This week on the blog, we are talking about different things you can do to enact systems that help with your daily wellness. These are processes that you can put in place to help you with your wellness weaknesses. Today, I’m going to talk about how bringing a pet into your life may help put some of these systems in place.

As I’ve discussed before, my biggest struggle in wellness are my work-a-holic tendencies. This affects my wellness by causing me to lose track of my days, my self care (combing my hair, exercising), food consumption, and sleep patterns. I would’ve never thought having a pet would help me with any of these things.

When my mom made the decision to get herself a service dog, I thought nothing of it. Back then my mindset was, “if I wanted to feed another mouth, I would just have a baby, for at least a child would grow up and take care of me.” I didn’t quite understand the concept or the need for a pet. Then, I went with my mom on a two week retreat, by which they taught us how to care for her new service animal, Jennifer. In going through their training, it opened my eyes to how much these little pups can do for you, but also what you could do for yourself by just taking care of the pup.

My mom and Jennifer at their graduation ceremony at America’s Vet Dogs.

Now, assuming you don’t have a service animal who is as diligently trained as Jennifer, a simply trained pet, particularly a dog, can help with all of the following things.

Self awareness: As I said in last weeks video, I struggle with remembering that I have feelings. I tend to get lost in my work and see myself as a robot, both emotionless and bulletproof. One good step on my toe from Jennifer, reminds me that not only can I feel, but there’s others who my emotions, or lack thereof, affect. Dogs are so sensitive to the emotional atmosphere of the humans they are around, so much so that if I’m feeling a bit off, Jennifer knows it.
Good food schedule: I have gotten particularly good about my food schedule lately, in that I practice intermittent fasting; however, the frequency at which I eat during my eating period has gotten way stricter with Jennifer around. For starters, she is recommended to only eat twice a day, 6:45 am and 4:30 pm. As a result of her schedule, I’m reminded about my own. Secondly, every time I whip some food out, this girl is side eyeing me — like she know I don’t need it. This convicts me, especially when I’m struggling to not over- or under-eat my caloric intake for the day.
Good sleep schedule: Especially under this quarantine, I’ve been struggling with getting enough sleep and putting my work away at night. Jennifer is quick to come and nudge me and/or the computer at about 10 pm when she’s ready to go to bed. If we’re still up, she’ll sigh like we’re getting on her nerves.
Good exercise schedule: Dogs need exercise. Some dogs, if not taken out, get antsy and restless. To negate this, a good walk around the block or playing in the house, especially for young dogs, will help. This gets us, as the handlers, active as well.
Self Care: This may be exclusive to our relationship with Jennifer as she’s a service dog, but she gets groomed daily, because she’s most likely going to be seen by others in public who need a good understanding that she’s working. With this, even when we’re just staying in the house, we groom her to keep the shedding down. Remembering to brush her helps us to remember to brush our own heads.

Taking all of these things into account, having a pet is not for everyone. While my mom having Jennifer has enriched her life and my life respectively, I personally will not be acquiring a new addition to my immediate family. I cannot afford a new pet or the time it takes to care for one. Similarly, while Jennifer adds so many benefits to the family’s wellness, I’ve already put other systems in place to ensure that I am accountable for all of those areas of wellness on my own (intermittent fasting, food tracking, bullet journaling to regulate exercise, work, and self care). So, if like me, adding a pet to your family is not a good fit, stay tuned Saturday where we’ll be discussing some other methods to work wellness daily.