New Year's Resolutions for Pet Owners
Make and keep resolutions to improve your pet's quality of life.
Resolving to make the new year a turning point in improving life is a common practice for many people. According to Statistic Brain, the top 5 New Year’s Resolutions for 2015 were:
Think about how to make 2017 your pet's best year yet.
- Lose weight
- Get organized
- Spend Less, Save More
- Enjoy Life to the Fullest
- Stay Fit and Healthy
Each of these New Year’s Resolutions can have a significant impact in the lives of our pets as well.
1. The Association for Pet Obesity Prevention estimates nearly 53% of dogs and 58% of cats in the US were overweight or obese in 2014. Putting our pets on a healthy diet and routine exercise program not only improves the chances of long lives together, but the added bonus of activity for them can mean increased exercise for us, too.
2. Getting organized can translate to training our pets to be well behaved, welcomed members of our family wherever we go. Dogs that are lovingly and properly trained are calmer in stressful situations, lower your stress levels in managing their routines, and are confident their behavior is welcome.
3. Regular check ups and grooming are a normal expense of pet ownership. However, pets can develop unexpected illnesses and injuries that might be costly to treat. A health insurance policy for your pet is a great way to free some of the worry of decision making if you find yourself in such a situation with your pet. Refer to our article on pet insurance to learn more.
4. Mind Body Green claims “Pet Owners Are Healthier, Happier People” and reviews a few of the observed examples.
- Heart attack patients with pets live longer than those without.
- Pets increase our levels of oxytocin and serotonin.
- Alzheimers’ patients are more apt to eat their meals if a fish tank is on the table or nearby, so they can see the fish swimming.
- Therapy dogs make amazing differences in the lives of those in hospice.
5. Staying fit and healthy helps our mental outlook, provides added years to life, assists in lowering medical expenses, helps ward off diseases associated with sedentary life-styles, and can provide great social interaction. This is true for people as well as pets. Keeping our focus on healthy living just makes sense.
Like all attempts to make changes in our ordinary schedules, start with small steps and build on those. Walk your dog around your neighborhood for short walks. Start training with just one simple command, or enroll your pet in a qualified training school. Make the appointment with your vet to check the current health of your pet; ask for suggestions to start improving life for both of you. Life Hack suggests 7 steps for keeping your new year’s resolution, starting with planning. Now is the best time to start.