being loved. Further research has found a decrease in anxiety, systolic

pulmonary pressure, and epinephrine and norepinephrine levels in individuals with pets” (Johnson). I

was very upset in the days after my grandma passed and my dogs would not leave my side inside the

house and would snuggle up on the couch with me to help me feel better.

Dogs are great companions for people of all ages and even for other dogs. My boyfriend and I

have two dogs, a 16 month old Beagle/ Rottweiler mix and a 12 year old Norwegian Elkhound, so
when he and I are at work during the day they keep each other company and they play with each other

all the time. Research has shown that older people who own pets get many health benefits from this

relationship that non-pet owners do not. The Encyclopedia of Elder Care states, “Older adult dog

owners walked longer and had lower triglyceride levels than non-dog owners, were more likely to

survive 1 year after a myocardial infarction, and to have lower blood pressure and better cholesterol

levels” (Staff).

Dogs can also make great exercise partners for people. Just like people, dogs can also become

overweight and have health problems from not getting enough exercise. Growing up in a small town I

saw many people going for runs or walks with their dogs and many times a dog can be a great

motivator to keep running when you want to stop because they just love to run free.

For a family with children, or even a young couple with no children yet, dogs teach great

amounts of responsibility. When you have a dog, you have to remember to feed them and take them

out, but you also have to take them to the vet when they get sick or hurt and you have to make sure they

get the attention and exercise they need to be happy and healthy. Dogs are also very entertaining

animals and you can get joy out of just watching them play. According to Harvard Medical School

Commentaries on Health, “ Positive close relationships are known to reduce anxiety and stress. Pets

can be fun to watch and fun to play with. In many cases, it is easier to be spontaneous and easygoing

with an animal than with another human. Being with a pet you love can be one of the places you are

most yourself” (Miller). I have a 16 month old puppy who is very energetic, but I also have a 12 year

old dog with more energy than you would believe for a dog her age. After a long day of being in his

cage(he stays in there while we’re at work so he doesn’t chew everything we own), my puppy likes to
just run from one end of our apartment to the other over and over as if he is running laps and it’s

entertaining just watching him let loose and be wild for a few minutes before he decides it’s time to

play with the other dog.

Dogs can be used as companion animals for people with many different diseases and

disabilities. I work with Alzheimer’s patients and ones who have pets in their home seem to decline

slower and have less anxiety about their day to day lives. The Encyclopedia of Nursing Research states

“Patients with Alzheimer's disease who have an attachment to a companion animal have fewer mood

disorders and fewer episodes of anxiety and aggression compared with those without a loved pet”

(Johnson). There have been many studies on the effects that a therapy animal has on people suffering

from Alzheimer’s, and the results can sometimes be eye opening; as stated in the article The New Breed

of Service Dog: Canine Caregivers for Dementia and Alzheimer's Patients, “Therapy dogs have been

shown to reignite the interest of a patient in the world around them. Some patients have even smiled,

spoken or taken a genuine interest for the first time in years upon meeting or getting to know a therapy

dog” (Rover.com). They have also been shown to lower the cost of care in facilities where therapy dogs

are used regularly. As stated in the Encyclopedia of Nursing Research, “A study conducted in New

York, Missouri, and Texas showed that in nursing homes where animals and plants are an integral part

of the environment, medication costs dropped from an average of $3.80 per patient per day to just

$1.18 per patient per day” (Johnson). Stimulation from having a pet also helped to increase appetites in

patients with Alzheimer’s; according to the article Alzheimer’s Disease: The Magic of Pets, “the

nutritional benefits of therapy pets on Alzheimer’s patients have been studied and shown to improve

nutritional intake. In a 2002 study conducted by researchers at Purdue University, fish aquariums were
used with 62 Alzheimer’s disease patients on a daily basis over a two week treatment period, and then

weekly for a six-week period. The outcome: Nutritional intake increased during the first two weeks,

and continued to do so during the next six week period. The patients gained an average of 1.65 pounds,

and required less nutritional supplementation, thus reducing the overall costs of their care” (Allen).

Companion animals inside of Memory Care Units in long-term care facilities have very positive results

on the temperaments of people with Alzheimer’s. According to the Encyclopedia of Nursing Research,

“McCabe posited that when a dog was present on the unit from morning to evening, results showed the

resident to be less violent, have fewer conflicts, need less medication, and have more acceptable

behavior as well as decreased agitation and improved socialization during sundown hours” (Johnson).

Personal Alzheimer’s service dogs have the ability to keep their owners safe and are trained to

help them to find their way home and to never let them leave their house alone. The New Breed of

Service Dog: Canine Caregivers for Dementia and Alzheimer’s Patients states “One of the main tasks

of a dementia service dog is to get the owner home when the command is given. The dog is also trained

to remain with his or her owner and call for help by barking if the owner refuses to go home, which can

happen with someone suffering from dementia or Alzheimer’s if he or she gets confused. The dog also

has a GPS tracker on his or her collar, which makes it easy for the owner’s family to locate the pair

when needed” (Rover.com). These dogs are also trained to help with everyday tasks as the owner

slowly declines cognitively; as stated in The New Breed of Service Dog: Canine Caregivers for

Dementia and Alzheimer’s Patients, “Service dogs assist with daily tasks, from waking owners up in

the morning, reminding them where their clothes are, and bringing medications to the owner in bite-

proof packaging” (Rover.com).

Dogs are a lot of work and are expensive to keep, just like children. Every year, 3.3 million dogs enter

shelters in the U.S. and 670,000 of them are euthanized annually because their owners couldn’t

properly take care of them (Pet Statistics). These animals are a lifelong commitment, not just until they

grow to be full grown dogs and aren’t as cute anymore, so think twice before getting one if you don’t

plan on keeping and loving it for the length of it’s life.

Allen, Kathleen. "Alzheimer's Disease: The Magic of Pets." BrightFocus Foundation. N.p., 03
Jan. 2017.Web. 24 Apr. 2017.
Johnson, Amy R. "Pet Therapy." Encyclopedia of Nursing Research, Joyce J.Fitzpatrick, 

Springer Publishing Company, 3rd edition, 2011. Credo Reference, 

http://sinclair.ohionet.org/login?

url=http://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/spennurres/pet_therapy/0?

institutionId=6043. Accessed 11 Apr 2017.

Miller, Michael Craig. "Dogs - A Source of Love and Well-Being." Harvard Medical

 School Commentaries on Health, edited by Harvard Health Publications, 1st

 edition, 2014. Credo Reference,

http://sinclair.ohionet.org/login?

url=http://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/hhphoh/dogs_a_source_of_love_and_well_b

eing/0?institutionId=6043. Accessed 24 Apr 2017.

"The New Breed of Service Dog: Canine Caregivers for Dementia and Alzheimer's Patients."

Rover.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2017.

"Pet Statistics." ASPCA. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2017.

Staff, Editorial. "Pet Ownership Among Older Adults." The Encyclopedia of Elder Care,

 Elizabeth Capezuti,Springer Publishing Company, 3rd edition, 2013. Credo

Reference,http://sinclair.ohionet.org/login?
url=http://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/spenelderc/pet_ownership_among_older_ad

ults/0?institutionId=6043. Accessed 11 Apr 2017.