Recently, we’ve been talking about New Year’s resolutions. We’ve spoken about how dogs can help health before and written quite a few blogs about them on BergaOne. Pets, in general, can help your health through companionship and exercise. It’s that exercise that we are interested in today!
We’ve heard the saying “pets aren’t presents.” It’s a phrase from recent years calling attention to the fact that animals are large commitments. For many of us, we did receive pets as presents, but nowadays it is less common. It’s true that getting a pet as a cute spur-of-the-moment splurge is a bad idea. They take time and effort. Their care can be extensive. But we’re interested in them because of the effort they take.
Dog owners are 54 percent more likely to reach the recommended level of physical activity than other adults. Once you have the dog, they need walks to get rid of energy, relieve themselves and get the exercise they crave. You have an exercise buddy that you can’t cancel on when you don’t feel like it!
You won’t get a high impact work out with a dog, but you will be forced to get a daily walk. That’s a big commitment — far more than a gym membership you can ignore. If you have a hard time sticking to a routine, a workout buddy can be a huge help. That’s even better if the buddy lives with you and better still if the buddy is dependent on you.
If you are interested in getting a dog, you should reach out to shelters in your area. Many dogs need a home, and it’s a much more affordable way to add a pet to your hope than buying! You can meet the dog before bringing them home, get to know them, their energy level and quirks and see if they are a good fit for you.
The app walkzee lets you connect to shelters in your area to see if they have any dogs you can borrow for a walk. You might not be interested in the full-time commitment to care for a dog, but shelters appreciate volunteers offering to help take the dogs out! If the shelters in your area aren’t on the app, just give them a call! They would probably be thrilled to hear from you! You can set up a time to go walk a dog, breathe some fresh air and get your steps in.
