The Many Benefits of Having a Pet in Your Family – Especially a Dog!

Have you ever noticed that most kids are drawn like magnets to animals? I think there are lots of reasons why this is so, but I think the biggest reason is because pets give unconditional love and accept us for who we are. This is especially true for dogs. As well as being able to understand many of the words that we say, by paying attention to our tone of voice and body language, dogs can be quite adept at tuning into our behaviors and feelings. The gifts that your dog can bring to your family are immeasurable. My youngest child Luke, who is 19 now, pretty much stopped having regular conversations with his Dad and I several years ago, which is probably common for many teenagers. However, he also spends as little time as possible in the companionship with other human beings too - including his peers. This is obviously not a healthy way to live for an extended period of time, which is the situation with Luke. Enter our two family pets that we have had over the years as … [Read more...]