For the fourth and final week of Pets for Mental Wellbeing Month, we're sharing stories from our community. We asked the Global Strays family to tell us how pets have changed their life and mental wellbeing.
Here are their incredible stories:
Hailey & Darrel Hailey and her famous dog, @darrelthedoge, are known for their viral videos and being featured on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. This talented pup first learned tricks when the pandemic hit and Darrel helped his owners stay mentally and physically active. Hailey and her partner both live with a mental illness and Darrel kept them afloat during of the hardest years of their lives, and gave them motivation to keep going when they needed it most. Watch Darrel in action, comforting his mom.
Jorge & His 7 Rescues From a young age, Jorge struggled with being bullied. Just as he was about to drop out of school, unable to withstand the harassment, he rescued his first abandoned dog named Lily. Since then, Jorge's pets are his daily support to maintain better mental health. Every time he's feeling anxious or sad, he’ll surround himself with his pets and his tears go away. Jorge even volunteers at our partner shelter, Fundación ADAN, in Managua, Nicaragua. Watch Jorge's full story.
Eva & Perrita
In honor of World Spay Day 2023 this past week, we followed up with Eva, a lovely young woman who was left disabled in a motorcycle accident, who shared with us how her dog, Perrita, helps her mental wellbeing. Perrita was spayed at one of our clinics last year in in Bogotá, Colombia. More on Eva & Perrita's Story here.
And that concludes the inaugural Pets for Mental Wellbeing Month by Global Strays! Thank you so much for following along as we raised awareness on the importance of pets for our mental health and wellbeing. We hope you learned a lot this month and we look forward to next year!
Learn more about Global Strays Pets for Mental Wellbeing month:
As an international animal welfare organization, we know animals play a critical role in our daily lives. Beyond providing companionship and comfort to pet owners, they also provide mental health benefits. An estimated 74% of pet owners report mental health improvements from pet ownership. This staggering statistic is why we are sharing impactful stories from our community to facilitate conversations about mental health. Next month, we will cover topics from Animal Assisted Therapy to Service and Emotional Support Animals, and dispel commonly held myths. Backed by research, scientific studies, and personal accounts, we aim to increase support for the importance of pets on our mental health.
