COVID-19 quarantine got you down? Fostering a furry friend has benefits, experts say

Animal shelters across the country are emptying their cages of homeless dogs and cats as thousands of adoption and foster applications come in amid stay-at-home orders due to the new coronavirus.

It’s a win not only for the animals, but also for their new owners. Experts say spending time with a furry friend can lower stress levels, improve heart health and help you sleep better.

“They’re some of the most reliable relationships we have,” Philip Tedeschi, a social worker and executive director of the Institute for Human-Animal Connection at the University of Denver, told PBS NewsHour. “And in this time, when we’re required to be distant from one another, they’re playing a particularly relevant role in helping us manage isolation, and loneliness.”

Approximately 6.5 million animals enter U.S. shelters every year, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. And about 1.5 million of them are euthanized each year because no one adopts them.

But the pandemic is drawing people to shelters as feelings of isolation and loneliness lurk around every corner of their empty homes.

For the first time ever, a shelter in West Palm Beach, Florida, was completely emptied after all its dogs were adopted, the kennel announced last week.

Another shelter in New York City is almost empty after asking social media users to at least foster an animal if they aren’t in a position to adopt one, Risa Weinstock, the president of Animal Care Centers, told PBS NewsHour.

The number of applications rose to 5,000 in just three weeks, and 320 animals were given a temporary home in the past month, she said.

Therapy dogs have been providing humans with stress and anxiety relief for years, reports show. They are often brought into hospitals, nursing homes or universities during stressful exam weeks.

But how exactly do they make us feel better and happier?

It’s as simple as watching another living being going about their days — peacefully — that brings us a sense of calm, Tedeschi told PBS NewsHour.

Watching your cat snooze on the sofa or your fish swim in its tank can lower your blood pressure, cholesterol levels and triglycerides — the main component of body fat in humans that can increase risk of stroke and heart disease when elevated, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

Pets also need to go on walks to stay healthy and relieve their bladders, which can encourage exercise and socialization for their owners, the CDC says. Although, socializing with other dog owners is not encouraged during a pandemic to help slow the spread of the virus, according to CDC guidelines on social distancing.

“Loneliness and isolation is the single most dangerous mental health condition that we treat in the United States” Tedeschi said during the PBS interview.

Just having a companion can help manage loneliness and depression, the CDC says, increasing feelings of social support.

Pets can even help children with their emotional and social skills, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Children with autism spectrum disorder had lower anxiety levels and better social interactions with peers while playing with guinea pigs in a classroom, one 2013 NIH study revealed. The researchers said the animals offer “unconditional acceptance,” helping the children feel more calm and comfortable.

Another study found that teens with diabetes who cared for fish by feeding them and checking tank water levels were more disciplined about checking their own blood glucose levels — essential to maintain their health — than teens who didn’t have a pet fish to monitor, the 2015 NIH paper revealed.

“There’s not one answer about how a pet can help somebody with a specific condition,” explains Layla Esposito, who oversees NIH’s Human-Animal Interaction Research Program. “Is your goal to increase physical activity? Then you might benefit from owning a dog. You have to walk a dog several times a day and you’re going to increase physical activity. If your goal is reducing stress, sometimes watching fish swim can result in a feeling of calmness. So there’s no one type fits all.”

There are some factors to consider when adopting or fostering a pet, however, the CDC warns.

Children under 5, older adults, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems are more likely to catch disease spread between animals and people, the agency says. Such diseases typically come from stray cats, reptiles and rodents.

The CDC advises to always wash your hands after handling animals to prevent getting sick from germs that pets can carry.

This story was originally published April 20, 2020 at 1:24 PM with the headline "COVID-19 quarantine got you down? Fostering a furry friend has benefits, experts say."