How Having A Lovely Dog Can Improve Your Mental Health
Luna was not on the cards for our family…
Charlie wasn’t sure about any furry animals for a long time
Andy and I never had any pets while growing up, but we wanted Charlie, our child, to grow up with a puppy. Fortunately, two years ago, I had to go on a work trip and was away for a week. During my absence, a mom friend helped with school runs and her Old English Bulldog, Bernie, was still a puppy at that time. Charlie had to deal with the presence of the dog every day. After a few days, we noticed that Charlie's fear of dogs started to improve.
By the time summer came around, Charlie had gained enough courage to pet dogs when we visited Hungary.
So decision made
‘Let’s get a puppy!’
With his cousin, Dorina in this lovely photo
The choice of breed was my decision and very easy to make.
As an adult, I've had a few pups but they were all rescues, so I didn't have a chance to choose the breed. However, when I was a kid, we had a female German Shepherd in my family and she was just amazing! She was well-behaved, very quiet, and had a serious yet loving personality. She was the kind of dog you could rely on to look after you.
Even though I had a personal preference for German Shepherds, I also did some research on different breeds. I found out that every responsible GSD owner warns you about the shedding and exercise requirements that come with owning a German Shepherd. But for me, the advantages outweighed the disadvantages. German Shepherds are clever, loyal, easy to train, and super cool animals. I mean, just think about the movies - they always have GSDs as guard dogs, army dogs, or best friends.
One of my recent favorite movies with a GSD in it is the film about Megan Leavey, played by Kate Mara. It's based on a true story, and it's just heartwarming to see the bond between a soldier and her loyal GSD.
We first saw our German Shepherd puppy at only 2 weeks old when Andy chose her from a litter of 7-8. Our only specifications were a preference for a short-haired female.
"We were finally allowed to visit our Alsatian puppy again when she turned four weeks old. Holding her for the first time was an unforgettable experience. We also got to interact with the other puppies from the same litter, which was equally magical. My son Charlie was ecstatic and exclaimed, 'It felt like puppy heaven, Mummy!'"
The excitement in our household was incredible. We had to wait four more weeks before bringing our new puppy home, but we were thrilled to start preparing for her arrival.
Charlie is trying out the crate here
The last time we visited, we were expecting to see a puppy, but it had been a few weeks since we last saw Luna and she had grown significantly since then.
When we saw her, we were in shock!
She was a 10kg almost full-grown dog, compared to other smaller breeds, of course.
Nevertheless, it was a fantastic day - cheered us up in the middle of winter just in time for Christmas!
And little did we know then that the pandemic was just round the corner…
Luna is now a full-grown German Shepherd and has turned 4 years old. But things were not always easy since she moved in with us. She had to go through the usual puppy learning curve, and it took a lot of energy and hard work from us to cope. She used to follow us everywhere and even bite our ankles, including Charlie's. For at least a week, Charlie was hiding from her because he feared scratches and bites.
At times, I thought that getting Luna was a mistake. Even walking down the street with her was - and still can be - a challenge. A year ago, it was the pulling, and now it's the street cats. She can literally pull me through the pavement just running after a cat. Whenever I take her out, I have to be always on guard to avoid accidents.
The German Shepherd breed offers numerous mental health benefits for families.
Charlie
Having a pet for Charlie is a blessing, especially since he doesn't have any siblings at home. The pet is not only a friend to play with but also a sister to look after. She is a furry, loving pet that cuddles, kisses, licks Charlie, and runs after him wherever he goes.
Since my child was born, getting Luna has been one of the best decisions I made for his mental health.
Charlie is a gentle and introspective individual who possesses a sensitive and affectionate nature. He expresses his love and warmth towards Luna in the most effortless manner. This is probably because Luna is not Mum or Dad, and therefore does not impose any strict expectations or rules on him. Luna is a loving and playful companion who can easily lift Charlie's spirits when he is feeling down.
Andy
Improved Andy's SAD. SAD is a type of depression that typically occurs each year during autumn and winter. Since we have Luna, we are going for long walks in the forest nearby at the weekends together. It seemed that Andy had less symptoms during winter and sleeps better because of the walks. Andy works long hours, and he is dealing with customers while running his own business. On top of that he has operational responsibilities: he takes care of the tricky car fixes & diagnostics. Although he runs around all day, this happens in a stressful, high pressure environment - so the weekend walks together as a family & being outside in the fresh air are a fantastic way to re-charge and de-stress for him.
Mum
Having Luna around has been a great help for me in coping with my anxiety and improving my sleep. She encourages me to take breaks during work, which is essential as I sit down all day and need to get away from the pressure and stress that my job can sometimes cause. This has become even more important during the pandemic, as I have had to work from home mostly alone. However, taking care of Luna has been a significant distraction for me in the past 4 years, as she needs walking, feeding, training, and regular vet visits.
Having Luna has also had some unexpected benefits. Going for walks regularly has allowed me to meet new people, including neighbors with dogs, German Shepherd owners in the park, Luna's real-life cousin, and his owners. Chewy and his family are our newest friends, and we are grateful for Luna for bringing us together.
I recently met the owner while out walking my dog Luna, and we quickly became dog walking buddies. It turned out that Luna and Chewy are from the same breeder - their mothers are sisters. We started meeting regularly so that the cousins could see each other. They hit it off immediately and formed a strong bond. They enjoy running together, playfighting, and jumping in the water. It's a lot of fun to watch them!
It wasn't always easy to take care of my dog from a young age. Housetraining her and walking her was hard work, especially because German Shepherds are very strong and stubborn and tend to pull on the lead until trained properly. Once, I had a mini panic attack while out on a walk with her because things got too overwhelming. I didn't expect the hard physical work required to bring her up from such a young age. I also worried a lot about doing things right and not raising her to be an aggressive or difficult dog. I put a lot of pressure on myself, which wasn't necessary, but I didn't know better at the time.
I will cover ‘Do’s and ‘Don't’s with a German Shepherd in a future blog post soon – stay tuned
To sum it up
How Having a Lovely Dog Can Improve Your Mental Health
Increase your physical activity by walking the dog regularly
It helps to bring out your affectionate side
It is a distraction from stressful activities such as your job
A dog is a loving companion during stressful times
Playing/training your dog releases stress helps improve your mood
Helps to meet new likeminded / dog-loving people
These are only a handful of reasons why you should get a pet, a loving German Shepherd.
Of course, the type of breed - or species even – doesn’t matter. It could be any dog, cat, fish, or guinea pig…. as long as brings you happiness.
Just remember having a pet is very beneficial for your mental well-being.