Tae Hayes-
Research has proven how positive the interaction between humans and their pets have on human health.
Pets of all kind such as dogs, cats, snakes, fish, birds, and even rodents are all considered pets and there are many more.
Over 71 million American households have a pet (62 percent) and 42 percent have more than one pet.
There has been research showing how people and families with pets are less likely to get depressed and are usually happier because having a pet keeps us on the move, keeps us healthy, and keeps us active.
In the past few years here at Appalachian State there has been a trend of athletes starting to become pet owners, which is no coincidence that in the past few years our athletic program has become more successful.
Imagine the stress of being a full time athlete, full time student and basically being a parent for your pet. Hard to imagine right? According to a few Appalachian State athletes it is totally worth it.
Appalachian State Women's Soccer player Heather Ostwait has a female dog named Marlo that she received last June.
“I just always wanted a dog and that was the best chance for me to get one”
Her favorite thing about her dog is that she loves to cuddle , Oswait says Marlo makes my life extra exciting because I never know what to expect from her!
“She is constantly surprising me either by getting into trouble or learning new things honestly.”
Oswait also admits to the difficulty sometimes of being an athlete and taking care of a pet.
“Especially with Marlo cause she is super high energy so when I’m not in school or class I have to spend a lot of time getting her energy out”
Ostwait also believes that pets can help increase health.
“For me whenever I’m with my dog she can just instantly lift my mood and she's always a silent supporter. Definitely always puts a smile on face!”
Appalachian State Football player Victor Johnson is the owner of Khloe Kardashian who he has owned for two years now.
“My Favorite thing about Khloe is she thinks she human. She watches tv and has to sleep under a sheet no matter what,“ said Johnson
“Being around Khloe you can see she brings a lot of excitement into their house, Never was there a dull moment in the house because always doing something crazy” said Johnson's roommate Anthony Flory.
Johnson also admits to there being struggles of being a athlete and having a dog.
“The hardest part is getting up earlier which sucks because you're already waking up early but I have 4 roommates who always help me and friends that love to watch her because she so laid back" said Johnson.
Even though situations seem tough having a pet Johnson still thinks its totally worth it.
“Having pet play a huge role on my health and mental health I've never been sick since I had her and she great workouts with the walks we go on and she can pick you up on a hard day better than anything could” said Johnson
The last pet took the combination between the Appalachian State baseball team and the football team to keep up with it.
Zach Thomas and Jordan Ferh of the Appalachian State Football team and Jason Cornatzer of the Appalachian State Baseball team made it a group effort to take care of Bobo “ The Human Hamster” what they called her because of her human characteristics.
BoBo is new into the family when they went to the pet store only 2 weeks ago to take her in their home.
“We were inspired because we wanted a pet. Didn’t know what kind of pet at first but decided to get a hamster” said Thomas
They all came to an agreement on their favorite thing about BoBo which is when she gets in her ball and rolls around.
“Just think for everyone that ever sees BoBo gets a good laugh in no matter what she is doing” Said Fehr.
The difference between having a hamster and a dog is that hamsters don’t seem to be hard to maintain in their view.
“As long as he has water, food, and a toy shes just fine” says Cornatzer.
One thing most of the pet owners agreed on is the positive influence these pets have on their lives .
“ I think interaction between pets and humans are a very good thing! They bring a lot of joy and happiness to the room! It’s kinda like having a kid you care for them and take care of them like it’s you own!” said Thomas
10 EFFECTS OF HAVING A PET (Mental Focus by Kathy Benjamin)
1.YOU GET SICK LESS.
2.YOU'RE MORE RESISTANT TO ALLERGIES.
3.YOU'LL HAVE BETTER HEART HEALTH
4.YOU GET MORE EXERCISE
5.YOU'LL BE HAPPIER.
6.YOU HAVE A MORE ACTIVE SOCIAL LIFE
7.YOUR DOG MIGHT BE A CANCER DETECTOR
8.YOU'LL BE LESS STRESSED AT WORK.
9.YOU CAN FIND OUT MORE ABOUT YOUR PERSONALITY.
10.YOUR KIDS WILL BE MORE EMPATHETIC