Pets have a positive impact on a teenager’s mental health. Pets can provide teenagers with a companion, a sense of responsibility, and a feeling of love from another living thing. Having a pet during high school has a positive impact and significant mental health benefits for students.

“I think having a pet is good for student’s mental health, pets can tell when you’re under emotional stress and are your greatest comforter. I think most teenagers who have anxiety and depression need a pet as their buddy to help them and make them feel less alone. Pets benefit teenagers a lot,” Junior Eden Steenhook said, “I have a dog of my own, named Buddy and he can always tell when something’s wrong. He lays down so I can pet him and distract myself from the world for a bit.”

Having a pet has been shown to provide support and reduce stress for students dealing with stress in their lives. Teenagers find comfort in the lack of judgment and unconditional love from their pets when facing academic struggles.

An anonymous SRA student said, “Pets are amazing for teens’ mental health, having multiple pets I can attest to this. For me, just going home from a long day and seeing my dogs happy to see me makes my day 10 times better, and when I get to feed my frogs it’s so cool to watch them eat and it makes me happier. The stress of school is a lot, and so snuggling up with my dog at night calms me. Even hearing the sounds of the frogs when I go to bed or the fish tank water trickling during dinner just improves my mood and overall helps my mental health.”

Caring for a pet can bring responsibility and a general routine into a teenager’s life that can help with focus and organization. From making sure your pet has daily food and water, giving them enough exercise, making sure that they are groomed and healthy, and so many more things that involve being a responsible pet owner, teenagers can develop a habit of taking care of another living thing, which can lead them to take better care of themselves.

“Pets are great to relieve stress and boost your serotonin levels. My dogs are always there when I need them, whether I’m sad or just need to be around someone.” Junior Sienna Blackburn said.

Pets are known as “man’s best friend” for the simple reason that they are a huge support in people’s lives. They provide love and comfort when needed and are just a reassuring presence in the house. If you take care of your pets they will take care of you in more ways than you know.