Companion animals provide invaluable, life-changing benefits to their caregivers. Their loyalty and unconditional love not only give caregivers a feeling of complete acceptance, but pets can also empower them to lead healthier, active, and energized lifestyles. Healthy pets mean healthy Canadians, and more healthy Canadians means a healthier Canada.
We want every single animal lover to understand the amazing mental and physical health benefits pets provide their caregivers, as well as their impact in crisis situations on the homeless and victims of domestic violence. We’re fighting to keep companion animals and their loved ones together.
The mental health crisis happening in Canada (a staggering 1 in 5 Canadians currently live with mental illness) negatively impacts everyone – our children, partners, friends, neighbours, coworkers. Economically, this crisis costs us over $50 billion per year in health care services, social services, income support, and lost productivity. The numbers of those struggling with mental illness are rising year over year. According to the Mental Health Commission of Canada, an estimated 8.9 million Canadians (or 23% of our population) will be living with mental illness by the year 2041.
For many caregivers living with mental illness, the benefits of companion animals are that they provide a safe space for healing through their consistent unconditional love and enduring friendship. The presence of a companion animal has the proven power to reduce the overwhelming negative emotions that afflict those with mental illness (such as stress, fear, anxiety, depression, and isolation), while providing the body and brain with powerful chemicals that boost positive emotions. For anyone struggling with mental illness, having a loyal friend by your side who accepts you as you are can be lifesaving.
For those living with mental illness the world can seem like a very lonely place. A dog or a cat can be just the listening ear or shoulder to cry on we need to help us work through difficult times. There is nothing else that can combat loneliness quite like coming home to the unbridled enthusiasm of a wagging tail or the more subdued enthusiasm of a meow or a low steady purr.
Pets can be a great social lubricant for their owners, helping you start and maintain new friendships.
Putting yourself out there and meeting new people can be a challenge. Not only are our loyal pets always by our side when we need some extra love, they also help us create meaningful relationships with other people in our communities. Companion animals have a unique way of spurring conversations and connections between people from all walks of life. The line-skipping way that two people can form an instant bond over the common love of animals is one of the hidden perks of having pets. Simple errands such as picking up kibble from the pet store, dropping in on an obedience training lesson, taking an afternoon walk, or meeting up at the dog park are all simple, yet common ways new friendships begin.
Companion animals also provide a stabilizing routine and a sense of normalcy and consistency especially for those living with mental illness. Many pets require a regular feeding and exercise schedule. No matter your mood—depressed, anxious, or stressed—one melancholic look from your pet gets you up out of bed to feed, exercise, and care for them. Having this consistent routine keeps an animal balanced and calm—and amazingly, this helps caregivers feel the same positive effects too!
One of the most difficult habits to maintain is our commitment to a consistent exercise routine. The benefits of getting sufficient exercise for your long-term physical and mental health cannot be stressed enough by medical professionals. Research shows that adequate exercise is essential for reducing the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and early death.
Taking a dog on a walk, hike, or run are a few great ways of sneaking in fun, rewarding daily exercise into caregivers’ routines and busy schedules. Studies have even proven that dog owners have an astounding 57-77% greater chance achieving sufficient physical activity goals and require fewer medical visits to the doctor.
Not only dog owners, but all pet owners, gain proven physiological benefits of companion animals simply from their presence (e.g. stress reduction, decreased blood pressure). The act of simply petting your companion animal has been shown to cause beneficial changes within the body (blood pressure regulation, release of endorphins) that have the ability to melt away all the stresses of your day. Studies show that pet owners may be better protected against heart disease because of the all the amazing health benefits companion animals provide their humans.
Financial instability, housing insecurity, disability, and domestic violence can impact anyone with the full force of their brutality. Individuals going through crisis situations can find themselves feeling alone and isolated, without a friend in the world. This can seriously deteriorate one’s mental and physical wellbeing.
For our community members fighting to survive crisis situations, their animal companion becomes a source of resilience and can often provide impetus to continue taking care of themselves, get help, and find their way back to safety.
While not a widely-known fact, 20% of homeless Canadians are pet owners. If we allow ourselves a narrow-minded view, we might ask ourselves the seemingly obvious questions – why are homeless people even allowed to keep pets in the first place? If they can’t pay for their own basic survival needs, how can they afford to take care of a pet?
Homelessness can happen for a variety of reasons – flood, fire, acute mental health issue, family breakup, job loss and more. With the rising cost of housing and the backlog of those seeking affordable housing (more than 6000 in the London area as of March 2022), homelessness may be an unforeseen outcome.
Pets give people struggling with homelessness a sense of purpose in their lives and remind them that they are important and loved. Their pets provide the unconditional love, loyalty, and sense of protection they need to make it through another difficult day. What’s more, pets have the powerful ability to motivate homeless pet owners to continue fighting for a better life for their companion animal. They remind their humans that they have the power to take care of and provide for another living being. This in turn encourages their human to continue taking care of themselves and never give up on finding permanent housing because their lives matter to their pets.
The sad truth is that most Canadian homeless shelters do not accept pets, meaning that homeless pet owners seeking shelter services must give up their beloved pet. A survey performed among homeless Americans revealed dog owners would rather sleep outside than be separated from their dog.
The unconditional love from a pet is an enormous source of comfort for victims of domestic abuse.
While companion animals can give hope for a better life for their caregivers, the presence of a companion animal poses an enormous barrier for victims fleeing an abusive relationship because most shelters do not accept pets. This forces many victims of domestic violence to make the dangerous and potentially life-threatening decision to delay fleeing their abuser to ensure their pet’s safety.
According to a survey conducted by the University of Windsor, almost 90% of women living at homeless shelters reported that their partner also abused their companion animal. 56% of these women delayed leaving an abusive partner out of fear for their pet’s safety. The staggering truth is that the majority of pet owners in abusive relationships will choose to keep their lives in danger over leaving their beloved pet behind. This is a decision nobody should ever have to make, let alone someone who has already undergone traumatic experiences, violence, and loss of autonomy. Asking someone to leave a beloved pet behind in dangerous circumstances is like asking someone to leave their best friend in a burning building.
The good news is that women’s shelters across Canada are making strides to address this impossible dilemma that women with companion animals face by finding foster homes, temporary pet shelters or making their facilities completely pet friendly.
Most Canadian shelters do not accept pets. While there are certainly legitimate health and safety reasons for shelters to refuse pets, it is also important to note that this presents an insurmountable barrier for individuals trying to access shelter services. Pet owners rarely have access to a temporary secure location or service which cares for their pets while they access shelter services or regain permanent housing.
Pet owners seeking shelter services are forced to choose between their own safety and wellbeing and that of their pets. Many pet owners prioritize staying together with their pet over accessing shelter services.
While helping pet owners find a safe temporary foster-home significantly alleviates the stress and worry of their loved ones being in danger of euthanasia or maltreatment, the ideal solution is to keep caregivers and pets together. It has been proven that for children living in shelters, those who remain united with their companion animals in pet-friendly shelters show improved mental health as opposed to those who were separated.
At PAWS, we believe that pet owners should not have to choose between their own safety and wellbeing and that of their pets.
We are advocating for shelters to offer pet-friendly accommodations for pet owners in crisis. We believe the unique animal-human companionship bond is lifesaving, particularly for vulnerable populations struggling to access stable housing.
We are committed to supporting the wonderful organizations that provide shelter to the homeless and educate them on how they can allow pets to shelter with their owners and continue the beneficial animal/human relationship.
