The unconditional love that we receive from our pets is unmatched. A companion for life that you can rely on for comfort and smiles. Studies have found that animals can reduce loneliness, increase feelings of social support, and boost your mood.( The NIH/Mars Partnership).
The pet owners of FLHS agree that their pets positively impact their lives in countless aspects. Whether it’s a condition like having anxiety, or simply just kids lacking motivation to excel in school, there is no doubt that these fuzzy friends strongly impact our lives.
The school environment can be very stress inducing, and people tend to get overwhelmed very easily, but one thing that never fails to bring a smile to our faces is our pets.
“I’ll be at home feeling so overwhelmed and then my cat will come nearby or my dog, who is very clingy. He would come and sit next to me and let me pet him”, FLHS junior, Yussra Ebardi said. “It always brought me this comfort because I knew that I could give this animal unconditional love and this animal would give me back love”.
Our pets teach us endless lessons throughout our lives including responsibility and time management skills.
“I think spending time with her really helps push everything aside and put into spec, into perspective and see what’s really important,” teacher at FLHS, Dana Grskovic said.
Additionally, pets teach students valuable life lessons including compassion, and respect.
“ It helped me learn my boundaries,” junior, Yussra Ebardi said. “Because for cats you have to respect them. You can’t just pick them up or just pet them wherever ’cause they’re gonna scratch you. So I learned boundaries and how to respect my animal.”
According to The American Heart Association’s Healthy Bond for Life, about 95% of pet parents rely on their pet for stress relief, and a shocking 7 in 10 (69%) pet parents say they take better care of their pet than themselves.
“She kind of helps me drift away from the stress,” junior Layla Fordee says. “and she helps me be more energetic, be more happy, and generally be more positive about things in my life.”
Additionally, pet owners have made them part of their own routine as an essential part of their day as they care for them.
“I always like to start the morning with them,” Ms Whitney said. “And because you’re focused on them so your mind doesn’t race the same. And I like to end the day with them too, because for the same reasons really, it keeps you present and in a state of gratitude for them.”
She also commented more on a positive aspect of having her pet and how things have changed for her.
“I want to say my life has changed drastically because they make my house just so much more energetic and lively.”
Aswell, it helps not only their owner, but also the whole family overall, as it makes everyone more appreciative.
As said by FLHS Junior, Thea Boumakis, “Just his presence, like knowing that he’s there is very comforting and nice to know because he’s like the cutest thing ever and he loves me a lot. And not only myself, but my family. He makes my family happy and if my family’s happy, then I’m happy.”
Ms Grskovic also shares her own personal story about her experiences with having her pet.
“It definitely taught me responsibility when I was young. I got her when I was 20 and we had to have apartments back then because I went to St. John’s and they didn’t guarantee housing. and it’s definitely something unique about pets where I feel like they love you unconditionally and it really puts things into perspective to constantly see their reaction to us”
Students face an array of mental health issues that may not always be recognized, and it’s extremely helpful for them to have this emotional support from their pets. A 2019 study in BMC Psychiatry proved that 40% of pet owners who experienced long-term mental health issues voiced that having a pet provided them with a “strong sense of identity, self-worth and existential meaning”.
Momina Randhawa, a FLHS junior, describes her opinion and the importance of mental health and how having her kitten has impacted her.
“I feel as though she’s had such a positive and immense impact on my mental health. A lot of people who do struggle with depression tend to struggle with consistency and struggle to get up in the morning and just struggle to maintain relationships in their life.” She adds, “I really feel as though she has built a solid structure in my life”
School life may be hard, stressful and busy but with our furry friends by our side, it helps create a sense of community, happiness and most importantly, family.
