Stacie Voss: Hello, it's so nice to be here. This is Stacie Voss. I am the Animal Welfare Director at the Farmington Regional Animal Shelter in Farmington, New Mexico. I'm super excited to be here to talk about pets and the healing power of pets.

I would like to say pets have been a part of my life, or animals have been a part of my life, since before I can remember. My grandparents had a farm, which we regularly visited and had piglets and dogs and cats and cows. And I was just always so fascinated with them all. And then growing up, eventually, we did have pets. We always had a cat growing up, which is a great experience. So, somehow in there, I got obsessed with animals, and I'd like to credit a lot to my grandparents for having that farm and teaching me the love of animals and teaching me how to care for the animals as well.

And after that, I went to school for Wildlife Ecology, which is kind of a strange thing to go into. But shortly after I graduated, I ended up in an animal shelter and decided never to leave. I figured it was home. But pets can create such a wonderful companionship for people. And the best thing about pets and the things that bring animals together really is that animals don't judge, and especially pets don't judge. They don't care what you look like. They don't care what religion you are. They don't care how much money you have. They really unconditional love and bond with people, which can be invaluable to a lot of people. That's one of our core values here at the animal shelter for our staff that work here.

We have to understand that animals do bring people together of all walks of life and to appreciate those differences and appreciate those different perspectives for people. But pets can do great things like decrease stress. They increase your physical activity. They can fight depression. They can improve your blood pressure and they can boost your immune system.

In researching for this podcast, I actually found a couple of studies that linked more of a sense of responsibility to having and owning pets and taking care of them. A lot of times when you have something to care for, it will decrease your stress level and increase your self-worth and it also reduces cortisol levels, which is a stress hormone that we all have to deal with.

 There was one study that actually showed taking care of goldfish for teenagers with diabetes was helpful in their treatment. They were given fish to take care of and they had to feed them twice a day and check their water levels and then also clean their tank once a week. And they did a study with a control group that didn't have fish and then the other group that did have the fish, and they actually found that the group that was taking care of the fish on a regular schedule were more disciplined in checking their own blood glucose levels and reporting that. So, there was a very strong correlation between taking care of something else and taking care of themselves, which I found fascinating.

Pets can also work a lot with children and help with social interactions. They have found a lot of times children on the autism spectrum will actually respond better to animals than they will people. And there's been reading programs where some children with learning disabilities are reading out loud to pets and they've increased their ability to read and understand that comprehension. So really, animals are that judgment-free zone that I think that we can all appreciate.

And being from the animal shelter, in my opinion, it's best to adopt, of course. You truly are saving a life and creating almost a stronger bond with those animals that you're adopting from an animal shelter. There's a lot of misconceptions about pets in shelters that they're somehow damaged or broken or unhealthy. And that's just not the case. They're the same pets that you see everywhere else, they just happen to be homeless and in need of a new home, and they're congregated in an animal shelter. So, they're really not broken. They're just the same animals that you see everywhere else. We have puppies, we have kittens, we have cats, we have dogs. We also have a few small critters on occasion that are always available for adoption. So, that's one thing that is passionate for myself, is choosing an animal to adopt rather than purchasing from a breeder or something similar.

Right now, we have an extreme overpopulation problem in this area in particular of both dogs and cats. So, A, if you can't go to an animal shelter for some reason, you know, always make sure that you're spaying and neutering your pets. That's better for their health and wellness. But if you can, choose to adopt instead and save a life and make more room in the animal shelter for those incoming animals that still need a lot of help.

 I know, for me, the sense of companionship that I've had with my animals is I have moved to several towns without knowing anybody and my pets have actually allowed me to create friendships and create that social interaction. Ever since I graduated from college, I have had a dog. I always joked that the first thing I was going to do when I graduated from college was get a dog and that ended up being the case, but it was hard. Being kind of unstable and not having a complete home yet, but my dog moved everywhere with me. I think I moved five times with her before we landed a more permanent spot. But she was always with me. It can cost a little bit more to rent and move around with a pet, but it's totally worth it. Taking her out in the neighborhood to go on walks, I would meet my neighbors, I would see friends, and just really create those social interactions around our pets. It's amazing how many people in my life I've actually met because of my animals and because of my dogs. it's just almost insane to think about how many people I have connected with because of my animals. But they have been, again, my constant companion. If you live by yourself, having that companion to be there to help care for and just sometimes, yes, even speak to can be just a huge reason to keep going sometimes.

It's stressful, life is hard. And having that pet there that's happy to see you when you get home is priceless. It's somebody to take care of. And it starves off loneliness. Loneliness is a big problem now in our society, now with everybody connects online and not so much in person, but having that physical connection of having a pet with you can be invaluable. Again, dealing with depression, a lot of times having that companion with you is one of the only reasons to keep going. I know there are several people that they said they wouldn't be here if it weren't for their pet. And I believe that connection and that is true and something that needs to be honored. That human animal connection and bond is something to be honored and cherished for a lot of people.

Again, another thing, that really helps that physical activity. My dogs have always loved routine. So when I'd start walking them in the evening or start walking them in the morning, they really became to expect that every day. And it's kept me moving and going. And I did my own weight loss journey where my animals definitely helped me lose weight by keeping me active and having me take them on walks, and almost demanding walks, I would say, on a daily basis. So, that could be a big thing, too. We have a dog walking program here at the shelter where you can come basically check out a dog during our open hours and then walk it along the river trails for a half hour or so and then come back and put the dog back. We've had people that regularly come on dog walks and they've lost a ton of weight and become more active and become more healthy because they're choosing to come and walk dogs. Even if you don't have your own dog, you can definitely come to the shelter and walk dogs and just enjoy the river walk. Enjoy being in nature and enjoy that physical activity. All of that is great for helping improve your health and really helping you deal with stress and boosting your immune system.

If you are looking to improve your health, or create that animal human bond and connection, I can't encourage you enough to consider adoption. We have wonderful local shelters, even if you can't find the pet at my particular shelter, there are other shelters and rescues in the area that you can go to. There's endless variety of pets available for adoption. You know, our main focus is on dogs and cats, but we do have critters available as well. But at any given time, we're likely to have a hundred or more animals available for adoption that just are looking for a home and to make that connection and be taken care of.

A lot of times, those adoption animals need a little bit of time to adjust. But once they do, it's just a matter of creating that connection and what would life be like without your pet? So, always consider adoption if you can. And just reminder that animals really truly have a healing power, can improve your health, and improve your well-being.

I appreciate you so much for listening, and I can't thank you enough for having me here. And to everybody out there, just enjoy your day, and go love on your pets.