Do Dogs make us Happier?

Hello lovely people I hope that you are all doing well and enjoying your weekend, despite the UK deciding that it isn't going to have a summer this year and instead is just going to rain non-stop. I have officially finished exams and now I am back home working at my mums surgery for 2 weeks before starting my placements for 6 weeks. I can't wait to take you along on the journey of my placements and update you each week on things I have learnt and want to share with you.

So today I was scrolling through Flipboard which is a wonderful app that allows you to see all the newspaper and magazine articles that are on topics you're interested in, in one place. Not sure if that made any sense but I basically told it that I like stuff about Animals, Fitness, DNA, Veterinary, Health, Biochem and a few other things relating to veterinary and my interests. I found a few articles this morning which sparked my interest, they are on topics very similar to my EPQ so if you would like to read that then I have a blog post with a link to it for you all to read. The two articles I saw which interested me were; one about a prison programme that gives rescue dogs to prisoners and they train them and two can dogs improve owners health and well-being? both of these articles I will try to link at the bottom of the page if you would like to read the full thing.

Research has shown that many people say that their dog is their closest friend, 47% of the 1,000 people questioned. Research also found that ¾ of pet owners said that their dog improved with well-being and 83% said that their dogs improved their general health.

Sian Murthy, a dog trainer from wales adopted her first dog at 15 years old, she said that this dog Storm helped with her confidence which caused an issue when growing up, he allowed her to make new friends and go on many adventures. I think that this is an amazing story and I believe that dogs can truly turns peoples lives around, they help people get out the house and socialise with other dog owners on walks. With general health they reduce the risk of heart disease and less chance of obesity, this is because going on walks helps and also it’s been shown that stroking a dog has a calming affect by changing hormone levels in our bodies, if you would like to read more about this then please go and read my EPQ and enjoy. Sian went on to say that even though Storm gave her companionship but he also needed a companion, in comes Molly who actually went blind and that was when Storm became her guardian and helped to calm Molly and reassure her.  

Melanie Sainsbury says dogs proven to improve mental well-being, I am so glad that more things are being written about this because I truly believe that in the future dogs can be used more in the NHS to help with the mental health issues and obesity issues within the UK.

Onto the second article which was about the dog rehabilitation programme in the Iowa prison.

This programme gives a dog a second chance, it’s called Fully Rescue Educational Development (FRED) Programme. The inmates on the programme are paired with a dog from a nearby shelter, they stay with the handler for 8 weeks in the correctional facility. Over this time they work to correct problem behaviours that allow the dogs to be more adoptable. The dogs and handlers meet once a week to go over any training tips and to ask for advice. In order to be able to become a handler the inmates have to show 4 months of positive behaviour. The inmates go through the programme many times, one inmate called Darren has been through 14 dogs, and the staff at the facility have said that the programme brings a human touch back to the prison and makes the environment happier. Since the start of this in May 2017 there have been 87 dogs and 94 inmates involved, all but 10 dogs have been adopted. When going through the programme the dogs share rooms with the handler, there are 20 secondary handlers and once they have shown positive improvements with the dogs then they can become primary handlers which are paid $100 a month to train the dogs. Inmates have said that it helps them to see the positives day to day in their long sentences and the dogs act as emotional supports. A veteran said that the dog was a companion and helped battle depression and alleviate PTSD. They have said that “ knowing that I’m going this and giving an obedient dog back to society is amazing”, each dog leaves with a leather collar with their name on designed by the inmate, which I think is such a nice touch. The shelter pays for the food and the vet bills which is great.

I think that these programmes are so amazing and that they should be used in more prisons because they really give these prisoners a life long skill and a real fulfilment, the magnitude of how much these dogs can change peoples lives is amazing, I am currently going through the process of adopting 2 dogs and it is such a rewarding feeling to be giving a dog a second chance.

I hope you have enjoyed reading this and the two articles I will link below, remember to smile this week and count your blessings