4 reasons why you should adopt a dog if you live alone in the city

Dog is a man's best friend. Oops! Women too. Photo Courtesy: Pixabay

It's not easy, you know, living all alone in a city without your family. You presume that it's going to be all fun and games and no restrictions slowing you down. But, sorry fellas. That's not how it works. Yes, sure you enjoy your limitless freedom for a while but then the excitement starts dwindling. You miss your rebel of a sister and your mommy. Moreover, the empty house makes it difficult for you to survive. So, what do you do? Well, you adopt a dog.

Yup, that's the best thing you can do. In fact, there are major benefits of adopting a dog when you live solo. Here are a few:

Dogs Make You Feel Less Lonely

Sure they are cute and you like to pet them all the time. But, that's not it. Dogs really make you feel less miserable and lonely.  According to a study conducted in 1993 at University of British Columbia, Canada, it was found that students who lived away from their families and were dog owners reported significantly less dissatisfaction with their social, physical and emotional states. Moreover, the researchers noted that this lot of students felt significantly less homesick.

Well, it's not hard to imagine why. Dogs are humans' best friend and when you have your best friend living with you, you are bound to feel less lonely.

Dogs Lower Your Stress Level

There's no denying that living alone is pretty stressful. Imagine this: you've had a bad day at work or at college. Plus, you are pretty stressed about your upcoming project deadline. When you come home, you realize that you have to do the laundry and wash the dishes too. Well, it sure is pretty stressful to manage everything when you live alone. Now, adopting a dog will definitely not help take care of your household chores, but it most definitely will help in lowering your stress level.

According to a study published in the journal Animal Smart, playing with or petting your dog can increase levels of the stress-reducing hormone oxytocin and decrease production of the stress hormone cortisol. In fact, it also helps in lowering blood pressure during stressful moments.

Dogs Will Make You Feel Safe

Adopting a dog will be like having your own personal bodyguard. And it's definitely a plus if you live all by yourself. After all, aren't safety and security one of your major concerns? But, when you are a proud dog owner, you don't have to live in fear. For starters, your pet is going to go all bonkers if a stranger tries to enter your apartment. And that's a good thing. The loud barking will alert you and you will be more cautious.

Great no?

You Will Have an Active Lifestyle

Since your mommy doesn't live with you, you end up taking your health for granted. No one lectures you about not exercising enough or walking enough steps and you don't bother making any lifestyle changes on your own. But, when you have a dog--things change. You are left with no choice but to take it out on a walk and make it poop outside your apartment. Thanks to its needs, you end up getting some fresh air and physical exercise. Thank God for that.

So, now that you know what wonders a dog can do, let's address the elephant in the room: who is going to take care of your dog when you are at work or away on business?

Well, you don't have to worry about that because here's what you can do:

How To Take Care of Your Pet When You Are Not at Home

You obviously can't leave your pet at home when you go to work every day. You can leave out some food for your dog to survive on when you are out, but it's not the best thing to do. Instead, you can look up for pet day boarding or pet crèche in your city. The best way to find one is by asking around from trusted sources or looking up on Just Dial. All you need to do is type in your city and all the available options will roll out in front of you.

Another option is to go on Facebook and look for crèche services. However, make sure you go through the reviews before deciding. Similarly, if you are going on a vacation, then you can look up for dog boarding kennels in your town. You can also hire a pet sitter for the duration of your vacation. That will solve the problem for you.

Also read: Living alone? Top 5 apps that you should have on your phone