寵物的重要性
——養寵物的六大好處

譯/李藝

寵物的重要性
——養寵物的六大好處

譯/李藝

The Importance of Pets—6 Benefits of Owning a Pet

I think that one of the most enriching and delightful experiences in life is to own a pet. An animal which you nurture and take care of by yourself or with the help of your family is bound to be an almost never ending source of joy and happiness， a creature which will be very grateful to you and who will amaze you with its tricks and personality. But why is having a pet so important and what are the benefits of having a pet around your house ?

Here I want to talk to you about the many benefits of having a pet and how these animals can have a very positive overall impact on your life despite the financial cost and the time it will take“away” from you. Even though having a pet involves additional cleaning， spending，doctor appointments and time， there are many rewards which can be taken from the whole experience you gain when you decide to get a pet. So what are these reasons why having a pet is so bene fi cial ?

1. Responsibility. When you get a pet you will—without a doubt—have to take care of a creature which will depend entirely on you. The life or death of another being will be in your hands and this alone will make you a more responsible person. You will need to always keep a watchful eye on your pet and this will boost your ability to control other tasks. Effectively having a pet makes a person more responsible，the level of commitment and care of the owner will inevitably re fl ect on their pet.

2. Managing time. Having a pet is not something that you can do without having to give it a significant amount of your time. This usually means that you will have to make room in your schedule for your little friend something which will put your time managing skills to the test. Having a pet and getting organized around it is a good exercise to develop time managing abilities.

3. Nurturing. One of the best benefits of having a pet is that you will understand that living beings have needs and that these needs have to be taken care of. You will become a more nurturing and caring person and this will most likely re fl ect on other aspects of your life. It is not a coincidence that many great parents are also great pet owners who are very caring and loving of the living creatures around them.

4. Emotional link. The act of actually grooming and petting your little friend will create a great emotional link between you which will last for both of your life times. You will always remember the times you spent together and you will remember that special bond that you created and that made you so happy.

5. Better health. Most people who have pets enjoy better health than those who don’t. Active pet owners who care and play with their pets enjoy an additional dose of exercise while all pet owners who have strong relationships with their pets also have strong bonds that lower their stress rates and therefore prevent various types of illness related with these conditions.

6. Learning about life. It is very important for people to know that nothing is eternal and that both humans and animals live and die. Having a pet helps people understand the cycle of life and how everything we have is bound to end someday. Dealing with life and death is one of the most difficult tasks in life and owning a pet prepares individuals to deal with the harsh emotional events in life. People who have owned several pets during their life time deal better with emotional trials and better endure emotional losses in their lives. So these are some of the most important reasons why I believe everyone should have a pet at least once in their life time. Not only do pets increase responsibility， time management skills and improve health but they also help us learn about life and death and they teach us about bonding and nurturing. So if you have been thinking about buying a pet for you and your family and you have the time and money available then you should absolutely get one， it is almost certain that you will not regret it! ■

我想生命中最充實且愉悅的經歷之一，便是擁有一只寵物。親自或和家人一起喂養和照料小動物必將是無窮歡樂與幸福的源泉。這個小生命將會感恩于你，將會使出它的小花招和小性子來逗你開心。然而，為何養寵物如此之重要？家有寵物的好處到底有哪些？

這里我想談談養寵物的諸多好處，以及養寵物如何在花錢又費時的同時，又能對飼養者的生活產生積極全面的影響。雖說養寵物涉及額外的清理、就診等時間支出與金錢開銷，但是一旦決定做此事，你將從中獲得豐厚的回報。那么養寵物的諸多好處有哪些呢？

一、責任意識。當你養了寵物，毫無疑問，你就得去照料一個完全依賴于你的生命。這個生命將生死都交與你，僅憑這點你就會變得更有責任感。你需要隨時隨地關注它，這也將提升你處理其他任務的能力。養寵物得法會讓人更具責任意識，主人的付出與關愛程度勢必反映在其喂養的寵物身上。

二、時間管理。養寵物需要傾注大量的時間。這通常意味著你不得不專門安排時間來照顧你的小伙伴，這將是對你時間管理能力的考驗。養寵物的同時把周圍收拾得井井有條，是對時間管理能力不錯的鍛煉。

三、養育之道。養寵物最大的好處之一是讓你明白任何生命都是有所需求的，而且這些需求應該被關照。你會更懂養育之道且更富同情心，而這些變化也極有可能反映到你生活的其他方面。很多了不起的父母同時也很擅于養寵物，這絕非巧合，因為他們懂得體貼關愛其周遭的生命。

四、情感維系。為寵物梳理毛發和給予它愛撫將在你們之間建立起美好的情感連接，這樣的情感會在你們各自的生活中得以延續。你將永遠銘記你們共度的時光，還有那份由你創造的、令你開心不已的特別的牽念。

五、改善健康。相較那些不養寵物的人，大多數養寵物的人都擁有更健康的體魄。活潑好動的主人愛寵物并和它們一塊兒玩耍，運動量更大，同時，所有與寵物關系親密的主人其自身壓力也可得以減輕，進而預防壓力導致的各類疾病。

六、學會生活。世間沒有永恒之物，無論人還是動物都有生有死，明白這一點非常重要。養寵物能夠幫助人們理解生命的輪回，明白現在所擁有的一切終將在某一刻終結消逝。應對生死是生命中最為艱難的課題之一，養寵物能讓人準備好面對生命里殘酷的別離。一生中養過多個寵物的人，能更好地處理各類情感考驗，在面對失去的情感時，也會更為堅韌。

這就是為什么我認為每個人至少應該養一回寵物。養寵物不僅僅能增強責任感，提高時間管理水平并改善健康狀況，還能幫助我們認知生死，教會我們情感的維系和培養。所以，如果你一直在考慮要為自己和家人買一只寵物，而且你還有閑有錢的話，一定要養一只，我敢肯定你不會后悔!□

（譯者曾獲第五屆“《英語世界》杯”翻譯大賽優秀獎）