Why Getting A Dog Will Change and Improve Your Life

Who's a good girl? Who's a good girl? Oh hey, sorry, I was just talking to my best friend here, Pixie. Pixie is my dog. Say hi, Pixie. Arf! Good girl. Today's video is all about dogs, and how they can change your life for the better. Arf! Arf! Before we go any further, hit subscribe and click the notification bell. Help support us here at Bestie by watching this video until the end. Even if you're not a dog person, Pix and I think you'll agree that having a dog can really change your life in the best way possible. Here's how. You'll Never Be Lonely Again They say a dog is a man's bestie for a reason. It's because they are. Seriously, a dog will love you endlessly and will always be game for doing something fun. You wanna go out? So do they. Hey Pixie, wanna go for a walk? Arf! Arf! Whoa! Okay, okay, let's go. Or if you just want to stay in and watch a movie, that's totally cool too. They're really down for whatever. Honestly, they really don't know the meaning of personal space. You'll Spend Your Time Doing Fun Things You know sometimes when you're sitting at home with no real plans, so you order in some food and spend another night not really doing anything productive. Well, kiss those nights goodbye because instead of wasting your time, your dog will encourage you to do more exciting things, like take them to a cool park or beach. You'll have more opportunities to get out and enjoy what the world has to offer, instead of hunkering down at home not doing anything. You'll Meet New People Yes, owning a dog is one of the best ways to strike up a conversation. Especially if your dog is super cute, right Pix? Arf! Arf! Seriously though, you'll meet so many people. In fact, you'll probably start to make new dog-owner friends. People that want to talk about their dogs, make doggy playdates, and talk about dog-specific things like how funny they are when they start running in their sleep. This will especially come in handy if you're a new dog owner. You'll probably have a million and one questions about the best toys, groomers and dog parks in your neighborhood. Who better to ask than your new friends who already have dogs? Not to mention having a person to go on dog walks with you is pretty fun, and good for you. You'll Get More Exercise You know what dogs don't have? Thumbs. Which means they can't open the door and take themselves for a walk. That's your job. Granted, in the winter it might not be so fun, but on a nice day, regardless of the season, getting up and moving is great for your body and for your mind. Walking a minimum of 30 minutes a day can have some amazing health benefits like reducing your blood pressure, lowering your risk of certain cancers, helping you to lose weight, which in turn reduces your risk of things like diabetes, and can boost your mood and fight off depression. Yeah, all that and probably more. So next time you feel like you don't want to go for walkies, just think about how much your dog loves it, and how much your body will thank you in the long run. Just one little serious note, if you're looking for something that's going to make you exercise, a dog is not the answer. Walking a dog every day is pretty mandatory and shouldn't be used as leverage to get you to work out more. Having a dog requires a lot of responsibility, speaking of which... You'll be a better empath and have a greater sense of responsibility. We're not just talking about teaching the kids the valuable lesson of responsibility either, we're talking about you too. There's lots of research that backs up the fact that owning a pet will boost your capacity for empathy. By becoming a dog owner, you'll get to know your animal and you'll become extremely attached. You'll be able to tell what they're thinking and feeling just by looking at them. Not to mention the fact that dogs can't really talk. Yeah, dogs can't really talk, so you're sort of forced to learn and read their body language, and understand their needs. Eventually, you'll find yourself thinking about your pet's wants and needs pretty often and you'll be wanting to do nice things for your animal too. That's because they'll worm their way pretty deep into your heart. It's pretty great. Plus, when you have to be responsible for something, you're more likely to form good habits which have a pretty good chance of bleeding into other parts of your life too. If you haven't started to binge on that TV series yet, you'll probably keep putting it off if you have more important things to do, like take care of your pet. Not to mention, if you have kids, what better way to teach them about responsibility than with a pet? When they're ready of course. We'll leave that judgement call to you parents. Oh, speaking of parents, if you are one, you'll probably like this next bonus. Make Your Immune System Stronger Dogs can be a little gross at times. Don't worry Pixie, people can be gross too, but this video is about our four-legged friends. However, the fact that dogs are so slobbery can be beneficial. Turns out that doggy smooches can help boost a person's immune system. To get into the nitty gritty of it all, scientists think that having a dog is kind of like eating probiotic yogurt every day. It encourages good bacteria in your gut to grow, and you'll end up sharing a lot of the same gut bacteria over time. Not to mention, parents, having a dog can help your young kids out too. You know how babies can possibly be allergic to stuff if they don't get exposed to it at a young age? Well, same goes for animals. Research shows us that exposing your babies to dogs might help reduce allergies as they get older. Of course, you shouldn't attempt this with just that goal in mind. And if you're worried about allergies with your baby, always talk to a doctor. But you get the idea. We don't want to stress you out. Oh, stress, that's another one. Pets Relieve Stress They just do. Life can throw a lot of things at us, and really, we can use anything that reduces the amount of stress we have to deal with on a daily basis. Have you been around a dog lately? They're hilarious, and things that are funny make us laugh. Laughter is the best medicine. But if you want to know the science behind it, playing with or even just petting a dog can increase the levels of oxytocin and reduce the stress hormone known as cortisol. Not only that, owning a dog has been proven to lower blood pressure and can even help keep it down when you're feeling stressed. Not to mention, another study said that owning a pet can help your odds when it comes to surviving your first year after you've suffered a heart attack. Not to mention the fact that dogs are used as therapy and emotional support animals all over the world. They Make You Feel Happy Since you're already on YouTube, we'd bet that you've already seen a funny dog video that's made you cry laugh once or twice before, right? You can probably tell us your favourite one. The bottom line is, dogs are really funny, and they make you happy. There's even science to prove it. People who have a really good relationship with their dogs have a higher concentration of the cuddle hormone in their bodies. We already mentioned this one, but it's called oxytocin, and it's the hormones humans produce that help us bond with people and increases when you, well, cuddle. If you have a dog, we're guessing you probably get lots of cuddles. Remember, if you don't have a dog already, they're a lot of responsibility, and you should make sure you're ready to get one before you make the commitment. They're a lot of work. There is some money that goes into proper care, and they do require a large amount of time. But we think the payoff is worth it. Don't forget if you are in the market for a new dog to head down to your local shelter and adopt. Don't shop. Have you always wanted a dog? What kind of dog do you have? Let us know all about your furry friends in the comments section below.