The dog helps to get rid of childhood fears

In families where there is a four-legged pet, children grow up mentally more balanced.

“The effect of the presence of a dog” – it turns out there is such a therapeutic term. Tailed and barking pets are not only a funny creature in the house with which you can play, with whom you want or don’t want to, but you need to walk, but also health benefits. This was discovered by scientists at Bassett Medical Center in New York, conducting the study “Dogs and Children’s Health: Preventing Chronic Diseases.”

During the year, scientists examined 643 children aged 6-7 years. Attention was paid not only to physical, but also to mental health. It was found that children who have dogs at home have much lower levels of anxiety than those who do not have pets at home.

The researchers make a reservation: they have not yet found a direct connection between the presence of a dog and the level of anxiety in a child. But they are going to tackle this issue properly. Ann Gadomsky, a research fellow at the center, has worked in pediatrics for 30 years. And she claims that she has seen babies more than once, whose first word was “dog.” Just remember Mark Zuckerberg’s daughter Maxim – she also said not “mom”, not “dad”, but “dog”. Mark then explained that Maxim is very fond of Beast, their Hungarian Shepherd.

– When playing with a friendly dog, the child’s levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, are reduced. Perhaps due to the increased production of oxytocin, the hormone of happiness. These hormonal effects may underlie the reduction in anxiety in children, the researchers say.

In addition, a dog in the house is also a prevention … of childhood obesity!

– This question is also still in the research stage, but imagine what the potential for treatment is! – scientists say. – We analyzed all the studies on the impact of pets on human health, and it turns out that having a dog has a very beneficial effect on mental and social health.

This theory also has opponents. For example, Professor Harold Herzog claims that there are studies that have demonstrated the negative effects of pets on human health.

“There have not yet been large enough studies to demonstrate sufficiently convincing statistics,” he says.

However, Amy Gadomsky believes the research needs to continue:

“I don’t want everyone to rush to get dogs. But it is likely that the presence of an animal in the house does have a very important effect on the health of the child. We must know for sure.

Well, we will add on our own: a dog is just nice. Unless, of course, you are a die-hard cat lover. As you know, cat lovers cannot be convinced. Even the most eminent professor.

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