Many people reach for the medicine cabinet when they are unwell or feeling the effects of stress. Yet we animal lovers have long been mindful of the benefits of having pets or helping a local rescue centre for a few hours a week. Dogs are great exercise buddies to keep you fit with their daily walks, but animals can have a positive impact on us humans in many other ways.

The UK Dogs Trust's Canine Charter for Human Health has successfully helped many people by encouraging doctors to suggest dogs as a wellbeing assistant to their patients.  The Charter lists a number of areas, backed by academic research, in which owning a dog can be very beneficial, including the fact that owning a dog can help reduce stress, anxiety and blood pressure and can boost a person's immune system. They can help the emotional and personal development of children. Dogs can also help safeguard against depression, while trained dogs can detect a variety of health conditions in humans.

Furthermore, while no animal can really replace the connection, relationship, company and intimacy we humans can give to one another, an animal goes a long way in keeping loneliness at bay. A perfect example stems from the overwhelming tension most of us experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Music, comic relief and self-pampering are but a handful of the few ways many have chosen to cope with the medical and economic uncertainty the pandemic brought on. And not surprisingly, many families all over the world contacted animal rescue organisations to adopt a pet during lockdown measures.

Those who lived alone during the recent lockdown will confirm that having a pet at home was much better than being all on their own and having four-legged companionship made the experience that much more pleasant - bearing in mind always that a dog is for life, not just for lockdown!

That said, COVID19 was not the first condition to keep people at home alone. Loneliness is becoming an ever more prevalent problem, especially for the elderly or the infirm, and as social interactions increasingly take on a digital nature, the problem of loneliness is set to rise. As a social species, humans are not wired to go many days, let alone weeks, interacting with other humans with only a phone or other digital device.

Dogs can be valuable in finding new friends for themselves and for their humans. Many dog owners report that their social life revolves around their dog's four-legged friends. If you need something in common to get you talking, what better way to do this than to talk about your fur-baby? Attending dog training groups and going to the dog park are just a couple of great ways to meet new people.

Remember, however, that dogs and cats are not made on an assembly line and they each have their unique character traits and preferences. The pet you decide to adopt needs to like you, your household and your lifestyle as much as you like them if they are to fit in. What you get out of your relationship depends completely on what you put into it. You shouldn't expect a well-behaved pet or a good relationship with them if you don't invest your time in socialisation, housebreaking, enrichment and exercise.

So next time you want to do something that improves your mental health and wellbeing and if you are great at building and keeping relationships, why not consider adopting one of the MSPCA's loving animals?

More information, including visiting hours, details on how to adopt a pet and how to donate may be found at www.maltaspca.org. The MSPCA is always on the lookout for volunteers to help out in the valuable work the NGO carries out. If you are interested to find out more, please send an email to: [email protected]