March 1, 2017 The Skanner Page 9
News
Less Stress Begins with Pets
pets give us each day
can not be measured. So
next time you’re feeling
wound up, unappreciat-
ed or down, take a deep
By Jasmine Streeter,
DVM
Special to The Skanner
News
T
he 45th president
has had a tumultu-
ous start in the last
30 days to say the
least. A sense of uneasi-
ness, fear, and stress has
encroached itself upon
the hearts and minds
of many Americans be-
cause of recent actions
taken by the new admin-
istration.
According to an Amer-
ican Psychological As-
sociation survey which
was released Feb. 15,
two-thirds of Americans
reported being stressed
about the future of our
nation. This month, I
wanted to spotlight the
benefi ts of pet owner-
ship for reducing stress.
Hopefully you are comfy,
cozy and cuddled next to
“
SHOWTIMES
Dr. Jasmine Streeter, Veternarian relaxes with her dog Sheba
In addition, animals
have the ability to in-
crease positive social
attention from others. If
you don’t believe it, try
walking down the street
with a puppy in Portland
and see how far you get
without someone engag-
ing you and your dog in
conversation.
Pets have been shown to
decrease anxiety, stress,
fear and lower blood
pressure when they were
Staying on task and creating
goals were shown to be easi-
er when pets were present
a warm happy fur ball
while reading this arti-
cle.
Not many people will
dispute the positive
contributions that hu-
man-animal interactions
have on society. See-
ing-eye dogs giving sight
to the blind and therapy
dogs helping children
with autism are just a
few examples of how
pets enhance our lives.
Take a moment to think
about your pet, does a
fond memory come to
mind? Hopefully it does
because pets have the
ability to make us feel
great.
A study published in
Frontiers in Psychology
found that interacting
with animals can infl u-
ence you in a positive
manner. Staying on task
and creating goals were
shown to be easier when
pets were present.
breath, pull your pet in
close and whisper, “It’s
going to be OK.”
I bet your furballs with
their wet little noses,
present during a stress-
ful situation. Aquariums
are commonly placed to
reduce anxiety in doc-
tor’s offi ces because of
their relaxing eff ect on
patients. (Have you ever
watched a scary movie
with your cat or grabbed
the dog while checking
out a weird sound you
heard in the bathroom?
Don’t feel embarrassed,
I have too.) Regardless of
their size, just knowing
your pet is there with
you in that moment can
make you feel like you
can handle anything that
comes your way togeth-
er.
Loneliness and de-
pression have also been
lessened by interaction
and ownerships of pets.
Elderly residents in as-
sisted living and nursing
homes that owned pets
or participated in dog-as-
sisted therapy reported
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decreased
loneliness
and less depression than
their counterparts with
no animal interaction. In
addition, survival rates
of pet owners who had
previously had a heart
attack were higher than
non-owners.
If the potential to lower
stress, fi ght depression,
and live longer haven’t
convinced you to cher-
ish your pet, then I don’t
know what will. The
love and loyalty that our
TONI ERDMANN (R)
Fri-Thur: 1:15, 9:10
PASSENGERS (PG-13)
Fri,Sun-Thur: 11:50, 7:15/Sat: 11:50
JACKIE (R)
Fri-Thur: 11:05, 7:00
MOANA (PG)
Fri-Thur: 12:15, 2:15, 5:05
whiskers and sweet kiss-
es will be glad you did..
Send your pet questions
to drjasmine@theskan-
ner.com.
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