Best Friend Handbook: Another Reason To Love Dogs

21 Aug Best Friend Handbook: Another Reason To Love Dogs

My friend Katherine Stuart writes a wonderful blog,”Best Friend Handbook,” everything from fashion and beauty tips to nutrition and recipes – including recipes for success and, in this case, more reasons for humans to love dogs. As if we in Telluride need more encouragement. 

Katherine Stuart

There are so many health benefits of dogs that I think insurance companies should cover the cost. Seriously. Even though I’ve been a dog owner, I had no idea. Here are just a few of my favorites:

Dogs Boost Our Happy

The number one health benefits of dogs in my book is that they make us happy. In fact, just gazing into your dog’s eyes causes a 300% increase in your oxytocin level according to Science.com. Oxytocin is the “bonding” or “love” hormone that new mother’s experience with child birth and men experience with orgasm.

Having more of it helps to create stronger bonds and more social interaction. Which improves intimacy. Which makes us feel less lonely. All of which seriously bumps up our happy quota.

Dogs Keep You Active

Quite honestly, there is no better personal trainer than a dog. Living in LA where yards are a luxury, I walked my dog 5 or 6 times a day. Now, only one of these was a long walk, but it still means that I got outside and moving a lot. And as we all know, more movement = better health. I so wish that I owned a FitBit when I had my dog. I would have blown past 10,000 steps a day, no problem. The other advantage to getting out more often is that it makes you more social. I used to call my dog Alice the mayor of the block.

Dogs Reduce Stress

There is a reason why there has been such an uptick in the number of Service Dogs at airports: being near, looking at or petting a dog lowers both your anxiety level and your blood pressure. Two things that seem to sky rocket the minute that I step through the sliding glass doors at LAX. There have even been studies done showing that when dogs are allowed in the office, people perform better. Let’s see,  reducing stress and upping performance…. sounds like a winning combination to me.

Literal Health Benefits of Dogs…

Continue reading here.

More about Katherine Stuart:

Katherine is a former movie executive and screenwriter who now runs her own content company, Content by Katherine. Her blog, the Best Friend Handbook, was born out of a desire to help other women feel better about themselves. As a lifelong best friend, fashion aficionado, former Pilates instructor, and amateur cook as well as the person that everyone comes to for advice, Katherine decided to take her opinions global, and create a virtual best friend. You know, someone who loves you no matter what. Who never judges you for eating, say, a quart of ice cream, always knows the best recipe for an impromptu dinner party and who can tell you exactly which eye cream will make you look like less of a hag the morning after one glass too many.