Animals are definitely an important part of my life. I’ve always had an abundance of animals thriving throughout my house, and I had never really realized how important they were to me until a few years ago. I have a variety of animals in my house, so I will name them all for you. First, I have three cats, Oliver, Smokey, and Baby. I also have one dog named Jovi. Finally, I have four rabbits, two boys named Toby and Max, and two girls named Ruby and Bug. Although I do love all my animals, I am going to talk specifically about Toby.

I got Toby, a now three-year-old full sized lop bunny, for Christmas three years ago. Rabbits have always been my favorite animal, yeah, typical, but having a rabbit as a pet really changed my whole perspective of rabbits. When rabbits are young, they need a lot of attention, not saying they don’t need any after that, but their need for attention is exceptionally high when they are younger. Having an animal that is absolutely all mine was something very new to me, because when I had hamsters when I was younger, my parents really took care of them for me. Now, having the ability to basically be a parent to this tiny bunny, I feel as though I have matured in a way. Not saying I’m a mess, but I’m a mess. I go through phases of being really sad or anxious and I get absolutely nothing done. But, since I’ve gotten Toby, I have been able to be more productive.

According to fitday.com, rabbits may help reduce stress, fear, and anxiety, according to the 2012 review published in Frontiers in Psychology. In this study, “participants who petted live rabbits reported lower levels of anxiety than those who petted non-living animals. Rabbits can usually be kept outdoors, or litter-box trained and kept inside your home like cats.” I can say that from my own personal experience, I believe that to be true. The difference in my stress and anxiety levels from my mom’s and dad’s houses are completely outrageous. Both of my rabbits live at my dad’s house currently, and when I’m there, I feel a sense of relief and an overall calmness. On the other side of that, at my mom’s house, I have a hard time sleeping or concentrating. The littlest things will make my anxiety skyrocket while I’m there.

Having animals as a whole have definitely impacted my life in a positive way, but the way that Toby and Max have impacted my life are completely different. I have never been happier with two small animals in my life, and I can say that owning at least one animal is completely beneficial in an abundance of ways.