Neddies and Doggies

IF DOGS DON’T GO TO HEAVEN, THEN I WANT TO GO WHERE THEY GO.

I don’t know who wrote that, but I sure do know what he/she means.

Our Website Is Devoted To All Animals, Great And Small With An Emphasis On Our Equine And Canine Companions That Are A Large Part Of Our Lives.

Are We Dependent On Our Pets?

The question of whether pets are good for you or not is an eternal debate that has raged for many years. The obvious benefits of animals and pets are very easy to see. Even in ancient times, man would gather dogs and domesticate them to protect families from wild animals and provide an early warning against predators. Dogs were originally domesticated to assist in hunting, but as time went by they became more of a domesticated animal serving mainly the purpose of company and friendship for mankind. In this role, dogs served mankind as defender, friend and companion throughout the years.

Cats were utilized at many points throughout history in the attempt to rid cities of the world of rats and other rodent infestations. This impact on mankind by animals was slowly but surely becoming a symbiotic type relationship, where the pets would serve a function that was useful to the owner. Dogs served as guardians, cats served as pest control, horses for transportation and other animals also served their purpose.

This evolution of our pets leads to the question of how good for your health is it to actually keep pets?

Doctors have speculated for years that pets keep their owners in high spirits simply by virtue of being there. In fact pets, mainly dogs are often taken into hospitals and retirement homes because of the uplifting stimulation (both physically and mentally) they have on children and adults. Your pets are rarely unhappy, are always happy to see you and most times can lift your own mood because they are so pleased to share their life with you.

This positive mood swing can lead to a healthier life with feelings of relaxation and happier emotions. This calming effect on the owner is one of the main reasons for people to keep pets as a way to improve their overall health and mood. There are many physical and mental health benefits from owning pets and caring for them regularly.

People with dogs who spend time walking or otherwise interacting with them, generally lose weight. They are effectively exercising in the day-to-day routine of walking and caring for the animals. This focus on fitness by walking dogs and generally interacting and playing with them on a regular basis can lead to extended good health throughout your life and it is supported by many health professionals who have researched this. So not only do you get complete devotion, but it’s also good for your health.

Although cats are not my favourite pet, those with cats are more inclined to pat them as they lay on their lap than to take them for a walk or exercise them. Even the patting of any animal, experts say, can lower high blood pressure and relieve tension. Over time, the health benefits of this patting will be a plus as far as your general overall well-being is concerned.

Keeping pets can be extremely good for your health, providing you interact with them on a regular basis (and in most cases you are given little choice by your pet). Their energy levels seem inexhaustible, but they can always adapt to suit our own level, especially as we grow older and are less active. But just their presence can give us a reason to get up and interact with them…. throw a stick, go for a walk, groom them, even just pat them.

Horses, although a completely different type of pet (?), have their own attractions for people. (Over to you, Jenny).

Horses have past the point of being a pet to me, in fact, they have become a full time labour of love. As of November 2009, we currently have 10 horses and 3 foals on the ground. I have, in the past, owned and competed on thoroughbreds, welshies and warmbloods. We are now breeding Holsteiners with our stallion Hilltop Monarch, that we bred ourselves. Having horses can be very time consuming, especially when other facets are taken into account e.g. cleaning stables, changing bedding, maintenance of fencing and yards, rugging of horses during the colder months, lunging, riding and competing, feeding them all, morning and night.

It all sounds a lot , but when we see or hear how well the horses we bred are going in competitions, we are very satisfied. Also nothing delights us more than when the foals are born and we have our first contact with them. There was an amazing coincidence this year when the 3 foals we had were all born on the 19th of the month, each 1 month apart.( Tiny…19th September, Bling…19th October, Tuffy…19th November). Their photos are shown below. That’s all from me, and we’ll keep updating this website as often as possible.

That’s all for our introduction, but we certainly want to keep adding more interesting articles on neddies and doggies on this website regularly in the future. Feel free to add your comments below.

Lance and Jenny
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