Healthy Pets, Healthy People

Go hug a puppy. it's good for your health!
Photo courtesy nick chapman, via Creative Commons

So are pets good for your health?

Those of us who choose to have four-footed companions know this to be the case. Procter & Gamble knows it, as well - and they're promoting it, too.

I'd never seen the P&Geveryday page before a few days ago, but it's got an entire section dedicated to pets. And that's always enough to make me want to sit up and investigate!

The articles there discuss how they enrich our lives, provide advice on how to introduce a new pet to the family, and you might even find a recipe or two to help your pet stay cool during the hot summer days: pup pops.

And in case any of you have seen the Facebook tale that's been making the rounds about ice being a dangerous way to cool down overheated dogs, that's been completely debunked, so go ahead and download the P&G recipe. Really. It's okay.

(Here's how the story went: "Dog dies from bloating from eating ice!" Um, no. Actually, it's not ice that did the poor pup in. It's the amount ingested that causes bloating, not its temperature. Doesn't matter if it's liquid or frozen. Myth:busted. You're welcome.)

I have to say, I saw some pretty sweet DIY tips over there as well. I am especially fond of the cat bed made from an old TV console. (Now to get my husband to decide it's his idea to make it, and we're golden...!)

But I have to say I kind of fell a little bit in love with the site when I ran into this article that talked about how clay litter is not such a good idea for you, your pet, or the environment.

If you have followed A Tonk's Tale for any length of time, you might have caught on that I'm not a fan of clay litter, for a variety of reasons (although it does make a great packing material for nuclear waste...)  So we give P&G Four paws WAY up for highlighting that!

Kind of digressing a bit, so back to the first question in today's post: are pets good for our health? I'll let you hop on over and read their take on it for yourself. The article's nice and brief, but it hits on more than just physical health, which I like. Especially because it highlights how pets can positively influence children's attitudes and behaviors.

Photo courtesy Jan Giesen, via Creative Commons

I'm partial to that line of thought, in no small part because of the amazing program designed by our shelter, Wayside Waifs. Our "No More Bullies!" is taught to grade-school age kids and it uses shelter dogs to teach the core character traits of Responsibility, Compassion, Self-Control and Integrity.

So, go hug a puppy or snuggle a kitty. What are you waiting for? An invitation?

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Snuggles, cheap! (You can pay me in Bonito flakes. Just don't tell Mommy.)

P.S. While you're over on the P&G site, you might even find a recipe or two for human treats. Rumor has it our human might have swooned a tiny bit when she saw the words "chocolate lava cake recipe" on their Facebook page. Sadly, we cannot confirm or deny that at this time....

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