Time Magazine recently issued an entire magazine dedicated to animals and their impact on humans from an emotional, mental, and physical well-being perspective.  How cool is that!?  Now more than ever it seems as though animal rights, animal rescue, and animal welfare are being brought to light.  Clearly way overdo but I am thrilled to see and feel the movement and shift in standpoints.  In some of the magazines’ articles there are scientific debates on whether or not animals have a positive impact on us humans.  To me there really isn’t a debate, I know that they have a positive impact on my life whether science agrees or not.

Whether it’s the unconditional love I feel from our family’s cats and dog or the true joy the shelter animals show just to be in your company, being around animals has always made me feel good.  Just being around them increases my happiness, improves my mood, and gives me a real sense of companionship.  There is no place I’d rather be (aside from with my family – – animals included!) then by the side of an animal.  At one of the local shelters I volunteer at, there are cats that literally purr just because you enter their room – it doesn’t get sweeter than that.  Hours seem like minutes with all of the love there is to give and receive there. 

My cats have been with me through some of the most challenging times in my life; they helped me get thru heartbreak, navigate my mid 20s, and kept me company while on bedrest during my last month of pregnancy.  I truly don’t know what I would have done without their love and companionship during those difficult times.  And our dog, Mila, doesn’t let us go one day without some sort of physical play! She also always tries to help, mostly with her concerned “are you sure you know what you’re doing look” :), when our son is upset.  I can already see the impact on our son’s life as well; one of his favorite things to do is to take Mila for a walk and “run, running, run”.  And he is constantly telling us how much he loves all of them and how much they love us.  He feels it even at the age of 2!

If you haven’t had an opportunity to feel the unconditional love and companionship of an animal, I’d highly recommend trying it out!  Being around animals has only had a positive impact on my life and I wouldn’t have it any other way.