{"id":16720,"date":"2018-10-15T13:43:00","date_gmt":"2018-10-15T13:43:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/homeimprovementblogs.com\/hg-blog\/?guid=3e7d397f4cfae22bbe899f065c4be7dd"},"modified":"2018-11-20T00:05:06","modified_gmt":"2018-11-20T00:05:06","slug":"top-9-reasons-to-adopt-a-dog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homeimprovementblogs.com\/hg-blog\/top-9-reasons-to-adopt-a-dog\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 9 reasons to adopt a dog"},"content":{"rendered":"

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(BPT) – If you’re thinking of adding a four-legged friend to your family, adopting is a great way to go. Whether you find a purebreed or a mutt, an older dog or a puppy, you will be saving a life while adding immeasurably to your own.<\/p>\n

Here are some more reasons to consider adoption:<\/p>\n

Dogs know.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Anyone who has ever adopted a dog will tell you that they feel like rescues know you are saving them from a life in a shelter (or worse). The gratitude in their eyes when you bring them home will melt your heart.<\/p>\n

You’re helping more than one animal.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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According to the ASPCA&reg;<\/sup>, shelters take in approximately 6.5 million companion animals every year. The fees you pay for your new best friend go toward helping other animals find their loving homes, too.<\/p>\n

Great selfies.<\/strong> Everyone loves posting pet pics on social media, and this month, Haggar Clothing Co<\/a><\/u>. is giving you another reason to do just that. For every pet post between Oct. 15 and 21, 2018, using the hashtag #HaggarHelps, the company will donate $5 to the ASPCA, up to $10,000. They’re also donating an additional $50,000 and are accepting still more donations at all Haggar Outlet stores. That’s a lot of lives they’re saving.<\/p>\n

It’s heart healthy.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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And not just because you’ll love your new dog. The act of petting a dog helps to lower your heart rate and blood pressure, giving you a lower risk of coronary artery disease. You’ll get more exercise, too.<\/p>\n

Many shelter dogs are already house trained.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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If you pick an adult dog, they’ll often already know how to behave. Odds are, you won’t have to go through the puppy phase of them chewing everything in sight, either.<\/p>\n

You’ll be happier.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Dog owners are less likely to suffer from depression than people who don’t have a pet. The routine involved with caring for a dog – feeding them, making sure they have water, walking them – can help people who suffer from depression get up and get moving with a sense of purpose. The mere act of looking at your pet increases oxytocin in your brain, making you feel good. Having a companion in your household makes it less lonely, too.<\/p>\n

Your children may be healthier.<\/strong> The presence of pet dander in your household will make your children less likely to develop allergies, asthma and even obesity later in life. According to a 2017 study published in the medical journal Microbiome, those benefits can even start when children are in the womb.<\/p>\n

They’ll likely be more empathetic, too.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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A 2017 study looked at 7- to 10-year-olds and found that dog attachment promotes well-being, positive attitudes toward animals and empathy in children. Having a dog can even help kids regulate their emotions because dogs can trigger and respond to child attitudes and behavior.<\/p>\n

You’ll experience unconditional love.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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There’s nothing like coming home after a long day (or even a trip to the store) and getting the excited, overjoyed greeting that only your dog can give you.<\/p>\n

For more information about Haggar Clothing Co.’s program to celebrate National Adopt a Shelter Dog Month, visit http:\/\/www.haggar.com\/haggaraspca<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(BPT) – If you’re thinking of adding a four-legged friend to your family, adopting is a great way to go. Whether you find a purebreed or a mutt, an older dog or a puppy, you will be saving a life while adding immeasurably to your own.Here are some more…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":114,"featured_media":16724,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[718],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16720","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pets","has_thumb"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/homeimprovementblogs.com\/hg-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16720","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/homeimprovementblogs.com\/hg-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/homeimprovementblogs.com\/hg-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homeimprovementblogs.com\/hg-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/114"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homeimprovementblogs.com\/hg-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16720"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/homeimprovementblogs.com\/hg-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16720\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homeimprovementblogs.com\/hg-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16724"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/homeimprovementblogs.com\/hg-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16720"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homeimprovementblogs.com\/hg-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16720"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homeimprovementblogs.com\/hg-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16720"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}