Rescuing is Fun!
You heard me right; rescuing is fun! A commonly stated reason for sadness in depressed individuals is a lack of a sense of purpose. Scientists have concluded that owning a pet; someone to feed, care for, and love every day, contributes to a sense of overall well-being in pet parents. This responsibility to another living being can radically change a life for the better. I would like to take this one step farther by proposing that this sense of purpose can be furthered by bringing a rescue animal, as opposed to a bred animal, into your home. Rescue animals would have a very low quality, or no quality, of life were it not for the involvement of their rescuers. Rescue animals need you. Rescuing is a great way to feel needed and a rewarding way to love, and to receive love in return. It may sound like squishy, soft stuff, but love and companionship translates to the hard science of longer, healthier lives for both you and your animal.
They'll Thank You for It
My rescue pets have changed my life as much as I have changed theirs. Rescue pets can be a project: some may come with health issues, behavior problems, and they will all take some time adjusting to their new life with you. I feel like it is the occasional difficulties that make the experience even more rewarding. It is impossible to overstate the full hearted feeling you get when the skinny, patchy dog from the side of the road grows a full coat and a strong body, bursting with happy wiggles, under your care. It can knock your heart a happy sideways when the feral cat with behavior problems that were once thought to be "unfixable" mellows into a fuzzy doughball after a year of your continuous love. Even a little rodent starving and unsocialized from neglect turning into an awkward, pudgy, thankful companion gets to you more than you'd think. But these are only my experiences. There are many more to be had.I encourage you to try out this rare kind of joy for yourself. It's good for your health, it's good your heart, and it's immeasurably fun.
Sources:
Can Pets Make You Happy? How Stuff Works. Retrieved from: http://science.howstuffworks.com
/environmental/life/inside-the-mind/emotions/pets-happiness.htm
Pets Improve Your Health. Web MD. Retrieved from: http://pets.webmd.com/ss/slideshow-pets-improve-
your-health?page=2
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