Battersea Dogs & Cats Home highlight how adopting a dog could improve your own lifestyle.
This New Year, Battersea Dogs & Cats Home is encouraging those who can to adopt a dog, in a bid to improve their own lifestyle while changing a dog’s life at the same time.
Every New Year, millions of people across the world will set themselves resolutions to lead a happier and healthier lifestyle.
Promising to lose weight, get fitter and look after our mental health are all some of the most common goals and rehoming a rescue dog can help tick all those boxes.
Research shows that owning a dog can reduce the risk of heart disease by 23%. The exercise that dog ownership brings can also promote weight loss and lower blood pressure, leading to better physical health.
In addition, dog ownership has proven to be good for our mental health. Dog walking and training classes encourages people to be more sociable, tackling loneliness and isolation.
Just relaxing with your dog increases oxytocin production, which is known as the ‘happy hormone’. Once this is released, it has a calming effect throughout the body, helping people to feel less stressed.
Ali Taylor, Head of canine behaviour at Battersea, says: “So many people will set themselves New Year’s resolutions to lead a healthier lifestyle this year, and what better way to do it than to change the life of a rescue dog at the same time.
“Owning a dog can not only lead to a healthier lifestyle, but a happier one too. All of the dogs here are hoping for a second chance at a happy life, and have so much love to give, we don’t doubt that they could make someone’s 2019 happier.
“We’d encourage anyone who is in the position to adopt a dog to consider getting one from Battersea. There are such a vast variety of dogs here looking for homes. Whether you’re looking to head out on long walks, or just a potter around the corner, we are dedicated to finding the perfect dog for you and the perfect homes for our dogs.”
There are a number of dogs currently in care at Battersea that are patiently waiting for their forever home, including Trev.
Trev is a three-year old Staffordshire Bull Terrier who is an outdoor loving dog and enjoys long walks. Trev needs a committed owner who have had the experience with bull breeds and who are able to continue with his basic training.
Staff at the Brands Hatch branch who are caring for Trev advise that he does struggle to spend time on his own so will need patient and dedicated people who can help him feel more confident in this area. He is friendly with other dogs but does need continued socialisation as he can be quite eager and enthusiastic when greeting and playing.
Rocky is a five-year old Siberian Husky being cared for by staff at the Battersea branch. He is a lively boy, who true to his breed is vocal and likes the sound of his own voice. Rocky enjoys company of his own people and loves to play with toys.
Battersea staff advise that Rocky needs owners that understand his breed and are also confident socialising him with other dogs and continuing on his training.
Casper, an eleven-year old Lurcher is a distinguished dog who is looking for a relaxed home to chill out in and enjoy being spoilt.
He is a placid Lurcher who enjoys the simple pleasures in life such as food, fluffy toys and affection and will capture the hearts of whomever is fortunate enough to rehome him. Casper may be able to live with another dog in his new home, his ideal partner would be a steady, calm female sighthound of a similar size. He would not enjoy the company of smaller dogs or those that are very playful or energetic.
If you’re interested in giving a dog a home this year, please visit www.batterse.org.uk to find out more.
