How dogs help us to be better people

It can be hard getting to know new people, particularly when you move to a new area. It's not always easy to tell if a stranger will welcome efforts to strike up a conversation. Unless, that is, one of you happens to be walking a dog. It's a great ice-breaker; a person who might otherwise walk past with barely a nod or a look will smile, say hello and before you know it, you've made a friendship with someone who has a shared interest - a love of dogs.

Pet owners tend to suffer less from stress and have lower blood pressure than those without a pet. Perhaps this is simply down to the fact that people working lots of overtime or in stress-filled jobs are less likely to own a pet that they simply don't have time for.

Dogs are now taken into some hospitals to visit patients, especially children and the elderly because they have been found to have a positive affect, lifting the spirits and helping the patients on the road to recovery.

When someone suffers a bereavement or a series of bad luck they may become withdrawn, finding it hard to talk about their feelings, wanting to shut themselves away from the world for a period of time. A pet can bring great solace at a time like this, dogs especially, because they are such sociable animals. As a pet owner, a person cannot be wholly obsessed with their own problems because there is someone else to be responsible for; a dog not only needs to be fed, it also needs excercise, and walking is a great way to sort out our thoughts and clear our minds when the worries seem to be piling on. And at home by our side is the best, most loyal friend in the world offering unconditional love and a never ending supply of kissy licks to help us through the bad times and share some of the good things in life with too!