If you neglect to care for your pet then not only will you have a negative effect on their life but you could also face prosecution. Neglect is considered a serious crime, and so if you don’t feel capable of caring adequately for an animal then perhaps ownership is not right for you.
However, far from being a joyless chore, caring for a pet can be extremely fulfilling. There are all sorts of ways that care of a dog or cat can be beneficial for your health.
Obviously there will probably be benefits to your physical health. Pets really need lots of exercise and so owning a pet can be a great excuse to go for a walk or a run and generally just stay active. Obviously, regular exercise has numerous positive benefits; not least it can lower blood pressure.
It’s not just physical health either. When you own a pet, research suggests that you will experience numerous positive effects on your mental health. Pet ownership can even help to alleviate serious mental health problems like depression.
One of the problems with modern life is that it can create disconnect between the natural world and the man-made world. Owning a pet is a great window onto the natural world and as such it can restore something that may otherwise be lost.
