How Pets Can Help You Heal

Pet Owner Recalls How Her Dog's Companionship Assisted Her Recovery From Surgery


WAUWATOSA, WI--(Marketwire - June 29, 2010) -  Man's best friend really can do a lot more than fetch.

Studies have shown for years how pets can help us emotionally as well as physically. They can give us a sense of purpose; help ease loneliness and isolation, while helping us to keep our blood pressure and cholesterol levels low.

Just ask Sara Krill, author of the book My Pal Lou: The Story of Me (http://www.lbgpublishing.com), who recalled how her faithful beagle Louie eased her pain when she was recovering from a painful hysterectomy brought on by endometriosis.

"I can't describe the heartache of the decision I finally had to make to have the surgery," she said. "I had always wanted children, but the pain of the endometriosis became too much to bear, often bringing me literally to my knees. I knew that once I had the surgery, there would be no chance whatsoever that I could have a child of my own. That being said, perhaps I transferred those maternal feelings to the way I treated Lou, but the truth is that my relationship with him helped to heal me, and kept me whole during one of the most difficult periods of my life."

Krill discovered the subtle nuances of Lou's personality, how he could be playful one minute, but protective the next.

"The day I came home from the hospital, he was so happy to see me, that he knocked me over when he greeted me," she said. "As physically painful as that was, my heart was singing that my friend missed me so much. I lay in my bed, enveloped in the happy haze of painkillers, with my Lou at my side. He lay next to me, his head up and alert, as if to say he was my guard and he was on the job. Little things like that, along with the way he could make me smile with a simple tilt of his head or the way he'd cling to my side, kept me in good spirits."

About Sara Krill

Sara Krill fell into the world of dogs when she bought her first pup, a beagle she named Louie. Sara realized quickly how much she could offer to other pet owners by sharing her stories of daily life with Louie.

Contact Information:

Contact:
Rachel Friedman
Rachel@newsandexperts.com