By John Valentik, MS, CSCS, NASM-PES, CES

I can’t believe it’s taken me multiple years of writing blog posts to finally give my little furry friends the credit they deserve.

In particular, there’s my Charlie Boy, who just turned seven in July, and our cat, Kitty. Yes, her name is actually Kitty. She was a stray who showed up one day, and since we had absolutely no intention of keeping her, we didn’t put much thought into a name. Less than a week later, we’d fallen in love, she wasn’t going anywhere, and apparently neither was the name.

But don’t worry, this isn’t going to be an entire blog of me telling you how much I love my pets.

Instead, Charlie and Kitty got me thinking about something that fits perfectly into our broader conversations about wellness: Can having a pet actually make us healthier?

As it turns out, our furry friends may be doing more for us than greeting us at the door, cuddling on the couch or in bed, or staring into our souls while we eat something they desperately want. Let’s take a look.

Stress and Mental Health

There is something remarkably calming about having a dog or cat curl up beside you after a stressful day. There’s actually some science behind that feeling. Research on human-animal interaction has found that spending time with animals may help decrease cortisol, a hormone associated with stress. Interaction with pets has also been associated with improved mood, greater social support, and reduced loneliness.

Think about how simple that is. Your dog doesn’t care how productive you were today or whether you met your deadlines. Your cat doesn’t care how many emails are sitting in your inbox. They aren’t concerned with your job title, bank account, or whether you checked everything off your to-do list.

They’re just happy you’re there. There’s a lot we can learn from that alone. But that’s not all!

They Get Us Moving

Dog owners probably don’t need research to tell them this one.

Dogs need to move, which means we need to move too. It’s one thing to be lazy on the couch by yourself. It’s another when your furry friend is sitting there essentially begging you to go outside.

Walks around the neighborhood, trips to the park, playing fetch, or simply getting off the couch to let them outside all create opportunities for physical activity.

Not every healthy behavior requires a gym, heart-rate monitor, or carefully designed exercise program. Sometimes it’s simply putting on your shoes, grabbing the leash, and heading outside. As we’ve discussed many times on this blog, Exercise is Medicine.

Connection and Companionship

Pets also provide something increasingly important in conversations about health: connection. Whether you’re in your teens or your upper 80s, connection isn’t only part of how we survive, it’s how we thrive.

Pets become part of our routines and, eventually, our families. They’re there during celebrations, difficult days, major life transitions, and completely ordinary nights.

Charlie, in particular, worked wonders on me in 2020 when I lost my stepfather in March and my dad in August. There were more occasions than I probably even remember when I had tears in my eyes and emotions flowing, and Charlie simply found himself snuggled up alongside me.

No licking. No panting. No barking. Just presence.

Pets may even help us connect with other people. Think about how many conversations have started because someone stopped to pet your dog or asked what breed they are.

Wellness isn’t only about what we eat or how often we exercise. Our relationships, connection, stress levels, and emotional health matter too. And many times, those relationships happen to have four legs.

A Little More Responsibility

Of course, owning a pet isn’t all cuddles and walks. There are vet appointments, food bills, litter boxes, muddy paws, and plenty of other things that need to be scrubbed, cleaned, or tossed thanks to our critters.

But there’s something valuable about being responsible for another living thing. They depend on us for food, movement, affection, safety, and care. In return, they become an important part of our lives.

So while Charlie and Kitty certainly aren’t the only contributors to my health and happiness, they deserve a little more credit than I’ve given them on this blog.

They make us laugh. They get us moving. They provide companionship. They remind us to slow down. And sometimes, after a particularly long day, they’re perfectly content to simply sit beside us.

I think there’s a lot we can learn from our pets about slowing down and being more present in the moment.

So give your furry friend a little extra love today. They may be taking better care of you than you realize.