Are There Any Financial Benefits To Owning A Pet?

Fido can be costly, but did you know there are also financial benefits to owning a pet?

There is nothing like having a little furbaby to call your own. Dogs with their loyalty; cats with their curiosity; birds with their songs; lizards with their intriguing ways; there is just something about those little eyes and fur (or lack there of) that makes us melt inside. But, often we choose to opt out of owning a pet due to expenses. While pets can rack up bills (more so when they are sick), they can also help to save you some moola, particularly dogs.

Here’s how:

• Health and well-being. Several studies show that owning a pet reduces certain health ailments such as hypertension and higher cholesterol levels and, therefore, heart disease. If you’re wondering how much that can really save you, the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project mentioned that the average cost per hospital stay in 2010 was $9,700. Yikes. Web MD notes that medication and care for heart attacks and heart disease, both long-term and short-term care, are also quite expensive. These costs often do not even include the loss of time at work due to care and recovery.
  • These multiple studies also argued that owning a pet can reduce stress, whether it is owning a dog or watching a fish swim in its tank. Not to mention, the health benefits humans gain from pet ownership, according to the research, result in less costs toward health care. In addition to reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, pet owners can also apparently have higher survival rates from heart attacks as well as lowering the chance of pet allergies and arthritis in children due to exposing them to pet allergens in their first year of life, as this article states.
• Feeling better about yourself=spending less. Animals have a funny way of improving your mood, which is especially helpful if you are an emotional spender or victim of depression. These furry friends help to diminish stress and, thus, costs related with stress-related illnesses. They also help alleviate feelings of loneliness and can even prompt social interactions, particularly dogs.
• Save on a gym membership. Pets like your canine encourage you to be more physically active, which goes along with the health aspect. Unfortunately, you typically can’t bring your dog to the gym to workout so that means mother nature is your exercise playground. This can also helps to save you some cash on a gym membership. Maintaining a regular exercise schedule does help to reduce other medical costs as well.

Of course, you will need to make sure to take care of your domestic animal or else suffer more expenses with them overtime. As long as you don’t need regular pet boarding and you do the dog walking yourself instead of hiring someone, you really can save a buck (or two) on pets. While there could be some unexpected expenses like emergency vet visits and the like, the love a pet brings to you can certainly be priceless.

Who is headed to an adoption center now?

Photo: Flickr: dixie wells