essay on having a pet

45,000+ students realised their study abroad dream with us. Take the first step today

Meet top uk universities from the comfort of your home, here’s your new year gift, one app for all your, study abroad needs, start your journey, track your progress, grow with the community and so much more.

Verification Code

An OTP has been sent to your registered mobile no. Please verify

Thanks for your comment !

Our team will review it before it's shown to our readers.

• School Education /

Essay on My Pet in 150, 250, and 350 Words for Students

• Updated on  
• Jan 12, 2024

Essay on My Pet: Pets are wonderful companions, there is no denying that. Pets provide us with immense love and affection and ask for very little in return. Dogs are “man’s best friend”, this particular phrase has been heard for centuries now, and for a good reason too. Dogs are protective, they are loyal, and are always there for you. There are a lot of reasons as to why dogs make great pets. They comfort and support us in our difficult times. For centuries they have been the most popular pets in the world and it is no surprise as they have been our faithful friends.

Talking about one’s pet is just so exciting and fun. People can go on and on talking about their pets and not stop. Doing the same, we have moulded some of those words in the form of samples of essay on My Pet in 150, 250 and 300 words for students. Let’s have a look at them. 

Table of Contents

• 1 Essay on My Pet in 150 words
• 2 Essay on My Pet in 250 words
• 3 Essay on My Pet in 300 words

Also Read:- Essay on Subhash Chandra Bose for Students

Essay on My Pet in 150 words

I have a pet dog and his name is Chandler. He is named after my favourite “ Friends ” character and has been with us for the last nine months. His colour is golden and his tail is bushy as he is a golden retriever. Chandler is very energetic and likes to play a lot with all of us. He runs extremely fast when chasing cats. He is very playful. We take good care of his diet. I give him foods like eggs, meat, fish, bread, rice, etc. Whenever I return from school, he wags his tail in joy and jumps and hops all around me as if celebrating. Chandler knows everybody in our family and whenever he sees a new person, he barks at them, but he is sweet and does not bite anyone. He is very intelligent as well and gives us handshakes with his paws. He understands whatever we tell, and on command, he sits and rolls over too. He is an essential part of our family and we all love him very much.

Also Read:- Essay on My Hobby

Essay on My Pet in 250 words

My pet dog is a Golden Retriever and his name is Cheddar. He is named after a dog seen on the famous sitcom “Brooklyn 99”. Cheddar is a very energetic and playful dog. He likes to go on walks a lot and play with frisbees and balls. My dad brought him home a year ago. Although I somewhat wanted a cat, now I love him the most. Bella, my sister is crazy about dogs, she wanted a dog since time immemorial. At first, our mother was sceptical about getting a pet, but now Cheddar is her favourite. She treats him just like the way she treats us. 

My sister is particular about his timely vaccinations, eating habits, cleanliness, etc. She bathes him twice a week and every evening, we take him out for a stroll in the neighbourhood as well as the park. As mentioned before, Cheddar is quite active. Hence, we play with him in the park a lot. We throw a ball or a frisbee and play a game of fetch with him. He likes to roll in the leaves and it is fun to watch him do so. Along with being active, Cheddar is smart as well. At home, when his food is served, as long as we don’t say the word “go” he patiently waits. On command, he jumps and shakes hands with us using his paw. When told, he can roll over too. He amuses us with his daily fetching of random things like slippers, or one of his toys. We love him with all our heart and he has become an essential member of our family.

Also Read:- Essay on Waste Management

Essay on My Pet in 300 words

My pet’s name is Mario. He is a two-year-old German Shepherd. I was in 6th grade when my father brought Mario home when he was just 45 days old. His cute little face was so fluffy I could just hug and kiss him all day. I bought a soccer ball, with which he and I used to play all day long. Being in school, I used to think about what is he doing right now or today I’ll take him for a walk to the park, where we will play soccer, etc. 

His unconditional love has always been there as a stress reliever. His loyalty, unwavering support and companionship have been with me in my good and bad times. Now that he is an adult, I have taken all his responsibilities like feeding him, bathing him, taking him for walks, etc. 

Mario once fell ill due to a cold, and whatever he was eating, he was not able to digest it. I got s worried that I took him to the vet, where he was given a penicillin shot as an antibiotic treatment. I was so scared that I held him with my hands and he was lying there, unconscious. Two hours later, he gained his consciousness and started licking my face. All my sorrow and sadness vanished away in a second, seeing his beautiful eyes and fluffy tail wavering all over the table. 

Now that he is completely healthy, I take him for his walks every day, where he is always filled with excitement to explore the other world. As a loyal friend, my dog, Mario, has never demanded anything except for 3 times of meals and a walk. Whether it’s a game of fetch in the backyard or a stroll in the park, every shared moment is a treasure that adds richness to my life.

I have a pet dog and his name is Chandler. He is named after my favourite “Friends” character and has been with us for the last nine months. His colour is golden and his tail is bushy as he is a golden retriever. Chandler is very energetic and likes to play a lot with all of us. He runs extremely fast when chasing cats. He is very playful. We take good care of his diet. I give him foods like eggs, meat, fish, bread, rice, etc. Whenever I return from school, he wags his tail in joy and jumps and hops all around me as if celebrating. Chandler knows everybody in our family and whenever he sees a new person, he barks at them, but he is sweet and does not bite anyone. He is very intelligent as well and gives us handshakes with his paws. He understands whatever we tell, and on command, he sits and rolls over too. He is an essential part of our family and we all love him a lot.

Both cats and dogs make wonderful pets, each offering unique qualities that appeal to different people. Cats are generally more independent animals. Dogs are social animals that thrive on companionship. They usually need more attention, exercise, and social interaction.

Dogs are known as the best friends of humans because they bring loyalty, joyous moments, unconditional love and life-teaching lessons. Some of the best dog breeds for domestication are German Shepherd, Siberian Huskey, Golden Retriever, Labrador, Beagle and Boxer.

Related Reads

This brings us to the end of our blog on Essay on My Pet. Hope you find this information useful. For more information on such informative topics for your school, visit our essay writing and follow Leverage Edu.

Deepansh Gautam

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Contact no. *

Connect With Us

45,000+ students realised their study abroad dream with us. take the first step today..

Resend OTP in

Need help with?

Study abroad.

UK, Canada, US & More

IELTS, GRE, GMAT & More

Scholarship, Loans & Forex

Country Preference

New Zealand

Which English test are you planning to take?

Which academic test are you planning to take.

Not Sure yet

When are you planning to take the exam?

Already booked my exam slot

Within 2 Months

Want to learn about the test

Which Degree do you wish to pursue?

When do you want to start studying abroad.

January 2024

September 2024

What is your budget to study abroad?

How would you describe this article ?

Please rate this article

We would like to hear more.

Have something on your mind?

Make your study abroad dream a reality in January 2022 with

India's Biggest Virtual University Fair

Essex Direct Admission Day

Why attend .

Don't Miss Out

Animal Behavior

The psychological and physical benefits of having a pet, pets can improve our health and well-being..

Posted October 26, 2020 | Reviewed by Abigail Fagan

Pets are an essential part of our psychological toolkit and a great source of comfort. The experience of spending time with an animal is beneficial in the context of your overall health and well-being.

Petting, holding, or cuddling an animal increases the levels of serotonin and dopamine in our bodies, which are feel-good, calming brain chemicals. As a result of these positive chemical changes, our feelings of depression and loneliness may be reduced while our self-esteem and happiness may increase. Interacting with pets can serve to reduce your blood pressure, slow your heart rate, and decrease the level of the stress hormone cortisol in the body. High levels of cortisol can cause the buildup of plaque in the arteries of your heart; this can lead to a heart attack. Even just watching fish swimming around in an aquarium can be a calming and relaxing experience.

Studies have shown that owning a pet may reduce the symptoms of depression, provide a sense of purpose, increase self-confidence , and provide comfort to their owners. Seniors who are depressed or lonely benefit greatly from having a pet to care for and love; it makes them feel needed, which promotes self-confidence and self-esteem. Pets also provide structure and routine to daily life because they require regular care and feeding. Our pets are a welcome sight when we return home following a long or stressful day. Dogs, especially, are palpably happy to see you when you’ve been away.

Dog ownership is immensely therapeutic. A dog requires daily walks; this means that their owners, too, experience fresh air and exercise on a daily basis, thus lowering their risk of succumbing to heart disease. Dog walking also decreases the extent to which humans can isolate themselves. While out and about, walking our dogs, we encounter numerous opportunities to strike up conversations with people whom we might otherwise have never met. People often pass each other on the street without saying a word — but having a dog present is a natural conversation-starter.

Some dogs can sense when you, their owner — their family — are sad or unhappy. They will often respond by nudging you with their paw or head — or they’ll simply sit by your side to let you know that they’re there. Children often prefer to confide their feelings to a pet rather than an adult. Law students who are anxious and stressed before exams have benefited significantly from visits to their schools by therapy dogs.

Many law schools are now allowing therapy dogs onto their campuses to alleviate the pressure of exams among their students. Certified therapy dogs are brought in by their owners, and the students are allowed to pet the dogs and sit with them. The experience of doing so offers students a welcome diversion from their studies and eases their levels of stress, anxiety , and tension. Therapy dogs have, likewise, become part of children’s library reading programs and also provide comfort to people who are in or who work in nursing homes, hospitals, and funeral homes.

Any animal can be a source of social support. Just having another living being whom you can talk to, hug, love — and who needs you — can alleviate feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression. Dogs and cats are great sources of comfort and companionship. However, if you are allergic to dogs or cats — or if you don’t want or are not in a position to be able to fulfill the commitment of owning one — then an aquarium is an excellent choice. Aquariums are inexpensive and are relatively low-maintenance. The sound of the filter can also be relaxing, as well as the experience of watching the fish while they swim.

Louise B. Miller, Ph.D., is an Integrative Mental Health Specialist in Southern California. She is the author of Psychological First Aid: Removing the Stigma & Reframing the Way We Think about Mental Illness.

• Find a Therapist
• Find a Treatment Center
• Find a Psychiatrist
• Find a Support Group
• Find Online Therapy
• United States
• Brooklyn, NY
• Chicago, IL
• Houston, TX
• Los Angeles, CA
• New York, NY
• Portland, OR
• San Diego, CA
• San Francisco, CA
• Seattle, WA
• Washington, DC
• Asperger's
• Bipolar Disorder
• Chronic Pain
• Eating Disorders
• Passive Aggression
• Personality
• Goal Setting
• Positive Psychology
• Stopping Smoking
• Low Sexual Desire
• Relationships
• Child Development
• Self Tests NEW
• Therapy Center
• Diagnosis Dictionary
• Types of Therapy

Sticking up for yourself is no easy task. But there are concrete skills you can use to hone your assertiveness and advocate for yourself.

• Emotional Intelligence
• Gaslighting
• Affective Forecasting
• Neuroscience

15 reasons why having a pet is good for you and your family

• Owning a pet can positively impact not only your health but also your lifestyle.
• Couples who own a pet together have lower blood pressure and interact with each other more than couples who do not own a pet.
• Studies show that pet owners are more likely to get to know people in their neighborhood than those who do not have a pet.
• Animals can help children by teaching them about empathy and responsibility, and can even boost their literacy skills.

• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories .

Whether you have a dog, cat, bird, or anything in between, pet ownership can be an adventure.

A furry friend can also keep you company through the stress or isolation of the coronavirus pandemic — this may be why pet adoption and fostering have spiked recently .

While people who adopt an animal usually think they're changing its life for the better, pets have just as much of a positive impact on the lives of their owners. If you're still on the fence about whether or not you should adopt a pet, here are 15 reasons why you need one in your life.

Having a pet can improve your mood.

Owning a pet can help reduce stress you're feeling amid the pandemic. According to studies , spending time with your pet can trigger an increased level of oxytocin, also known as the "love hormone." This is responsible for the feeling of closeness and increased bonding with your pet. It can also increase your overall mood .

Pets can also improve your social life.

Your pet could be the perfect conversation starter for your next Zoom call, but owning a pet could also help you make more friends once social distancing guidelines lift. 

Dogs are naturally curious about their environment, including other dogs and people, and they can be the catalyst for social interactions. If you own a dog, you might find strangers approaching you to ask about them.

But other pets like cats can increase your social circle  as well. According to a 2015 study conducted in Australia and the US, pet owners were significantly more likely to get to know people in their neighborhood than those who did not own a pet.

If you're looking for love, a pet can help with that, too.

Pets can be a great way to increase your chances of finding love . According to a survey by Purina , 54 percent of surveyed pet owners said their pets helped them start a conversation with someone they were interested in. Nearly two thirds of people said they were likely to date someone who owned a pet, and one in three would want to meet someone who has pictures of their pet in their online dating profile.

And if you're in a relationship, a pet can make you both happier and less stressed.

According to research cited by Psychology Today, couples who own a pet together have lower blood pressure and are happier on average than their peers. They also interact more with each other than couples who don't own a pet.

Owning a pet can make you a better person.

According to a study by BarkBox , owning a dog can make you a better person (or at least make you think you are!). Of those surveyed for the study, 93% of pet owners said they could easily name at least one way their pet had made them a better person, including making them noticeably more patient or affectionate.

Bringing your pet to work can boost your morale and help control your stress levels.

Showing off your pet can brighten those work-from-home video meetings, not only for yourself but also for your co-workers.

A 2012 study conducted at a North Carolina manufacturing company found that employees who brought their dogs to the workplace experienced lower stress levels throughout the day, reported being happier in their jobs, and had a higher opinion of their employer.

Pets can also help you unwind after a long day at work.

Pets can give you comfort and a sense of relief. A 2003 study  found the act of petting an animal after a stressful situation reduced feelings of anxiety. "The anxiety-reducing effect applied to people with different attitudes towards animals and was not restricted to animal lovers," the study noted.

Having a pet nearby, especially a dog, can make you feel more secure.

Large dog breeds like German shepherds and Rottweilers make for great deterrents from outside threats, allowing their owners to feel safer. The popularity of Rottweilers has risen in recent years thanks to " their loyalty, confidence and protective instincts. "

You always have someone to snuggle with on cold nights.

While pets may disturb their sleep at times, some owners enjoy the comfort of curling up with their pet close by. They can make you feel at peace as you drift off to sleep.

Whether it's taking them for a walk or doing yoga, pets can make you more physically active.

Dubbed the " Lassie effect ," taking your dog for a walk also makes you more physically fit and increases the chance you're going to get your daily exercise.

You'll find immeasurable joy in playing fetch with your dog, or teaching your pet tricks.

Almost every dog owner knows the joy of playing fetch with them on a nice summer day. You can teach your dog to shake hands, roll over, and bark on command, but dogs aren't the only ones that can be taught tricks. Cats can also be trained to sit and high five on command. 

While they're not as fluffy as cats or dogs, birds like parrots can be life-long companions.

Birds are social creatures and love to play games and perform tricks. But unlike other animals, parrots and other birds have the ability to learn and mimic human speech. They also have life spans on par with a human's, with some parrots living to be over 100, meaning you'll have a friend for life.

Owning a pet can help your child's learning.

Having a pet at an early age can boost a child's confidence and empathy levels , according to Blue Cross. Pets are natural listeners, and your child may feel more comfortable practicing their reading skills aloud in front of a pet than another person. 

A pet can also teach your child about responsibility.

According to a national survey by the American Pet Product Association, 58 percent of pet owners said their animals help teach their children to be responsible. From an early age, a child can help feed, walk, and bathe a family pet.

Pets can also be the inspiration for great creative works.

Pets inspire people in various of ways. English actor Oliver Reed reviewed his movie script with his cat, Felix, nearby. When he was coming up with his theories, Albert Einstein would often watch his cat, Tiger, move about. It was an injured dog that inspired Florence Nightingale to become a nurse. 

• A photographer captured photos of 15 pairs of dogs and their owners that look hilariously alike
• This dog adopted an abandoned kitten after losing her own puppies, and the photos will warm your heart
• 12 dogs with disabilities who are living their best life
• Belarus the cross-eyed rescue cat has stolen the hearts of thousands online, and now he's helping other animals in need

• Main content

24/7 writing help on your phone

To install StudyMoose App tap and then “Add to Home Screen”

The Profound Impact of Pet Companionship:

Save to my list

Remove from my list

Building Responsibility: Caring for Another Living Being

Nurturing Friendship: Insights from Animal Companions

Fostering loyalty and protection: the three building blocks of pet relationships, conclusion: a rewarding journey of companionship.

The Profound Impact of Pet Companionship:. (2017, Mar 04). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/the-effects-of-having-a-pet-essay

"The Profound Impact of Pet Companionship:." StudyMoose , 4 Mar 2017, https://studymoose.com/the-effects-of-having-a-pet-essay

StudyMoose. (2017). The Profound Impact of Pet Companionship: . [Online]. Available at: https://studymoose.com/the-effects-of-having-a-pet-essay [Accessed: 2 Jul. 2024]

"The Profound Impact of Pet Companionship:." StudyMoose, Mar 04, 2017. Accessed July 2, 2024. https://studymoose.com/the-effects-of-having-a-pet-essay

"The Profound Impact of Pet Companionship:," StudyMoose , 04-Mar-2017. [Online]. Available: https://studymoose.com/the-effects-of-having-a-pet-essay. [Accessed: 2-Jul-2024]

StudyMoose. (2017). The Profound Impact of Pet Companionship: . [Online]. Available at: https://studymoose.com/the-effects-of-having-a-pet-essay [Accessed: 2-Jul-2024]

• The Multifaceted Impact of Pet Companionship on Human Well-Being Pages: 4 (1179 words)
• How A Pet Sitter Benefits Your Pet? Pages: 2 (332 words)
• The Impact of Companionship on Human Character Pages: 2 (516 words)
• The Great Companionship of Gilgamesh and Enkidu Pages: 3 (892 words)
• Bird's Dream: Balancing Freedom and Human Companionship Pages: 5 (1405 words)
• The Distinct World of Canine and Feline Companionship Pages: 2 (546 words)
• Vulnerability and Companionship in "Of Mice and Men" Pages: 3 (627 words)
• Loneliness and Companionship In Frankenstein Pages: 3 (719 words)
• Of Mice And Men By John Steinbeck: Loneliness And Need For Companionship in Times Of The Great Depression Pages: 4 (1070 words)
• Experiencing life in the spotlight leaves a profound impact on Pages: 9 (2482 words)

👋 Hi! I’m your smart assistant Amy!

Don’t know where to start? Type your requirements and I’ll connect you to an academic expert within 3 minutes.

Benefits of Having a Pet

A pet is regarded as any animal kept by human beings to act as a source of pleasure and companionship. Generally, they are kept because of the pleasure they tend to give to the owners; often, especially with dogs, horses, and cats, the pleasure is mutual. Therefore, pet keeping is described as a symbiotic relationship, which typically means that both the pet and the humans possessing the animal enjoy the benefits. It has been practiced from the pre-historic era up to date that pets are always found in every culture and society as they play a vital role in satisfying human needs. In addition, the history of pets is often intertwined with the animal domestication process, and the dog was the first domesticated species hence making it the first pet. However, according to Enders-Slegers and Hediger, keeping some of these animals as pets is detrimental to human health if certain elements and qualifications are not achieved (260). Generally, domesticated animals are significant since they motivate their owners to play and exercise, which is effective in lowering the effects of depression and trauma; they also provide security and scare away rodents.

Pet keeping plays a vital role in improving human health as it carries positive things related to health. In the United States of America, dogs are the most kept and popular pets, with 78 million dogs apart from cats (While 334). In most scenarios, walking with a dog is interesting; hence, possessing it may influence an individual to have spare time to walk around, therefore, promoting physical fitness (Enders-Slegers and Hediger 260). For instance, if an individual gets 150 minutes of bodily exercise weekly, they will reduce the risks of getting diseases such as breast cancer, diabetes, colon cancer, and heart complications. Playing and running vigorously with a pet is one of the most effective ways of getting fit and healthy. Furthermore, therapy pets or animals also play a critical role in helping blind and diabetic individuals.

Pets also play a significant role in reducing disquiet and stress in children and adults as they feel good and happy around the animals. Interacting with them decreases cortisol levels, which is pressure and anxiety-related hormone that improves the overall wellbeing of human health (While 336). Cats are the most common type of creatures that have been identified as strain and worry relievers. Adopting a pussycat is similar to having a meowing, walking, sassy, and stress reliever. An illustration of this is when individuals come from work tired, they can spend time with the fuzzy feline pet, which makes their body produce stress-relieving hormones, thus facilitating good health.

The cats are also helpful in enabling their owners to keep other animals such as rodents and cockroaches away from the apartment. The security makes it easier for the families to have less worry and concern about the effects of the rats. They emit some toxic chemicals that deter mice from coming into the rooms. The substance is typically found in the cat’s saliva, and they trigger sensory organs found in a mouse hence causing terror. Even if the kitty is not active in killing them, it will passionately protect the house from the harmful intruders from destroying food and any other vital human belongings in the building (Schuurman and Dirke 11). The animals are nuisance pests to a man as they might destroy the stored grains and infrastructure.

Customarily, having rodents in the house is regarded as a definite form of a health risk as they can also spread germs and other bacteria through their contact with food materials. The microbes spread through their urine, droppings, or even their biting. In addition, their burrowing and gnawing behaviors make them destroy clothes and other structures hence making humans uncomfortable. Therefore, having a pet within the compound scares them away, thus enhancing the safety within the apartment. However, this is not an indication that the moggies chase the mice away forever, but when they realize that the cat is around, they will remain in the hidden place hence reducing the damages.

Furthermore, pets make individuals become more responsible and well organized since they require attention and care. Keeping these animals at times is associated with trouble, expenses, which make owning them inconvenient to most people as it requires them to invest time. However, according to Michie et al., this can also make them more accountable as caring for them makes children become aware and more empathetic to the needs and wants of others (25). When youngsters have pets around, they learn to take good care of them hence improving their moral development of loving animals and other creatures. Domesticated animals are regarded as a perfect technique of teaching children about their responsibilities. The daily feeding, exercising, affection, and grooming of cats and dogs helps the young ones know and understand the importance of consistency, obligation, and appreciation for the rewards emerging from owning and keeping pets. This clearly illustrates how pet keeping plays a vital role in teaching children and adults life lessons such as becoming responsible, which is an essential life skill.

In addition, the pets, at times, also act as a source of protection or security. They guard human beings together with everything that they possess. They are a variety of dogs that provide ideal protection to an individual’s home and protect their loved ones. If an individual develops a strong bond or connection with their pooch, it becomes a part of the family, and the doggy’s instinctive need to protect them is established. For example, if an intruder decides to threaten the owner, the dog will react and become more defensive (Wanser and Udell 90). For example, dogs such as German shepherd is effective in providing adequate security to families based on their skills abilities. In addition, guard, protection, and livestock guard dogs are other types of hounds trained to offer protection to the possessors.

In conclusion, it is clear that there are several benefits of pet keeping, and it is often associated with an increase in opportunities to exercise, hence improving human health. In a nutshell, having household animals plays a vital role in keeping rodents away and, most importantly, reducing anxiety and stress associated with their presence in the compound. They also decrease the lonely feeling an individual may encounter due to their interactive nature. In addition, pets also offer security and protection to human beings, especially dogs. They are generally trained to protect the owners and notify them when they see intruders. Furthermore, having these animals enables individuals to become more responsible by equipping them with the necessary leadership skills.

Works Cited

Enders-Slegers, Marie-José, and Karin Hediger. “Pet Ownership and Human–Animal Interaction in an Aging Population: Rewards and Challenges.” Anthrozoös, vol. 32, no. 2, 2019, pp. 255-265.

Michie, Craig, et al. “The Internet of Things Enhancing Animal Welfare and Farm Operational Efficiency.” Journal of Dairy Research vol. 87, no. S1, 2020, pp. 20-27.

Schuurman, Nora, and Karin Dirke. “From Pest to Pet. Liminality, Domestication and Animal Agency in the Killing of Rats and Cats.” TRACE∴ Journal for Human-Animal Studies, vol. 6, 2020, pp. 2-25.

Wanser, Shelby H., and Monique AR Udell. “Does Attachment Security to A Human Handler Influence the Behavior of Dogs Who Engage in Animal Assisted Activities?.” Applied Animal Behaviour Science, vol. 210, 2019, pp. 88-94.

While, Alison. “Pet Dogs as Promoters of Wellbeing.” British Journal of Community Nursing , vol. 22, no. 7, 2017, pp. 332-336.

Cite this paper

• Chicago (N-B)
• Chicago (A-D)

StudyCorgi. (2022, November 17). Benefits of Having a Pet. https://studycorgi.com/benefits-of-having-a-pet/

"Benefits of Having a Pet." StudyCorgi , 17 Nov. 2022, studycorgi.com/benefits-of-having-a-pet/.

StudyCorgi . (2022) 'Benefits of Having a Pet'. 17 November.

1. StudyCorgi . "Benefits of Having a Pet." November 17, 2022. https://studycorgi.com/benefits-of-having-a-pet/.

Bibliography

StudyCorgi . "Benefits of Having a Pet." November 17, 2022. https://studycorgi.com/benefits-of-having-a-pet/.

StudyCorgi . 2022. "Benefits of Having a Pet." November 17, 2022. https://studycorgi.com/benefits-of-having-a-pet/.

This paper, “Benefits of Having a Pet”, was written and voluntary submitted to our free essay database by a straight-A student. Please ensure you properly reference the paper if you're using it to write your assignment.

Before publication, the StudyCorgi editorial team proofread and checked the paper to make sure it meets the highest standards in terms of grammar, punctuation, style, fact accuracy, copyright issues, and inclusive language. Last updated: November 8, 2023 .

If you are the author of this paper and no longer wish to have it published on StudyCorgi, request the removal . Please use the “ Donate your paper ” form to submit an essay.

Essay on Pets are Our Best Friends

Students are often asked to write an essay on Pets are Our Best Friends in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Pets are Our Best Friends

Introduction.

Pets are more than just animals; they are our best friends. They offer companionship, love, and fun, making our lives more enjoyable.

Companionship

Unconditional love.

Pets love us unconditionally. They don’t judge us and are always happy to see us, which boosts our mood.

Fun and Play

Playing with pets is fun. They make us laugh and help us to relax, reducing stress.

In conclusion, pets are our best friends because they provide companionship, love, and fun.

250 Words Essay on Pets are Our Best Friends

The bond between humans and pets.

Pets are not just animals; they are companions, therapists, and best friends. They offer a unique relationship that is hard to find in human interactions. Pets provide emotional support, unconditional love, and a host of health benefits that contribute to a better quality of life.

Emotional Support and Unconditional Love

Pets are incredibly empathetic creatures. They sense our emotions and respond accordingly, providing comfort during difficult times. They are non-judgmental and accept us as we are, teaching us the essence of unconditional love. This emotional bond often helps alleviate feelings of loneliness, anxiety, and depression.

Health Benefits

Numerous studies have shown that owning a pet can lower blood pressure, reduce stress, and improve overall physical health. The act of petting a dog or cat releases oxytocin, a hormone associated with bonding and stress relief. Pets also encourage physical activity, whether it’s a walk in the park with a dog or playing with a cat.

The Lessons Pets Teach Us

Pets teach us valuable life lessons. They show us the importance of living in the moment, expressing joy freely, and offering compassion to all creatures. They also teach us about loss and grief when they pass away, helping us understand the cycle of life.

In conclusion, pets are more than just animals; they are our best friends. They provide emotional support, improve our health, and teach us invaluable life lessons. Their companionship is a gift that enriches our lives in countless ways.

500 Words Essay on Pets are Our Best Friends

The unbreakable bond, emotional support.

Pets, be it dogs, cats, birds, or even reptiles, provide a remarkable level of emotional support to their human companions. They have an uncanny ability to sense human emotions and respond accordingly. When we are sad or stressed, they offer comfort, often simply through their presence. Research has shown that interaction with pets can lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, reduce feelings of loneliness, and boost overall mental health. This emotional symbiosis makes pets invaluable companions, particularly in our increasingly isolated modern society.

The love and loyalty pets offer are unconditional and unwavering. They do not judge us based on our looks, social status, or failures. Instead, they love us for who we are, without any pretense or expectation. This unconditional love can be a soothing balm in the harsh realities of life, offering a sense of acceptance that is sometimes hard to find among our fellow humans.

Life Lessons

Active lifestyle.

In conclusion, pets are indeed our best friends. They offer emotional support, unconditional love, teach us valuable life lessons, and encourage an active lifestyle. They are not just animals; they are companions, confidants, and family. In a world that can often feel lonely and uncaring, pets provide a source of comfort, companionship, and love that is truly unmatched. It is no wonder then that we often find ourselves turning to them in times of joy and sorrow, for they are always there, ready to share in our emotions and offer their unwavering support.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

Apart from these, you can look at all the essays by clicking here .

Happy studying!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Photo by Brian Rueb Photography/Getty

The case against pets

A morally just world would have no pets, no aquaria, no zoos. no fields of sheep, no barns of cows. that’s true animal rights.

by Gary L Francione & Anna E Charlton   + BIO

We live with six rescued dogs. With the exception of one, who was born in a rescue for pregnant dogs, they all came from very sad situations, including circumstances of severe abuse. These dogs are non-human refugees with whom we share our home. Although we love them very much, we strongly believe that they should not have existed in the first place.

We oppose domestication and pet ownership because these violate the fundamental rights of animals.

The term ‘animal rights’ has become largely meaningless. Anyone who thinks that we should give battery hens a small increase in cage space, or that veal calves should be housed in social units rather than in isolation before they are dragged off and slaughtered, is articulating what is generally regarded as an ‘animal rights’ position. This is attributable in large part to Peter Singer, author of Animal Liberation (1975), who is widely considered the ‘father of the animal rights movement’.

The problem with this attribution of paternity is that Singer is a utilitarian who rejects moral rights altogether, and supports any measure that he thinks will reduce suffering. In other words, the ‘father of the animal rights movement’ rejects animal rights altogether and has given his blessing to cage-free eggs, crate-free pork, and just about every ‘happy exploitation’ measure promoted by almost every large animal welfare charity. Singer does not promote animal rights ; he promotes animal welfare . He does not reject the use of animals by humans per se . He focuses only on their suffering. In an interview with The Vegan magazine in 2006, he said, for example, that he could ‘imagine a world in which people mostly eat plant foods, but occasionally treat themselves to the luxury of free-range eggs, or possibly even meat from animals who live good lives under conditions natural for their species, and are then humanely killed on the farm’.

We use the term ‘animal rights’ in a different way, similar to the way that ‘human rights’ is used when the fundamental interests of our own species are concerned. For example, if we say that a human has a right to her life, we mean that her fundamental interest in continuing to live will be protected even if using her as a non-consenting organ donor would result in saving the lives of 10 other humans. A right is a way of protecting an interest; it protects interests irrespective of consequences. The protection is not absolute; it may be forfeited under certain circumstances. But the protection cannot be abrogated for consequential reasons alone.

Non-human animals have a moral right not to be used exclusively as human resources, irrespective of whether the treatment is ‘humane’, and even if humans would enjoy desirable consequences if they treated non-humans exclusively as replaceable resources.

W hen we talk about animal rights, we are talking primarily about one right: the right not to be property. The reason for this is that if animals matter morally – if animals are not just things – they cannot be property. If they are property, they can only be things. Think about this matter in the human context. We are all generally agreed that all humans, irrespective of their particular characteristics, have the fundamental, pre-legal right not to be treated as chattel property. We all reject human chattel slavery. That is not to say that it doesn’t still exist. It does. But no one defends it.

The reason we reject chattel slavery is because a human who is a chattel slave is no longer treated as a person, by which we mean that the slave is no longer a being who matters morally. A human slave is a thing that exists completely outside the moral community. All the interests that the human slave has can be valued by someone else – the owner – who might choose to value the slave as a member of the family, or could provide the slave with minimal sustenance but otherwise treat the slave horribly. The slave’s fundamental interests might be valued at zero.

There were many laws that purported to regulate race-based human slavery in the United States and Britain. These laws did not work because the only times regulatory laws are relevant is when there is a conflict between slave and slave owner. And, if the slave owner does not prevail substantially all of the time, then there is no longer an institution of slavery. There can be no meaningful challenge to the exercise of the owner’s property rights.

The same problem exists where non-humans are concerned. If animals are property, they can have no inherent or intrinsic value. They have only extrinsic or external value. They are things that we value. They have no rights; we have rights, as property owners, to value them . And we might choose to value them at zero.

There are many laws that supposedly regulate our use of non-human animals. In fact, there are more such laws than there were laws that regulated human slavery. And, like the laws that regulated human slavery, they don’t work. These laws are relevant only when human interests and animal interests conflict. But humans have rights, including the right to own and use property. Animals are property. When the law attempts to balance human and non-human interests, the result is preordained.

however ‘humanely’ we treat animals, they are still subjected to treatment that, were humans involved, would be torture

Moreover, because animals are chattel property, the standard of animal welfare will always be very low. It costs money to protect animal interests, which means that those interests will, for the most part, be protected only in those situations in which there is an economic benefit in doing so. It is difficult to find a welfare measure that does not make animal exploitation more efficient. Laws requiring the stunning of large animals before slaughter reduce carcass damage and worker injuries. Housing calves in smaller social units rather than in solitary crates reduces stress and resulting illness, which reduces veterinary costs.

To the extent that animal welfare measures increase production costs, the increase is usually very small (eg, going from the conventional battery cage to ‘enriched cages’ in the EU) and rarely affects overall demand for the product given elasticities of demand. In any event, however ‘humanely’ treated animals used for food are, they are still subjected to treatment that, were humans involved, would be torture. There is no such thing as ‘happy’ exploitation.

Although the right not to be property is a negative right and does not address any positive rights that non-humans might have, recognition of that one negative right would have the effect of requiring us, as a matter of moral obligation, to reject all institutionalised exploitation, which necessarily assumes that animals are just things that we can use and kill for our purposes.

W e want to take a short detour here and point out that, although what we are saying might sound radical, it’s really not. Indeed, our conventional wisdom about animals is such that we come to almost the same conclusion without any consideration of rights at all.

Conventional wisdom about animals is that it is morally acceptable for humans to use and kill them but that we should not impose unnecessary suffering and death on animals. However we might understand the concept of necessity in this context, it cannot be understood as allowing any suffering or death for frivolous purposes. We recognise this clearly in particular contexts. For example, many people still have a strong negative reaction to the American football player Michael Vick, who was found to be involved in a dog-fighting operation in 2007. Why do we still resent Vick almost a decade later? The answer is clear: we recognise that what Vick did was wrong because his only justification was that he derived pleasure or amusement from harming those dogs, and pleasure and amusement cannot suffice as justifications.

Many – perhaps most – people object to bullfighting, and even most Tories in the UK oppose fox hunting. Why? Because those bloodsports, by definition, involve no necessity or compulsion that would justify imposing suffering and death on non-human animals. No one proposed that Vick would be less culpable if he were a more ‘humane’ dog fighter. No one who opposes bloodsports proposes that they be made more humane because they involve unnecessary suffering. They oppose the activities altogether, and advocate their abolition, because these activities are immoral, however they are conducted.

The problem is that 99.999 per cent of our uses of non-human animals are morally indistinguishable from the activities to which the overwhelming number of us object.

The only use of animals that we make that is not transparently frivolous is the use of animals in research to find cures for serious illnesses

Our most numerically significant use of animals is for food. We kill more than 60 billion animals for food annually, and this does not count the even larger number – estimated conservatively to be about a trillion – of sea animals. We don’t need to eat animals for optimal health. Indeed, an increasing number of mainstream healthcare authorities, including the National Institutes of Health in the US, the American Heart Association, the British National Health Service, and the British Dietetic Association, have stated that a sensible vegan diet can be just as nutritious as a diet that includes animal foods. Some authorities have gone further to say that a vegan diet can be healthier than an omnivorous diet. In any event, it cannot be credibly claimed that we need animal products for health reasons. And animal agriculture is an ecological disaster.

We consume animal products because we enjoy the taste. In other words, we are no different from Vick, except that most of us pay others to inflict the harm rather than inflicting it ourselves. And our uses of animals for entertainment or sport are, by definition, also unnecessary. The only use of animals that we make that is not transparently frivolous is the use of animals in research to find cures for serious illnesses. We reject vivisection as morally unjustifiable even if it involves necessity (a claim we also believe is problematic as an empirical matter), but the morality of vivisection requires a more nuanced analysis than the use of animals for food, clothing, entertainment and other purposes. Just about all of our other uses of animals can easily be seen to be immoral given our conventional wisdom.

The bottom line: whether you adopt an animal-rights position and recognise that animals must have a basic, pre-legal right not to be property, or you stay with conventional wisdom, the result is the same: substantially all of our uses of animals must be abolished.

T o say that an animal has a right not to be used as property is simply to say that we have a moral obligation to not use animals as things, even if it would benefit us to do so. With respect to domesticated animals, that means that we stop bringing them into existence altogether. We have a moral obligation to care for those right-holders we have here presently. But we have an obligation not to bring any more into existence.

And this includes dogs, cats and other non-humans who serve as our ‘companions’.

We treat our six dogs as valued members of our family. The law will protect that decision because we may choose to value our property as we like. We could, however, choose instead to use them as guard dogs and have them live outside with virtually no affectionate contact from us. We could put them in a car right now and take them to a shelter where they will be killed if they are not adopted, or we could have them killed by a veterinarian. The law will protect those decisions as well. We are property owners. They are property. We own them.

The reality is that in the US, most dogs and cats do not end up dying of old age in loving homes. They have homes for a relatively short period of time before they are transferred to another owner, taken to a shelter, dumped or killed.

And it does not matter whether we characterise an owner as a ‘guardian’, as some advocates urge. Such a characterisation is meaningless. If you have the legal right to take your dog to a kill shelter, or to ‘humanely’ kill your dog yourself, it does not matter what you call yourself or your dog. Your dog is your property. Those of us who live with companion animals are owners as far as the law is concerned, and we have the legal right to treat our animals as we see fit as long as we provide for minimal food, water and shelter. Yes, there are limitations on the exercise of our ownership rights. But those limitations are consistent with according a very low value to the interests of our animal companions.

But, as you recoil in horror thinking of what life would be like without your beloved dog, cat or other non-human companion, whom you love and cherish as a member of your family, you are probably thinking: ‘But wait. What if we required everyone to treat their animals the way I treat mine?’

The problem with this reply is that, even if we could come up with a workable and enforceable scheme that required animal owners to provide a higher level of welfare to their animals, those animals would still be property. We would still be able to value their lives at zero and either kill them, or take them to a shelter where they would be killed if not adopted.

You might respond that you disagree with all that as well, and that we ought to prohibit people from killing animals except in situations in which we might be tempted to allow assisted suicide (terminal illness, unrelenting pain, etc) and that we should prohibit shelters from killing animals except when it is in the best interests of the animal.

domestication itself raises serious moral issues irrespective of how the non-humans involved are treated

What you’re suggesting starts coming close to abolishing the status of animals as chattel property and requiring that we treat them in a way that is similar to the way we treat human children. Would it be acceptable to continue to breed non-humans to be our companions then?

Our answer is still a firm ‘no’.

Putting aside that the development of general standards of what constitutes treating non-humans as ‘family members’ and resolution of all the related issues is close to impossible as a practical matter, this position neglects to recognise that domestication itself raises serious moral issues irrespective of how the non-humans involved are treated.

Domesticated animals are completely dependent on humans, who control every aspect of their lives. Unlike human children, who will one day become autonomous, non-humans never will. That is the entire point of domestication – we want domesticated animals to depend on us. They remain perpetually in a netherworld of vulnerability, dependent on us for everything that is of relevance to them. We have bred them to be compliant and servile, and to have characteristics that are pleasing to us, even though many of those characteristics are harmful to the animals involved. We might make them happy in one sense, but the relationship can never be ‘natural’ or ‘normal’. They do not belong in our world, irrespective of how well we treat them. This is more or less true of all domesticated non-humans. They are perpetually dependent on us. We control their lives forever. They truly are ‘animal slaves’. Some of us might be benevolent masters, but we really can’t be anything more than that.

There are some, such as Sue Donaldson and Will Kymlicka, who in their book Zoopolis (2011) say that humans are dependent on each other, and ask what’s wrong with animals being dependent on us? Human relationships might involve mutual dependence or interdependence, but such dependence either operates on the basis of choice, or it reflects social decisions to care for more vulnerable members of society who are bound together and protected by the complex aspects of a social contract. Besides, the nature of human dependence does not strip the dependant of core rights that can be vindicated if the dependence becomes harmful.

There are those who respond to our position by saying that dogs, cats and other ‘pet’ animals have a right to reproduce. Such a position would commit us to continue to reproduce without limit and indefinitely, as we could not limit any reproductive right to ‘pet’ animals. As for those who are concerned that the end of domestication would mean a loss of species diversity, domesticated animals are beings we have created through selective breeding and confinement.

Some critics have claimed that our position concerns only the negative right not to be used as property, and does not address what positive rights animals might have. This observation is correct, but all domestication would end if we recognised this one right – the right not to be property. We would be obliged to care for those domesticated animals who presently exist, but we would bring no more into existence.

If we all embraced the personhood of non-humans, we would still need to think about the rights of non-domesticated animals who live among us and in undeveloped areas. But if we cared enough not to eat, wear or otherwise use domesticated non-humans, we would undoubtedly be able to determine what those positive rights should be. The most important thing is that we recognise the negative right of animals not to be used as property. That would commit us to the abolition of all institutionalised exploitation that results in the commodification and control of them by humans.

We love our dogs, but recognise that, if the world were more just and fair, there would be no pets at all, no fields full of sheep, and no barns full of pigs, cows and egg-laying hens. There would be no aquaria and no zoos.

If animals matter morally, we must recalibrate all aspects of our relationship with them. The issue we must confront is not whether our exploitation of them is ‘humane’ – with all of the concomitant tinkering with the practices of animal-use industries – but rather whether we can justify using them at all.

Global history

The route to progress

Anticolonial modernity was founded upon the fight for liberation from communists, capitalists and imperialists alike

Frank Gerits

Thinkers and theories

Paper trails

Husserl’s well-tended archive has given him a rich afterlife, while Nietzsche’s was distorted by his axe-grinding sister

Peter Salmon

Philosophy of mind

The problem of erring animals

Three medieval thinkers struggled to explain how animals could make mistakes – and uncovered the nature of nonhuman minds

Moral progress is annoying

You might feel you can trust your gut to tell right from wrong, but the friction of social change shows that you can’t

Daniel Kelly & Evan Westra

The disruption nexus

Moments of crisis, such as our own, are great opportunities for historic change, but only under highly specific conditions

Roman Krznaric

What is intelligent life?

Our human minds hold us back from truly understanding the many brilliant ways that other creatures solve their problems

Abigail Desmond & Michael Haslam

• Skip to main content
• Skip to secondary menu
• Skip to primary sidebar
• Skip to footer

A Plus Topper

Improve your Grades

Essay on My Pet Animal | My Pet Animal Essay for Students and Children in English

February 13, 2024 by Veerendra

Essay on My Pet Animal: Pets are unique and the most adorable creatures on the planet. Pets love us and give us the company. Owning a pet comes with various responsibilities, and it is a fantastic way of learning how to take care of somebody.

Pets are beautiful and loyal. There have been many instances where pets have acted as protectors of their masters. Watchdogs like German Shepherds are excellent guards for families.

You can read more  Essay Writing  about articles, events, people, sports, technology many more.

In this article, we have provided an extended essay on the topic of my pet animal and a brief essay on the same problem, in English. We have also provided ten lines on the topic to help students write essays on this topic in their examinations.

Long And Short Essay on My Pet Animal for Kids and Students in English

Given below is an extended essay composed of 500 words and a short essay comprising 100-150 words, in English.

Long Essay on My Pet Animal in English 500 words

Pets are not merely animals living with us. They become a part of our family because of the sheer comfort we get from them. I have always wanted a pet and last summer my mother bought me a puppy. He was the most adorable and beautiful puppy I had ever seen, and taking care of him became my responsibility. It was a suitable breed and had soft paws, which was a sign of expensive breeding. We decided to name our new golden retriever, Comet.

Comet had golden fur and long ears. His eyes were always joyful, and he was a bundle of joy. His golden coat shone in the sunlight as he ran about in our lawn. He loved eating roasted chicken and his dog food. At night, he would cuddle up in my bed, next to me, and go to sleep.

My father had created a small sleeping area for Comet, but he never slept there. He loved sleeping next to me at night. Comet was an active dog. He loved to go on walks, and we took him to the field twice a day. He became very popular among my friends, and they adored him.

Dogs are the most faithful animals, and Comet was no different. He knew all of us by our smell. Comet loved my mother very much, and when she would come home after work, Comet would jump on her and lick her face. All he wanted to be a little pat on the head. My mother would scratch his neck lovingly, and Comet would bask in all that attention he got.

He was a favorite in the family. We treated him like any other member and took him everywhere we went. We occasionally went on road trips, and Comet loved to ride the car. He would bark joyously when the wind ruffled his fur and enjoy the warm sunlight.

Find other Animal Essay topics .

Comet was extremely protective of my little brother. He had met him when he was barely two months old, and they had developed a connection. Comet would guard Jess when he slept and would not let anybody touch him. Initially, my mother was apprehensive of allowing a dog to get close to Jess, but when she saw how caring Comet was towards Jess, she did not stop him.

Jess was never afraid of Comet. We would put him on Comet’s back, and Comet would carry him around the house. Both of them would be so happy, Jess would laugh lusciously, and Comet would bark with happiness. Jess would stroke his fur and pet him, and Comet would cuddle up next to his crib.

Caring for a pet becomes difficult. We must take care of them and make sure they visit the vet regularly. We must look out for ticks and other skin infections. Maintaining a pet comes with many responsibilities, and we must fulfill them and do what is best for our pets.

Short Essay on My Pet Animal in English 150 words

Taking care of pets is a difficult and time-consuming job and must be done with dedication and love. We must know when to take them to vets and how to take care of them.

My family has always loved pets, and we are very careful about his health. He bathes once a week because too much water is not suitable for his fur. He does not like brushing his teeth, and we have to tempt him with a piece of roasted chicken so that he lets us brush his teeth.

Our dog visits the vet once a month, and he is always rewarded with his favorite food afterward. We make sure he takes his vaccines on time and eats his meals. A healthy pet is essential for the house, and we love to take care of our dog.

10 Lines Essay on My Pet Animal in English

• Pets are like family members and should be well taken care of.
• One should not possibly think of getting a pet unless he/she is truly passionate about animals.
• Pets are beautiful creatures that give us company and love us.
• My pet animal is a cat, and I love to play with it. She is very intelligent and loves to sit in her favorite chair.
• I take my pet to the vet regularly so that I can get her to take crucial vaccines.
• We should give proper food to our pets and make sure that they eat them. It is not advisable to give them oily foods or foods with high spice content.
• Dogs should be given boiled food without spices, and they must be trained so that they are not harmful to anybody.
• For birds and small animals, we should give them food and water in their cages and also clean their cages.
• Pets are adorable, and they must not be hit or hurt in any way.
• A healthy pet loves its owners and is faithful and loyal to them.

Frequently Asked Questions on My Pet Animal Essay

Question 1. How are dogs as pets?

Answer: Dogs are very faithful pets, and they are a favorite among children. They are fiercely protective and make great pets.

Question 2. Where shall we keep our pets when we go on vacation?

Answer: Most people leave their pets with trainers or caretakers when they go on vacation. Some people also leave their pets with their friends and relatives.

Question 3. What kind of food should we give to dogs?

Answer: Dogs are delicate and must be fed proper food. It is best to give them boiled food with no oil content and very minimum spices.

Question 4. Is it safe to adopt pets if there is a baby in the family?

Answer: Pets are usually very protective of babies and do not harm them. Thus, there is no cause for apprehension.

• Picture Dictionary
• English Speech
• English Slogans
• English Letter Writing
• English Essay Writing
• English Textbook Answers
• Types of Certificates
• ICSE Solutions
• Selina ICSE Solutions
• ML Aggarwal Solutions
• HSSLive Plus One
• HSSLive Plus Two
• Kerala SSLC
• Distance Education

Essay on Dog for Students and Children

500+ words essay on dog.

The dog is a pet animal. A dog has sharp teeth so that it can eat flesh very easily, it has four legs, two ears, two eyes, a tail, a mouth, and a nose. It is a very clever animal and is very useful in catching thieves. It runs very fast, barks loudly and attacks the strangers. A dog saves the life of the master from danger. One can find dogs everywhere in the world. Dogs are a very faithful animal. It has a sharp mind and a strong sense of hearing smelling the things. It also has many qualities like swimming in the water, jumping from anywhere, good smelling sense.

Importance of Dog

A dog has a strong power of smell . They are more liked by people because of their faithfulness. They are intelligent, they are watchfulness. The dogs have many colors such as grey, white, black, brown and red. They are of many kinds such as bloodhound, greyhound, german shepherd, Labrador, Rottweiler, bulldog poodle, etc.

Usually, the dog eats fish, meat, milk, rice, bread, etc. Dogs are sometimes called canines. Dogs are sometimes referred to as man’s best friend because they are kept as domestic pets and are usually loyal and like being around humans. They are also helpful in reducing stress, anxiety, and depression, loneliness, encourage exercise and playfulness and even improve your cardiovascular health. A dog also provides valuable companionship for older adults.

The dogs are so loyal to his master that nothing can induce him to leave his master. His master might be a poor man or even a beggar but still, the dog will not leave his master from far off. Dogs see their master coming home from work they rush to them and jump on them to show their love. Dogs are honest friends who are always ready to die to save a friend. It can bite a thief or stranger when they ignore its barking and try to mischief. Dogs always give security to the owner day and night.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Life Span 0f a Dog

The lifespan of a dog is very small however it can live around 12-15 years long which depend on their size such as smaller dogs lives a longer life. A female dog gives birth to a baby and feed milk that’s why dogs under the mammal category. The dog baby is called a puppy or pup and dog home is called kennel. Dogs are categorized according to their service to people such as guard dogs, herding dogs, hunting dogs, police dogs, guide dogs, sniffer dogs, etc. It has a strong power of smell with the assistance of police can arrest murderers, thieves, and dacoits. The Military trains the dogs to track and detect bombs.

Need for Dogs

Detection dogs can be employed at airports, police stations, borders, and schools. Tracking and Hunting dogs, hounds, terriers, and dachshund are the most popular types of hunting and tracking dogs. These dogs are trained to be the eyes, ears, and retrievers for their human companions.

Dogs are a very excellent swimmer. They are really a very helpful pet animal. He respects his owner from the heart and can easily guess his/ her presence through their smell. We should take good care of it and keep them in good condition.

Customize your course in 30 seconds

Which class are you in.

• Travelling Essay
• Picnic Essay
• Our Country Essay
• My Parents Essay
• Essay on Favourite Personality
• Essay on Memorable Day of My Life
• Essay on Knowledge is Power
• Essay on Gurpurab
• Essay on My Favourite Season
• Essay on Types of Sports

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Download the App

Home — Essay Samples — Life — Dog — Dogs Are a Great Pet

Dogs Are a Great Pet

• Categories: Dog Pet

About this sample

Words: 447 |

Published: Mar 20, 2024

Words: 447 | Page: 1 | 3 min read

Table of contents

Companionship, health benefits, unique qualities of different breeds.

Cite this Essay

Let us write you an essay from scratch

• 450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
• Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Get high-quality help

Prof Ernest (PhD)

Verified writer

• Expert in: Life

+ 120 experts online

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

Related Essays

2 pages / 724 words

1 pages / 630 words

2 pages / 745 words

3 pages / 1579 words

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.

121 writers online

Still can’t find what you need?

Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled

Related Essays on Dog

When it comes to choosing a pet, cats and dogs are the two most popular options for people around the world. Both animals have their unique characteristics and qualities that make them endearing to their owners. This essay seeks [...]

Mariano Azuela's novel, The Underdogs (Los de Abajo), offers a vivid portrayal of the Mexican Revolution, capturing the essence of conflict, social upheaval, and the inherent struggles of the marginalized. Published in [...]

Cats and dogs have long been considered man's best friends, but the age-old debate of which pet is better rages on. While both animals have their own unique qualities, cats have been proven to be superior pets for a variety of [...]

The relationship between humans and dogs stretches back thousands of years, fostering a unique companionship that has led to dogs becoming an integral part of many households. With the inclusion of dogs in the family unit, [...]

If you love four-legged animals, then you know how hard it is to leave them behind when you’re heading out the door to go to work. They cry as you get in your vehicle and watch you drive away until they can’t see you anymore. [...]

Lopata, L. (2020). Dogs Have Been Humans' Best Friends for 20,000 Years, According to Artifacts. Mental Floss. Retrieved from https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/why-dogs-are-mans-best-friend/

Related Topics

By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

Where do you want us to send this sample?

By clicking “Continue”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.

Be careful. This essay is not unique

This essay was donated by a student and is likely to have been used and submitted before

Download this Sample

Free samples may contain mistakes and not unique parts

Sorry, we could not paraphrase this essay. Our professional writers can rewrite it and get you a unique paper.

Please check your inbox.

We can write you a custom essay that will follow your exact instructions and meet the deadlines. Let's fix your grades together!

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

• Instructions Followed To The Letter
• Deadlines Met At Every Stage
• Unique And Plagiarism Free

Essay on My Pet Dog in English for Children and Students

Table of Contents

Essay on My Pet Dog: There is no denying that pets are wonderful companions. They provide us with unconditional love and affection, and ask for very little in return. Dogs, in particular, have been known as “man’s best friend” for centuries, and for good reason. They are loyal, protective, and always eager to please.

Fill Out the Form for Expert Academic Guidance!

Please indicate your interest Live Classes Books Test Series Self Learning

Verify OTP Code (required)

I agree to the terms and conditions and privacy policy .

Fill complete details

Target Exam ---

There are many reasons why dogs make such great pets. They are a great source of comfort and support during difficult times. Dogs have been our faithful friends for centuries and there is no doubt that they are one of the most popular pets in the world. Whether you’re looking for a loyal companion, a playful friend, or just a furry shoulder to cry on, a dog is the perfect pet for you.

Long and Short My Pet Dog Essay in English

We have provided below short and long essay on my pet dog in English language for school going children and students.

The essays have been written in simple language, yet are useful and informative and will let you understand the advantages of a pet dog and how it is a good companion, a guard and an honest friend.

You can use these ‘my pet dog essay’ in your school and college essay writing, debate, speech and other similar competitions and leave a good impression on your teachers and friends.

My Pet Dog Essay – 200 words

My pet dog is a pug. It is fawn in colour and has a small built. We have named it Swigi. It has been with us since the last 2 years. I still remember the day me and my sister went to the pet shop with my father to bring it home. I somehow wanted to pet a cat but my elder sister, Riya is almost crazy about dogs and was adamant that we get a dog as a pet. Other members of my family also believed that keeping a dog as a pet was a better choice and so a cute little one month old pug came home with us that day and became a part of our family.

Though everyone in the family takes care of Swigi, my sister is especially particular about its cleanliness, vaccinations and eating habits. We make Swigi bath twice a week. It is actually my favourite time of the week. We take it to the terrace and bathe him with a pipe. We make sure it gets its food on time and goes for stroll twice every day. Swigi also accompanies us everywhere we go.

Swigi is quite an active dog and loves playing with ball. It is super fun playing with it.

My Pet Dog Essay – 300 words

My pet dog, Barney is a Labrador. It is light brown in colour and has a strong built. Having a Labrador as a pet serves a double purpose. You do not only get a great friend who is always ready to play with you but it also acts as a security guard for your home. Our home is a more secure place because of the presence of Barney.

Participation in Dog Show

Many people bring home pets and forget about them. We aren’t among those. We take good care of Barney and always love involving it in different activities. It has been with us since the last 5 years and we have made it participate in three dog shows since then. We got it trained for these shows and it made us proud by winning prizes in all these events. At the time of the first event, Barney was just 10 months old. It was hyper active and won the hurdle race. During the second event, it was 2 years old won the bird hunt game. In the third event, it again participated in a race and came third. Barney was 4 years old then.

My Pet Dog is Very Vigilant

Barney remains vigilant all the time. It barks at the sound of any hustle near the home especially at night. It has a strong smelling sense and grows suspicious if it experiences any strange or unfamiliar smell. Dogs are extremely faithful and want nothing but the best for their masters. Barney is no exception. It is very protective about our family and thus guards our house at all times.

I love spending time with Barney. It makes me forget all my tensions and worries. It stands near the front door waiting for me when it is time for me to come home from school and wags its tail as soon as it sees me. We are both extremely delighted to see each other.

My Pet Dog Essay – 400 words

I have an adorable Dachshund as my pet. It is an extremely lively dog and always keeps us on toes whenever we are out to play with it. We have named it Buddy and it indeed is our best Buddy. Dachshunds are very friendly and cheerful. Buddy has gelled along extremely well with our family and loves all of us dearly. We also love it with all our heart.

My Pet Dog’s Features

With their long and low bodies, Dachshunds look quite different from the other breeds of dogs. Here is how my Buddy looks like and behaves:

• Buddy is chocolate brown in colour and is long haired.
• It is a miniature sized Dachshund.
• It has a very strong smelling power.
• It has a very pleasant and friendly disposition. It befriends all our friends, neighbours and relatives who come home and is eager to play with them.
• It is also very brave and clever. It always remains cautious about who roams around in the street next to our house and barks at any suspicious or unfamiliar person around.
• It is also very curious about things.
• It is Fun Playing with Buddy

Dachshunds are hyper active and always keen on playing different games. Buddy particularly loves playing with the ball. So every evening we take it out for around half an hour and indulge him in this activity. It is not only fun for Buddy but an extremely amazing experience for me and my brother too.

Buddy also loves travelling. We often go for weekend outings and Buddy is always super excited to go along with us. Since it is small in size, it is not a hassle to take it along. It does not even require much food which makes it quite travel-friendly.

It has been a year that we have brought him home and our friends and cousins have started visiting us all the more since then. A cheerful soul that it is, everyone is fond of it and wants to spend time with it.

We mostly keep it tied with a chain when it is home. My mother particularly makes it a point that Buddy is tied with its chain near the balcony. This is because the moment we untie it, it runs around the house breaking every single thing that comes its way.

Pet dogs are fun to be around and especially if it is a Dachshund, you can never get bored. Each day seems exciting and fun in its company. Buddy is the lifeline of our family.

My Pet Dog Essay – 500 words

When I was young, we had a Doberman as a pet. It became a part of my family even before I was born. So, I knew him from the time I was born. Doberman have a strong sixth sense and always remain vigilant. However, you can see their soft side when they are in the company of little kids and I have experienced this side of my pet Doberman whom we lovingly called, Bruno.

Why My Parents Decided to Pet a Dog?

My parents shifted to Goa soon after their marriage. They found a house on rent. It was a beautiful house that was well-suited for a family of two. However, the only problem was that the house stood aloof. It was at a distance from the other houses in the vicinity. In order to ensure the safety and security of my mother as my father went to the office, it was decided to bring home a pet dog. They decided to go for a Doberman as it is a fearless, brave and sturdy dog. Owing to this nature, Doberman dogs are also preferred in police and military services all around the world.

My mother was already fond of dogs and Bruno became her best friend in the new city. Since, Doberman require exercise every day, she took it for walk twice every day. My dad also enjoyed its company. Bruno grew extremely fond of me as soon as I was born and guarded me all the time. It also played with me.

Why We Had to Give Away Our Doberman?

I was extremely attached to Bruno and so was my mother. However, we had to give it away as my father got a good job opportunity in the United States and we had to shift there for two years. With heavy heart, we gave him to one of our neighbours who gladly took it home. We often called them up to ask for Bruno’s well being.

How I Found An Indian Spitz?

We shifted back to India after two years however, this time to a different city. I wanted to keep a pet dog again but my mother was not keen on it. However, it seemed like God heard my wish and fulfilled it.

One day when I was walking back home from school, I saw a Spitz struggling to get its leg out of a cycle tyre. I immediately went to help it. It was someone’s pet but seemed like it had lost its way. I helped it get rid of the tyre and gave a pat on its head. Spitzs are known to be quite affectionate. It began licking my arm. I looked around for its master but could not find anyone. As I began walking home, it started following me. I kept taking it back to the place I had found it for weeks in the hope to find its master but did not find anyone. Since then, it stays with us. I have named it Jiggles.

Dogs are very loving and caring. They shower love and are faithful to their masters. It is an amazing feeling to have a dog as a pet.

My Pet Dog Essay – 600 words

I have a pet dog named Roger. It is a German shepherd and it has been a part of my family since the last 3 years. It is very warm, friendly and playful. However, outsiders often find it dangerous. This is because of its built and colour. It is vigilant and guards our house all the time.

Why I wanted to keep a Pet Dog?

Everyone in my family is fond of Roger. We all treat him like a family member. We cannot imagine life without him. However, I still remember the time when I wanted to keep a pet dog and all my family members were against the idea. I was 8 years old that time and my friend, Aanya owned a very cute little pug. She always brought it to the park. Whenever I visited her place, I saw her playing with it. Both of them looked so happy and loved each other’s company. Many a times, I called Aanya to play with me at my home but she refused saying she was busy feeding or bathing Roger. I felt really bad and wished that I too had a dog as a company. It is then that I decided to bring home a pet dog.

How I struggled to get My Pet Dog?

I knew I wanted a dog as a pet but I wasn’t aware that it would be such a struggle for me to convince my parents to get one home. As soon as, the thought of keeping a pet dog came into my mind, I rushed to my mom and told her that I want to get one home. My mother just laughed and dismissed my request with a pat on my cheek. I repeated my wish and she again took it lightly. This infuriated me and I told her that I really wanted a pet. It was then that my mother realized that I was serious about it. So she made me sit and explained as to why we could not keep a pet.

Both my parents are working. Though my grandparents live with us, they are old and taking care of a pet would have been too much to ask from them. Besides, my brother was a toddler then and my mother feared that he might catch infection. She tried to explain all these points to me. But I did not listen to any of her explanations. I went to my grandmother and requested her to convince mom to get a pet dog. My grandmother also tried to explain the same points. However, I kept convincing her for days and she finally agreed to take care of the dog for half the day until I came home from school. The rest was all my responsibility.

Somehow, I also convinced my father. Since he has a liking for dogs, convincing him was not that difficult. So finally my mother had to agree. We went to a nearby pet shop and my heart went drooling over this 2 months old German shepherd who was sleeping peacefully in a small cage. I knew at once that I wanted to keep him.

Roger won everyone’s Heart

Roger was so small and cute that almost everyone in my family fell in love with it as soon as I brought him home. My mother who detested the idea of bringing a pet home also found it cute and grew fond of it over the time. Dogs love babies and are very protective about them. Roger and my younger brother thus became friends almost instantly. Super excited about including Roger in the family, I told all my friends about it the same day.

Roger has become an inseparable part of our lives today and I just love it. Dogs are really adorable. I feel that everyone should keep a pet dog.

Visit IL website for more study resource.

FAQs on My Pet Dog

How do i write about my pet dog.

Start by describing your dog's appearance, character, and habits. Share anecdotes of memorable moments and explain the bond you share. Incorporate keywords related to your dog's breed or behaviors when relevant.

How do I write about my puppy?

Describe your puppy's playful nature, its little misadventures, and how it's growing. Talk about the joy and challenges of training and bonding with your new pet.

How dogs are good pets?

Dogs are loyal, protective, and offer unconditional love. They're also great companions, encourage physical activity, and can be trained to help with various tasks or even provide emotional support.

Why dog is my favorite animal?

Dogs are often favored because of their loyalty, intelligence, and the deep emotional bond they share with humans. Their playful nature and genuine affection make every moment special.

Why are dogs cute?

Dogs have expressive faces, playful behaviors, and often display innocence. Their wagging tails, floppy ears, and unique antics melt our hearts.

Why are dogs so lovely?

Dogs radiate affection and loyalty. Their genuine excitement to see you and their desire to comfort and protect make them incredibly endearing.

What is your favorite pet?

While I'm a machine and don't have personal preferences, many people love dogs, cats, birds, or even exotic animals as their favorite pets. It depends on individual experiences and bonds.

How do I love my pet?

Loving your pet involves providing them with proper care, attention, affection, and understanding their needs. Spending quality time, ensuring their well-being, and creating a safe environment demonstrate love.

How to make my dog happy?

To make your dog happy: Provide regular exercise and playtime. Offer a balanced diet and occasional treats. Give them toys and mental stimulation. Ensure regular health check-ups. Offer love, affection, and positive reinforcement.

Related content

Talk to our academic expert!

Language --- English Hindi Marathi Tamil Telugu Malayalam

Get access to free Mock Test and Master Class

Register to Get Free Mock Test and Study Material

Offer Ends in 5:00

Please select class

The Science of Pet Ownership Needs a Reality Check

Animal companions don’t always produce health benefits for their humans.

This article was originally published by Undark Magazine .

For more than a decade, in blog posts and scientific papers and public talks, the psychologist Hal Herzog has questioned whether owning pets makes people happier and healthier.

It is a lonely quest, convincing people that puppies and kittens may not actually be terrific for their physical and mental health. “When I talk to people about this,” Herzog told me, “nobody believes me.” A prominent professor at a major public university once described him as “a super curmudgeon” who is, in effect, “trying to prove that apple pie causes cancer.”

As a teenager in New Jersey in the 1960s, Herzog kept dogs and cats, as well as an iguana, a duck, and a boa constrictor. Now a professor emeritus at Western Carolina University, he insists that he’s not out to smear anyone’s furry friends. In a 2012 blog post questioning the so-called pet effect, Herzog included a photo of his cat, Tilly. “She makes my life better,” he wrote. “Please Don’t Blame The Messenger!”

Plenty of people believe that there’s something salubrious about caring for a pet, similar to eating veggies or exercising regularly. But, Herzog argues, the scientific evidence that pets can consistently make people healthier is, at best, inconclusive—and, at worst, has been used to mislead the American public.

Few experts say that Herzog is exactly wrong —at least about the science. Over the past 30 or so years, researchers have published many studies exploring a link between pet ownership and a range of hypothesized benefits, including improved heart health, longer life spans, and lower rates of anxiety and depression.

The results have been mixed. Studies sometimes fail to find any robust link between pets and well-being, and some even find evidence of harm. In many cases, the studies simply can’t determine whether pets cause the observed effect or are simply correlated with it.

Where Herzog and some other experts have concerns is with the way those mixed results have been packaged and sold to the public. Tied up in that critique are pointed questions about the role of industry money on the development of the field—a trend that happens across scientific endeavors, particularly those that don’t garner much attention from federal agencies, philanthropies, and other funding sources.

The pet-care industry has invested millions of dollars in human-animal-interaction research, mostly since the late 2000s. Feel-good findings have been trumpeted by industry press releases and, in turn, have dominated news coverage.

At times, industry figures have even framed pet ownership as a kind of public-health intervention. “Everybody should quit smoking. Everybody should go to the gym. Everybody should eat more fruits and vegetables. And everyone should own a pet,” Steven Feldman, the president of the industry-funded Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI), said in a 2015 podcast interview.

The problem with that kind of argument, Herzog and other experts say, is that it gets ahead of the evidence (also, not every person is equipped to care for a pet). “Most studies,” Herzog says, “do not show the pattern of results that the pet-products industry claims.”

It seems safe to say that most people don’t get a dog in order to marginally lower their odds of developing heart disease. Research on the health benefits of pets falls into a strange family of science that measures the practical health outcomes of things people typically do for decidedly nonpractical reasons, such as get married and have children .

Read: Pets really can be like human family

At the same time, there’s evidence—much of it anecdotal—that at least some people are cognizant of the potential health benefits when choosing to get a pet. And the idea makes intuitive sense to many people, who say that their animals are good for their well-being. Concurrently, hospitals and nonprofits have rolled out programs that aim to use therapy dogs and support animals to improve people’s mental health.

James Serpell began studying the pet effect in the early 1980s, as a young animal-behavior researcher. At the time, spending on pets was rising in the United States. But there was little research on people’s relationships with their animals. “ Why are we doing this? ” Serpell wondered. “ What’s it all about? ”

In an influential 1991 paper comparing non–pet owners with people who had recently adopted an animal, he supplied crucial data suggesting that new pet owners experienced a measurable reduction in minor health problems. New dog owners also pursued more physical activity, compared with people who had cats or no pets at all.

In the decades since, researchers have published many studies comparing pet owners and non–pet owners. The results are mixed, sometimes pointing toward health benefits, and sometimes not.

Some of that data may reflect the realities of human-animal relationships—which, like any kind of relationship, can vary for all sorts of reasons. “It doesn’t mean that my lived experience or anyone else’s lived experience is wrong,” says Megan Mueller, a human-animal-interaction expert at Tufts University. “What it means is that it’s different for different people.”

For some people, she says, having a pet can bring stressors . The caretaking responsibilities may be too taxing; the pet may exacerbate family tensions or trigger allergies; the owner may be unable to afford pet food or veterinary care.

The results, some experts say, are also muddied by issues with research methods. The problem is that there are differences between the people who choose to own pets and the people who don’t.

“What happens is, we try to compare people with pets to people without pets, and then we say, ‘People with pets have X, Y, and Z differences.’ It actually is a really invalid way of approaching the research question,” says Kerri Rodriguez, who directs the Human-Animal Bond Lab at the University of Arizona. A study finding that pet owners are more likely to be depressed, for example, may be picking up on a real connection. But it could just be that people already experiencing depression are likelier to get pets.

Read: Cats are not medicine

Today, Rodriguez mostly studies service animals, especially for veterans at risk for PTSD. In this context, it’s possible to conduct randomized trials—for example, randomly choosing who will get a support animal now, and who will go on a waitlist to get a companion animal later. Some research on service dogs—including a recent controlled, but not randomized, trial that Rodriguez was involved with—has shown clear benefits.

How much those benefits apply to typical pet owners, experts say, is unclear. And it’s hampered by researchers’ inability to conduct randomized trials. (“You can’t randomize people to pet ownership,” Rodriguez says.)

Rodriguez says she’s interested in studies that track the association between human-pet relationships and health over time, checking in with people again and again and collecting larger amounts of data. One such study, for example, found a slower rate of decline in cognitive function among older pet owners.

Serpell, after his 1991 study, largely moved on to other research questions. “I basically concluded that this type of research was too difficult,” he says. “And even if you did it, the results you would get would always be questionable.”

These doubts have not deterred interest in the field from the companies that lead the pet industry, which is today valued globally at more than $300 billion.

Almost from the start, the quest to understand the health effects of pets has been entangled with industry money. Serpell’s earliest work was funded by what is now known as the Waltham Petcare Science Institute, a division of Mars, which owns a portfolio of pet-food and veterinary-care brands in addition to its famous candy business. “There was no other source of funding, really,” recalls Serpell, who’s now an emeritus professor at the University of Pennsylvania. “Nobody else was willing to put money into this field.”

In 2008, Mars entered a partnership with the National Institutes of Health in order to spur more research into the relationship between human-animal interactions. In the first year, the pet-product provider ponied up $250,000, while the federal government supplied $1.75 million. (The NIH partnership ended in 2022, although Mars continues to underwrite research on pets and human health.)

In 2010, a group of pet-industry heavyweights launched HABRI. Key funders have included Petco, Nestlé Purina PetCare, and Zoetis, a veterinary-pharmaceuticals firm. “Pets and animals make the world a better place, and we’re going to use science to prove it,” Feldman, HABRI’s president, said in a 2014 talk at a conference for pet bloggers.

The nonprofit has spent more than $3 million funding research on human-animal interactions. Companies also directly fund university research: One prominent research group at the University of Arizona—separate from Rodriguez’s lab—includes a sponsor page on its website featuring the logos of Nestlé Purina, Waltham, the veterinary drugmaker Elanco, and other pet-product companies.

“Funding from the pet industry has transformed the field, and without it, we would not have the science that we have,” Mueller says. (Like Serpell and Rodriguez, Mueller has received industry funding for some of her research.)

Did that funding shape the field’s findings? “I think it has largely been done in a really ethical way,” Mueller says. She and Rodriguez both say they have never felt pressure to produce a particular result. Waltham, when it entered the partnership with NIH, gave up the right to select who would get the funding. Industry-funded studies have found—and published—results that suggest little benefit from pets.

“I really think that the field has done a good job of publishing a lot of findings that are maybe not what people would expect,” Mueller says.

Herzog says he has seen little evidence that industry money has changed the science. Mostly, he says, “they’ve funded pretty good studies.” But there are ways that industry funding can change the field. “It’s always been a source of great ambivalence, I think, for everybody involved,” Serpell says. “You try and work around it, by getting whoever funds the work to stay off your back and let you do the work, and if they don’t like the results, that probably means the next time you apply to them for funding, you won’t get it.”

Funding can shape the questions that a field asks—or avoids. “Industry-funded studies tend to produce results that favor the sponsor’s interest,” says Marion Nestle, an emeritus professor at New York University who has spent decades studying corporate influence on science. Sponsors influence what gets studied, Nestle says, and they select for studies that they think will produce positive results. And, she says, research suggests that sponsorship can shape the way results are interpreted—often without researchers being aware of the influence at all.

Controlling the focus of the research can also steer scientists away from certain topics entirely. “For obvious reasons, these companies don’t wish to draw attention to the darker side of the human-pet relationship,” Serpell says, referring to research areas such as dog bites. In a recent Zoom interview, Feldman told me that funders “can tell us what kind of things they’re hoping to see,” and the organization will try to accommodate those requests: “But then, once the process of funding a project begins, there’s absolutely no influence there whatsoever.”

Read: Too many people own dogs

HABRI embraces negative results, or those that don’t show a clear effect from pet ownership, and not just positive findings, Feldman said. But, he acknowledged, they may choose to emphasize positive results. “We try and be very true to the science, but if we take a slightly more optimistic view as to the body of work than researchers who take a different perspective, I think that helps generate a lot of positive behavior in the real world.”

Herzog, Feldman suggested, was making a name for himself with naysaying—in ways that, perhaps, sometimes defy common sense. A 2021 HABRI survey found that nearly nine in 10 pet owners report that their pets benefit their mental health. “I kind of think pet owners might be onto something,” Feldman said.

Herzog agrees that having a pet can have real benefits. At the end of a recent conversation, he reflected on his cat, Tilly, who died in 2022. She used to watch TV with him in the evenings, and she would curl up on a rocking chair in his basement office while he worked. The benefits of their relationship, Herzog said, were real but perhaps hard to measure—among the intangible qualities that are difficult to capture on research surveys.

“If you’d asked me, ‘Did Tilly improve the quality of your life?,’ I’d say ‘Absolutely,’” he said. “My health? Nah.”

More From Forbes

2 reasons why pets can enrich our relationships, from a psychologist.

• Share to Facebook
• Share to Twitter
• Share to Linkedin

Pets can teach us a lot about empathy and loving connections. Here’s why having a pet can make ... [+] social relationships better.

Pets can be incredible sources of support and companionship. They can also teach us a thing or two about learning to understand and treat others better, inspiring empathy in surprising ways.

Be it due to learning to care for another being or becoming more attuned to their pet’s needs and emotions over time, pet owners seem to absorb their learnings from these special bonds and utilize them to strengthen interpersonal human relationships.

Here are two reasons why pet-ownership can enhance empathy and social relationships, according to research.

1. Pets Teach Us How To Treat Others

A study published this month in Frontiers In Psychology found that a strong attachment with our pets can enhance our empathy for animals, which in turn is associated with more prosocial behavior towards other humans. Prosocial behavior encompasses voluntary actions that are meant to benefit and support others.

Researchers suggest that this is because pets are considered “attachment figures,” which, based on attachment theory, refer to specific individuals humans seek to form close emotional bonds with, who provide a sense of security and comfort, particularly in times of stress or uncertainty.

Best Pet Insurance Companies Of October 2022

How much does pet insurance cost in 2022.

Pets seem to mirror the role that primary attachment figures—such as childhood caregivers—play in human relationships by providing a template for their owner’s human relationships. Positive attachment figures can provide emotional support, model trust and security and reduce stress.

With such attachments, individuals learn to regulate their own emotions, navigate the emotional landscapes of others, experience a consistent and reliable bond and learn to form healthy relationships with others. As we learn to depend on our pets and meet their needs reliably, we reinforce these behaviors in ourselves.

“Individuals often regard their pets as attachment figures deserving of care, influencing them to empathize with their pets’ well-being during stressful circumstances. The influence of animal empathy on prosocial attitudes toward humans may arise from individuals incorporating empathetic processes learned from animals into their interactions with humans, considering pets as representatives of others in attachment relationships,” the researchers explain.

A 2018 study found that pet ownership can also boost social functioning, enhancing social interactions and trust in one’s neighbors. Pets can act as social catalysts, encouraging their owners to engage with others and practice social skills.

For instance, walking a dog in a public space can spark conversation, connection and potentially friendship with onlookers. This can provide a stronger foundation for learning more about others and building one’s capacity for empathy in human relationships.

2. Pet Owners Are Sensitive To Emotional Cues

A 2019 study found that pet owners are more sensitive to an animal’s distress vocalizations—a cat’s sad “meow” or a dog’s upset whimper—than non-pet owners. Their ability to recognize negative emotions and the emotional content of these vocalizations could highlight a deeper empathic gift gained with pet ownership experience.

Researchers also found that those who tend to have a more “secure attachment style” are also more sensitive to distressed cat sounds. Securely attached individuals tend to be able to trust others and establish safety in relationships, feeling confident that attachment figures will be available, responsive and supportive when needed, rather than feeling insecure that they will be abandoned or rejected and pushing others away.

Researchers draw parallels with similar studies with human infants that found that securely attached adults were more likely to correctly identify an infant’s emotions through their distress signals. This suggests that such individuals are generally more emotionally attuned and responsive to others, traits that are beneficial in both human and animal relationships.

Interestingly, research shows that pets can also enhance the attachment security we experience, showing us how to build healthier relationships with others. Their consistent and non-judgmental presence can reinforce our understanding of what a secure attachment feels like, making it easier to replicate this dynamic in our human relationships.

The bond between pets and their owners transcends simple companionship, offering valuable lessons in love, empathy and emotional attunement. As we learn to care for and empathize with our pets, we inadvertently strengthen our ability to form healthier, more secure and more compassionate human connections.

Curious about how much you benefit from being connected to your pet? Take this test to find out: Pet Owner Connectedness Scale

• Editorial Standards
• Reprints & Permissions

Join The Conversation

One Community. Many Voices. Create a free account to share your thoughts. 

Forbes Community Guidelines

Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas and facts in a safe space.

In order to do so, please follow the posting rules in our site's  Terms of Service.   We've summarized some of those key rules below. Simply put, keep it civil.

Your post will be rejected if we notice that it seems to contain:

• False or intentionally out-of-context or misleading information
• Insults, profanity, incoherent, obscene or inflammatory language or threats of any kind
• Attacks on the identity of other commenters or the article's author
• Content that otherwise violates our site's  terms.

User accounts will be blocked if we notice or believe that users are engaged in:

• Continuous attempts to re-post comments that have been previously moderated/rejected
• Racist, sexist, homophobic or other discriminatory comments
• Attempts or tactics that put the site security at risk
• Actions that otherwise violate our site's  terms.

So, how can you be a power user?

• Stay on topic and share your insights
• Feel free to be clear and thoughtful to get your point across
• ‘Like’ or ‘Dislike’ to show your point of view.
• Protect your community.
• Use the report tool to alert us when someone breaks the rules.

Thanks for reading our community guidelines. Please read the full list of posting rules found in our site's  Terms of Service.

• Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

Are We Loving Our Pets to Death?

Pet owners are treating their animal charges ever more like humans. But that isn’t good for pets, or for us, many experts argue.

By Linda Baker

This article is part of our Pets special section on scientists’ growing interest in our animal companions.

Pets are more popular than ever. Roughly two-thirds of American homes have at least one pet, up from 56 percent in 1988, according to the American Pet Products Association , and Americans spent $136.8 billion on their pets in 2022, up from $123.6 billion in 2021. An estimated 91 million households in Europe own at least one pet, an increase of 20 million over the past decade. The pet population in India hit 31 million in 2021, up from 10 million in 2011.

And our pets are becoming ever more like us — or at least, that seems to be our goal. We pamper them with customized nutrition plans and knapsack carriers, dog hydrotherapy and stays in boutique cat hotels. At All the Best, a high-end pet store chain in Seattle, the most popular items are feline and canine enrichment toys, d esigned to stimulate them and bring happiness to animals that increasingly “are lying around alone and bored,” said Annie McCall, the chain’s marketing director.

Now some animal welfare ethicists and veterinary scientists are wondering if, in our efforts to humanize our pets, we’ve gone too far. The more we treat pets like people, they argue, the more constrained and dependent on us our pets’ lives have become, and the more health and behavioral issues our pets develop.

“We now view pets not only as family members but as equivalent to children,” said James Serpell, an emeritus professor of ethics and animal welfare at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. “The problem is, dogs and cats are not children, and owners have become increasingly protective and restrictive. So animals are not able to express their own doggy and catty natures as freely as they might.”

The health risks begin with breeding, of course. One of the most popular dog breeds in the United States is the French bulldog , a member of the brachycephalic family of flat-faced dogs that bond well with people but have trouble breathing, among other severe health problems.

We are having trouble retrieving the article content.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and  log into  your Times account, or  subscribe  for all of The Times.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

Already a subscriber?  Log in .

Want all of The Times?  Subscribe .

We Make Scrapbooking Fun!

Wag Your Tails for This Pet Layout!

Do you have photo upon photo upon photo of your pets in your phone? Who doesn’t! Take your favorites and showcase your pet’s absolute cuteness with this pet-themed layout! Find designer papers, stickers and other things you’ll need in the Go Fetch and Purrr-fect Kitty Cat collections. You’ll love this layout for photos of your cat, dog or any other paw-some friends!

To create this layout you will need:

• Go Fetch Paper Pack or ( Shop Canada  |  Shop Australia )
• Go Fetch Mat Paper Pack or ( Shop Canada  |  Shop Australia )
• Go Fetch Stickers or ( Shop Canada  |  Shop Australia )
• Purrr-fect Kitty Cat Paper Pack or ( Shop Canada  |  Shop Australia )
• Purrr-fect Kitty Cat Mat Paper Pack or ( Shop Canada  |  Shop Australia )
• Purrr-fect Kitty Cat Stickers or ( Shop Canada  |  Shop Australia )
• Hot Fudge & White Solid Cardstock  or ( Shop Canada  |  Shop Australia )
• Square Punch  or ( Shop Canada  |  Shop Australia )
• 12-inch Trimmer  or ( Shop Canada  |  Shop Australia )
• Tape Runner  or ( Shop Canada  |  Shop Australia )
• Repositionable Tape Runner  or ( Shop Canada  |  Shop Australia )
• Foam Squares Variety Pack  or ( Shop Canada  |  Shop Australia )
• Brown Dual-Tip Pen  or ( Shop Canada  |  Shop Australia )

Step 1: Use the umber chevron paper (from the reverse side of the Purrr-fect Kitty Cat umber mat paper) for the base of the layout.

Step 2: Cut four strips from a piece of Hot Fudge Solid Cardstock to measure 1/4” x 12″. Set the strips aside.

Step 3: Using the remainder of the Hot Fudge sheet, cut to measure 10-1/2″ x 10-1/2″.  Adhere to the middle of the base piece.

Step 4: Using the Square Punch, punch a total of 22 squares from a variety of the Go Fetch and Purrr-fect Kitty Cat papers. Adhere along the outside edges of the Hot Fudge Solid Cardstock square piece.

Step 5: Adhere the 1/4″ x 12″ Hot Fudge Solid Cardstock strips that you set aside in Step 2 to the outer edges of the punched squares.

Step 6: Cut the following photo mats from White Solid Cardstock: (4) 3-1/4″ x 4-1/4” and (1) 5” x 3-1/4”.  Adhere mats to the layout.

Step 7: Cut a 3″ x 4″ mat from the yellow paper mat. Adhere to one of the 3-1/4″ x 4-1/4″ cardstock mats.

Step 8: Cut and adhere photos to the mats that measure: (2) 3″ x 4″, (1) 4″ x 3″ and (1) 4-3/4″ x 3″. 

Step 9: Doodle along the outer edges of the 3″ x 4″ yellow paper mat using a Brown Dual-Tip Pen.

Step 10: Adhere any additional stickers, using Foam Squares on some for added dimension.

Step 11: Journal as desired.

What furry friends are you going to scrapbook about?!

P.S. Are YOU a member of the  Virtual Crop Facebook Group ?   It’s your go-to place for  MONTHLY Virtual Crops ,  MONTHLY Completed Album   Challenges ,  QUARTERLY Secret Box Openings with project tutorials  and so much more!   We hope you’ll join   our community of more than 40,000 fellow memory-keeping enthusiasts   — you’ll feel right at home!

Love this post? Share it!

Leave a reply cancel reply, popular posts.

Discover more from

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Type your email…

Continue reading