Be Man’s Best Friend

Staying engaged in one’s community and maintaining a strong network of support from others is essential to a happy and healthy life. Dr. Dorothy I. Height, President and CEO of the National Council of Negro Women, eloquently expanded on this message, noting that “without community service, we would not have a strong quality of life. It’s important to the person who serves as well as the recipient. It’s the way in which we ourselves grow and develop.”

As we become busy with careers, raising children, and caring for aging parents, it’s easy to feel disconnected from our community. Dogs instinctively know how important socializing is. Fido can be a great role model here – teaching you that there’s always time to take an interest in a neighbor, greet a passerby, or hear wonderful stories from the senior sitting next to you on the park bench.

Why is it important to stay socially connected?

Believe it or not – having friends, chatting with acquaintances, and helping others are important for improving YOUR health! Dr. Height is right on the mark by noting the benefits go both ways. Researchers at Duke University proved that being socially involved is good for your health in an interesting study where people with frequent interactions with family and friends were 25 percent less likely to get heart disease or die compared with those less engaged with others.

A number of health benefits have been linked to having a strong social network of friends:

• Better mood
• Less heart disease
• Better long-term memory
• Longer life

Interestingly, you get a greater benefit from involvement with friends compared with relatives, so just fulfilling family obligations isn’t enough. Like Fido – be man’s best friend and get involved with friends outside of your family.

Take time to get connected with others

Although we all lead busy lives, we can usually take time to schedule important community connections. A terrific example of getting involved is seen in Nancy McClain, a professional dog groomer, instructor, and owner of the Diamond Cut Dog Grooming School in Medina, Ohio. Ms. McClain began her passion for dog grooming when she was 9 years old and has been teaching Professional Dog Grooming for over 25 years. In addition to her role as entrepreneur and teacher, Nancy uses her work to help her stay involved in the community – sharing her love of dogs with middle and high school students in her community. Nancy first began sharing her passion about dogs with students in 1997. Since then, Nancy has been a regular Career Day participant – most recently attending Career Day at Brecksville-Broadview Heights Middle School with her husband and three of her current students. But I suspect it was her beautiful Standard Poodle, Domino, who first captured the students’ attention. Nancy finds these sessions rewarding, “I love to share my information with others. The students see me happy in my work and loving what I do.” The impact Nancy makes was brought home at her last Career Day, when a former student who had attended Career Day as a senior 2 years earlier returned to say he’d been inspired to become a dog groomer while attending Nancy’s session at Career Day. Like Nancy, each of us has a story to tell or part of ourselves to share with others. And for us dog lovers, sharing our dogs can be a great way to get connected with others.

Tips for connecting with others

Nancy has found a great way to get connected with her community – using her dogs and love of dogs as a catalyst. Like Nancy, we can learn a lot from our dogs’ socializing examples. Watch how Fluffy treats socializing, and you’ll have an ideal mentor for getting more socially connected. Here are a few dog-approved tips:

• Make socializing a priority – meet-and-greets are important for you and Fluffy.
• Don’t miss opportunities to greet others – choose walking routes where you’ll pass people and soon strangers will become acquaintances and then friends.
• Take an interest in others – Fluffy will cock her head and appear to have rapt interest when someone starts a conversation. Adopt this same attitude. Focusing on what someone else is saying rather than how you might respond improves communication and reduces the stress of meeting others.
• Talk about your dog. No one can resist a dog conversation. Your neighbor’s sure to stop when you comment, “Did Ginger get a new haircut? She looks gorgeous!”

So take a dog’s view of socializing – you’ll feel better – and it’s great for your health!

If you’re interested in learning more about dog grooming, check out Nancy’s interview under the celebrity spotlight at www.fitasfido.com and Nancy’s website www.schoolfordoggrooming.com.

Article contributed by regular guest blogger Dawn A. Marcus.

About the author: Dawn A. Marcus, MD is a medical doctor and professor at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. She also serves as medical expert to Del Monte’s Power of Paws program, which promotes better human health through pet companionship. She is an internationally-recognized speaker, educator, and author, receiving the National Headache Foundation Media Excellence Award. Dr. Marcus has written nine medical books, including her latest book, Fit As Fido: Follow Your Dog to Better Health. Visit her websites www.dawnmarcusmd.com and www.fitasfido.com.