According to Wikipedia, pet is an animal kept for companionship and enjoyment or a household animal, as opposed to livestock, laboratory animals, working animals or sport animals, which are kept for economic reasons.
The most popular pets are noted for their loyal or playful characteristics, for their attractive appearance, or for their song. Pets also generally seem to provide their owners with non-trivial health benefits; keeping pets has been shown to help relieve stress to those who like having animals around. There is now a medically-approved class of “therapy animals,” mostly dogs, that are brought to visit confined humans. Walking a dog can provide both the owner and the dog with exercise, fresh air, and social interaction.
So many experts told that having a pet give so positive effect for a caregiver. And, according Wikipedia, some benefits of having a pets :
Health benefits
Pets have the ability to stimulate their caregivers, in particular the elderly, giving people someone to take care of, someone to exercise with, and someone to help them heal from a physically or psychologically troubled past. Having a pet may help people achieve health goals, such as lowered blood pressure, or mental goals, such as decreased stress. There appears to be strong evidence that having a pet can help a person lead a longer, healthier life. In a study of 92 people hospitalized for coronary ailments, within a year 11 of the 29 without pets had died, compared to only 3 of the 52 who had pets. A recent study concluded that owning a pet can reduce the risk of a heart attack by 2% and that pets are better than medication in reducing blood pressure. Dogs which are trained to be guide dogs can help people with disabilities.
Pets in long-term care institutions
Even pet owners residing in a long-term care facility, such as a hospice or nursing home, experience health benefits from pets. Pets for nursing homes are chosen based on the size of the pet, the amount of care that the breed needs, and the population and size of the care institution. Appropriate pets go through a screening process and, if it is a dog, additional training programs to become a therapy dog.
Different pets require varying amounts of attention and care; for example, cats have lower maintenance requirements than dogs.
But before you have a pet, you must know that beside a positive effects, have a pet also have risks. Health risks that are associated with pets include:
1. Aggravation of allergies and asthma caused by dander and fur or feathers
2. Injuries, maulings and sometimes deaths caused by pet bites and attacks
3. Disease and/or parasites due to animal hygiene problems or lack of appropriate treatment (faeces and urine)
4. Stress caused by behavior of animals
5. Fear or distress from animal presence or behavior
So, have a pet. Hope that this site can help you with information taht you need for caring your pet.