Owning a dog is one of life’s greatest joys, but is there too much red tape involved? Lauren McKellar speaks to Dr Chris Brown to find out more.
A life without pets is barely a life at all. Whether you own a fabulous feline, a super-cool canine, or a something in between, we love our companion animals and consider them an important part of our everyday life. They come inside with us, often leave the house with us, and occasionally even annoy us (just like real family members do!). But we wouldn’t be without them, and the love we have for our pets is unconditional.
In fact, owning a pet has a whole host of benefits. As well as the mutual affection between owner and dog, it has been proven that owning a pet can reduce your stress levels, increase your physical fitness (you might not feel like a “walk” today, but one look into Fido’s eyes and you just can’t say no!), and help you to meet new people. There really are a lot of reasons why pet ownership is good for the soul.
“Sometimes, as hard-working people, we focus too much on work and money, but pets are pretty easily pleased. A walk and a bit of love each day and they’re very content. We could learn a lot from them says,” Dr Chris Brown.
With this in mind, it’s confusing as to why Australia’s pet ownership is in decline. “I think that generally pet ownership isn’t as easy, and is probably not as carefree, as it used to be,” suggests Dr Chris. “For example, there are entire suburbs that simply ban cat ownership. My worry is that without someone speaking up, we might just regulate them out of our lives.”
For more information on the campaign, visit petpositives.com.au.
The original article was published in PETS issue 62. Click here to subscribe to our magazine.
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