Going to the Dogs: That's Me!

It's a no-brainer.  Dogs make us feel better.  Full disclosure: I've never had a dog.  My mother and sister were both allergic so we never had one growing up, though we did take in a stray during a snowstorm and I regret to say I don't remember what happened to him (hopefully, returned to his owners).

But The New York Times reported today that having a dog may lower your heart risk.  I have to admit, since becoming a mom, the nurturing side has come out in me and I now love dogs (am even thinking of getting one for my pre-adolescent son, even though I know who will wind up taking care of him or her). I feel calmer when I'm petting them and I love looking into their eyes, and seeing the soul in there.

I watched a Judge Judy segment yesterday where an estranged couple were fighting over custody of their dog, a Husky with piercing blue eyes. The dog kept whimpering and running back and forth between the man and the woman, crying and leaping first on the woman, then barking joyously and running to her father, while the man -- the actual owner of the dog -- looked on.

But the dog kept coming back to him, too.  "You've made one very psychotic dog," Judge Judy intoned drily.

My heart kind of turned over in my chest watching this animal race from loved one to loved one.  In the end, the woman magnanimousy agreed to let the man keep the dog, and with tears in her eyes (and her father blowing his nose), the dog was returned to the man.  But everyone in the courtroom (me, too) was teary.  It was hard to watch.

How to explain the effect dogs have on people?  I don't know.  I knew a woman who led a very priviledged life who wanted to do something with her life and she went through exhaustive training to turn her dog into one who can go into children's hospital wards and nursing homes and soothe the ill and distressed. 

Blood pressures go down, aches disappear, and for a moment, all is right with the world, with a dog in the room. 

Some people think animals don't think or feel (I had quite a long staring contest with a squirrel once), but of course that's not true.  They're every bit as sensitive and caring as we are.  Hmm.  Looks like I'm going to the pound this weekend.






















http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/09/heart-association-weighs-in-on-pets/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Take Herbal Supplements? Even Green Tea Extract Can Lead to Liver Damage

Take herbal supplements? You might want to listen up. A new study is warning that new information is showing that some supplements may damage the liver, along with over the counter drugs and even those prescribed by physicians, according to newswise.com. The rate of drug-induced liver injury (DILI), a rare adverse drug reaction which is challenging to diagnose -- and which can lead to jaundice, liver failure and even death -- is increasing more and more.  Experts put it down to the overwhelming use of herbal supplements and other drugs in the last 10 years.  “A lot of consumers have a preconceived notion that if it’s a natural product, it must be safe. But that is not necessarily the case,” the Web site quotes Herbert Bonkovsky, MD, FACG, co-author of the guidelines. “Most of these products are not well-regulated and have very little oversight. Traces of heavy metals and prescription drugs have even been found in some herbal and dietary supplements. We encourage patients to
Read more

Social Media Replacing Human Contact? Nah

I used to think my son only talked to his "girlfriend" (did I mention he'll be 12 in June?) in school.  Then I happened to walk by his computer and saw her on his screen.  They Skype.  About three hours a day.  Then I got it.  It's real.  Kids mostly communicate electronically these days. But Joe McKendrick at smartplanet.com believes there are reasons social media won't completely replace face-to-face interactions.  For one, there's less distraction.  If you're sitting at your computer, you're scanning for emails or googling or watching the news, in addition to talking to someone.  When you're actually with someone, it's harder to do this -- though, Joe, are you living on Mars? Have you never seen a teen texting at the table, while talking to you, or God forbid, driving? Most of McKendrick's points have to do with the office, and meeting in person to do business rather than connecting online.  I have to admit here, it makes sense.  He
Read more

Be Humble. Your Employees May Work Harder

You wouldn't know it from our current crook- er - commander-in-chief but it pays to be humble , new research is showing. It’s good to be humble when you’re the boss – as long as that’s what your employees expect, according to newswise.com. Researchers studying workplaces in China found that some real-life teams showed more creativity if the employees rated their bosses as showing more humility. “Whether leader humility is a good thing really depends on the team members’ expectations,” says  Jia (Jasmine) Hu , lead author of the study and associate professor of  management and human resources  at The Ohio State University’s  Fisher College of Business . Humble leaders are most effective when team members expect a low degree of distance between the leaders and followers, Hu explains. When there is "low power distance" (I assume, this means when the boss is humble), employees share power with their boss in a collaborative way. But humility may be seen as a weaknes
Read more