A recent study has shown that Americans spend billions of dollars a year on their pets alone! In Burkhard Bilger’s non-fiction article “The Last Meow” published in The New Yorker in 2003, Bilger discusses a story of a pet owner who reaches extremes to save their cat. The article discusses the trials and tribulations that American pet lovers go through to save their pets. Shwan Levering and his wife Karen Levering is a low class couple who decides to spend $15,000 on a kidney transplant for their cat named Lady. Some may claim spending this type of money is bright eyed for their health but it is doing the complete opposite for them, especially if they are not financially stable.
Studies show that pets can help people reduce tension and improve moods of a pet owner, particularly for people with mild to moderate depression. In the Bilger’s article, a group of brokers falsely claim their clients had lost $6,000 and states “Everyone’s blood pressure rose, but for those with pets, it rose half as much” (par 22). This quote is significant because it shows why some people are obsessed with t...
For the mass population of pet owners, pets are considered a treasure, so the conversation of how much is to be spend on them is a hot debut. I do agree with Burkhart Bilger's Argument that, “Our love affair with pets our pets has gotten out of control.” but I contend with the ideal that it is a widespread problem. I still insist that owners should show attention and love to their pet but so without the overspending in regards to your income. This topic is brought up in Bilgers’ article “The Last Meow” where he uses different facts, examples, and stories that back up my position.
Have you ever wondered how much it costs to have and maintain a pet? Burkhard Bilger, the author of “The Last Meow”, explains how Americans spend a lot of money on their pets and that people's “love affair” with their pets has gotten out of control. An observation I have made is that in many movies dogs are treated very well. When I was younger, I watched a movie called Bratz and one character would always have her dog inside a dog purse and they would even get manicures and pedicures together. The dog always had shiny clothes on and it was always very clean. Therefore, I agree with Bilger's argument that Americans “love affair” with their pets has gotten out of control.
There is probably nothing more for pet lovers than taking their quadruped to work with them. The latest researches have proven that taking pets to workplace has resulted in lot happier and less stressed environment in the job. Scientists found that people who take their dogs to work reported lower stress throughout the day than employees without dogs or those who had dogs but didn’t take them to work (International Journal of Workplace Health Management). Many previous studies have linked the presence of pets with less stress and better health. For example, in hospitals and nursing homes, animals have contributed to faster recovery from surgery, controlling blood pressure and depression levels of patients.
Several studies have examined the effects of dog ownership on people's physical and mental health. Dog ownership produces considerable health benefit and provides social support that encourages dog owners to walk (Cutt et al.2007 ). Pet owners appear to have lower systolic blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels(Anderson et al 1992). Pet owners with serious mental illness living in the community demonstrate higher social community integration(Zimalog and Krupa 2009). Socially excluded participants who performed in the presence of a dog report higher mental well-being compared with socially excluded participants who did not work in the presence of a dog (Nilüfer et al 2012). Although there is evidence suggesting that dog ownership can improve people's physical and mental health, there is little research documenting the psychological and behavioral effects of dog-assisted therapy, especially on elderly patients with dementia, who have dif...
Would you like to live a happy and productive life? Then get pets! I must admit it is hard to believe that domesticated animals can promote mental and physical health, but many studies have shown that they can. On the other hand, you must find a pet that is compatible with you or with your life style. Maintaining good mental health is crucial for living a "normal" life.
Most people are familiar with service dogs and have seen them in action. Animal-assisted therapy is similar service animals in that an animal-human healing partnership is being created. However, the difference is that therapy pets are typically used to treat a mental disability whereas people with physical disabilities use service dogs to help them in many ways. Therapy animals are used in a wide variety of places, such as, hospitals, prisons, nursing homes, therapy sessions, mental healthcare facilities, and even in people’s homes. These amazing animals are used on a wide variety of different disorders, but they are utilized mostly by people suffering from depression, anxiety, and PTSD. For people with these mental health disorders, everything in live can be difficult and challenging, however with the help of animal-assisted therapy, their mood, motivation, and life can dramatically improve. Anyone who hears about these brave, loving animals soon falls in love with them. From a medical standpoint, there have been many successful studies and the support for animal-assisted therapy still continues to grow in doctors and therapists across the nation.
Seigel, J. M. "Stressful Life Events and use of Physician Services Among the Elderly: The Moderating Role of Pet Ownership." Journal of Personality & Social Psychology 58 (1990): 108-86.
The love that we have for our pets in today's society has turned into a nationwide spending frenzy. The last meow is a short story written by Burkhard Bilger, The last meow follows a man named Shawn Levering and the conflicts he goes through while trying to save his cat’s life. Shawn Levering faces a difficult situation on deciding whether or not he's willing to pay the 15,000 dollar price tag for the surgery. This situation leaves readers thinking about how far they are willing to go to save their pet's life.The love for our pets has gotten out of control because in today’s society we are treating animals better than some humans are treated. Pet owners are out spending money on unnecessary luxury items for animals while there is people who
There can be no doubt that shelters in the United States are overcrowded, feral cats roam our city streets, thousands of dogs live in grotesque conditions in puppy mills across the country, and yet most American citizens when polled will readily declare that their cat or dog is like ‘a member of the family’. The state of companion animals in this country is precarious at best; caught between scientists who subscribe to Descartes’s idea of ‘anima ex machina’ (unfeeling, a living example of biological processes without the status of ‘being’) and the more common phenomenon of people who pamper their pets in ways that most people would envy. For most individuals living in an urban society such as ours, the most common interaction with animals happens within the home – if the animals that we relate to and interact with the most continue to be abandoned and mistreated on a large scale, there must be some solution that involves more than just building more animal shelters or performing euthanasia more liberally.
Clearly, our love affair with our pets has gotten out of control. According to Bilger, the author of ‘The Last Meow’ Americans spend 19 billion dollars a year on veterinary care. Bilger thinks that number is outrageous and I am with him on that. As Americans we should all make the choice to stop spending so much on our pets at the vet.
Countless lives locked away in cages and forgotten about have overwhelmed our society, it has left blood stains on our history as a species and if history has taught us anything, it’s that we have a choice to change our ways of adjusting to situations. A war which was fought in pursuit of ending such criminal means, yet we as human beings do little to nothing to end the horrific crimes of animal deaths in shelters. It is no secret that this world has become infused with problems that have extended from one side of the globe to the other. Amongst these problems lies a terrible truth: nearly every year, sums of almost eight million cats and dogs have been placed in shelters around the world. Out of these vast numbers, half will be euthanized; that equals to one animal being put down every 8 seconds. Animals that are not adopted are kept in shelters until they find a home. Most of these shelters do not have enough space or resources to care for the animal. Only 15% of dogs and 2% of cats that enter animal shelters are reunited with their owners. The majority of pets are obtained from acquaintances and family members. Twenty-six percent of dogs are purchased from breeders, 20 to 30 percent of cats and dogs are adopted from shelters and rescues, and 2 to 10 percent are purchased from pet shops. In addition, only 56% of dogs and 71% of cats that enter animal shelters are euthanized. The 10% of the animals received by shelters have been spayed or neutered, while 78 percent of dogs and 88 percent of cats are not spayed or neutered, in 2009 Statistics from animal shelters in 55 counties in WV (West Virginia) shows that nearly 54% of all animals entering shelters are euthanized, The euthanasia rates ranged from the lowest at 5% to the highe...
The bond between humans and animals is an integral part of Animal-Assisted Therapy. Psychological benefits of AAT includes decreases in anxiety, isolation, and fear of procedures in hospitals. Pet ownership alone significantly decreases the risk of cardiovascular disease, morbidity, and mortality one year post-heart attack. In a study, there was significant changes in the psychological state of a group of patients visited by volunteers with dogs versus volunteers
"Pet Overpopulation : The Humane Society of the United States." RSS. The Humane Society of
For many humans, a pet provides unconditional love and affection. Others feel an overwhelming calming, happy feeling when they are around animals. According to The American Veterinary Medical Association, studies have shown that due to these positive emotions that are stirred, the presence of and interaction with animals can lower heart rates and blood pressure. Animals that meet specific training criteria can become an integral part of a treatment process for a variety of psychological and physiological problems.
“A dog is a man’s best friend” goes much deeper than the phrase might initially imply. Recently many medical journals have begun to identify with the many and varied benefits of pet ownership. Men have always relied upon animals for work, transportation, and survival. As times have changed, man has begun to appreciate a different bond with animals. Gone are the days of animals running free outside around the homestead, for now animals are allowed inside and are considered by many to be an integral part of our daily lives! Medical studies have found that animals have a much greater intelligence level than originally thought. Through proper training and experience, animals are not only household pets, but also are becoming an accepted form of medical treatment.