Dr Marc Abraham OBE, or 'Marc the Vet' as he is commonly known, is a multi-award winning veterinarian, author, broadcaster and animal welfare campaigner. Based in Brighton, Marc is also co-founder and secretariat of the All-Party Parliamentary Dog Advisory Welfare Group (APDAWG), regularly appears in the media and visits local schools to talk to pupils about caring for animals and looking after each other. Marc recently received the OBE for services to animal welfare from His Royal Highness King Charles III.
Pets enrich our lives
Ask any pet owner and they will brag that pets enrich their lives. In fact, we witness this every time we see people walking their dogs. Of course, our bond between humans and animals is not recent, but goes back thousands of years; the domestication of Egyptian cats in granaries and the breeding of dogs to assist humans in various activities are two of the best examples. This bond is also supported by scientific research that, unsurprisingly, continually proves and reinforces that this mutually beneficial relationship between people and pets results in happier, healthier lives for both parties. This became very apparent during the pandemic, with millions of pets being purchased, often overpriced and from dubious sources, simply to provide people with comfort, joy and emotional support during lockdown.
The advantages
The main biological benefits that pets provide us in abundance include relieving stress, lowering heart rate and blood pressure, and helping us become physically active; It directly reduces the risk of mortality and even helps us cope with physical and emotional situations, including pain. If you've seen Ricky Gervais's brilliant Afterlife, you'll know all too well how pets also give us that sense of purpose and interdependence that can literally save lives, and not just in extreme cases like Ricky's character Tony Johnson and his beautiful German Shepherd Brandy. . By providing companionship and unconditional love, pets help us combat depression, improve our mood and outlook, facilitate healing, increase resilience, and provide distraction. In fact, research has shown that dog and cat owners laugh more every day than people without pets.
The inability to leave the house is a common symptom of loneliness, so walking the dog once or twice a day will promote outdoor physical fitness, reduce obesity rates and increase the frequency and likelihood of real human -human interactions increased. In fact, having a dog by your side is often the ultimate conversation starter, sparking connections and thus reducing feelings of social isolation. Staying at home with a cat, rabbit or other furry or feathered friend also provides a degree of companionship and interaction, including fulfilling daily routines, all of which can help support and manage long-term mental health issues such as depression , fear and loneliness. .
The work I do
I am incredibly lucky to work with some phenomenal charities who help people suffering from chronic mental health conditions and who benefit from the emotional support of pets. Firstly, the Brighton-based loneliness charity Together Co, which creates connections and changes lives through friendships, social precepts, volunteer services and sharing ideas and expertise nationally. Knowing the power of pet therapy, we launched the #Paws2Connect campaign to encourage the adoption of pets from the local RSPCA shelter as a way to combat loneliness and promote companionship. Definitely a project that I would love to see rolled out nationally, involving other shelters and loneliness organizations.
North of the Border, I also feel hugely privileged to be working with Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home on their work against pet poverty and the #LoveWithoutLimits campaign. As well as rescuing, rehoming and rehabilitating dogs and cats, the home also helps owners in need whose circ*mstances have changed, through dedicated pet food banks offering free health checks and advice; so instead of just taking pets to rehome, the home wants to keep them where they are already loved. By actively working with politicians to raise awareness about pet poverty, the home is also achieving lasting change. During a recent visit to support one of their many pet food banks, a homeless couple told me they would rather stay on the streets with their canine companions than live in a shelter that doesn't allow pets.
What you can do to help
With more and more pets sadly being abandoned in the wake of the pandemic due to behavioral issues caused by a lack of socialization during lockdowns, inadequate training plus an ongoing cost of living crisis, both the current state of human mental health and the UK rescue sector appear to be to be in crisis. point; Homeless pets and lonely people suffer in silence, with most human and animal charities experiencing sharply reduced donations. But we can all do something to help; from sharing posts on social media about animals in need of homes, to dropping off food, toys and bedding, or maybe even considering adopting or fostering an animal yourself? Who knows, like Tony and Brandy in Afterlife, it might even save both of your lives.
To learn more about the work Marc does, visit his workinternet kantor visit hisSocial media
