Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

🎶 Those boots were made for mockin’ 🎵

The republican caucus is already covering themselves with something, and it’s not glory.

After roe, women are no longer free.

I’d try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.

Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

Republicans do not pay their debts.

And we’re all out of bubblegum.

Conservatism: there are some people the law protects but does not bind and others who the law binds but does not protect.

Black Jesus loves a paper trail.

Presidents are not kings, and Plaintiff is not President.

Speaking of republicans, is there a way for a political party to declare intellectual bankruptcy?

Since when do we limit our critiques to things we could do better ourselves?

Historically it was a little unusual for the president to be an incoherent babbling moron.

Republicans are the party of chaos and catastrophe.

If senate republicans had any shame, they’d die of it.

The poor and middle-class pay taxes, the rich pay accountants, the wealthy pay politicians.

Second rate reporter says what?

… pundit janitors mopping up after the GOP

Bark louder, little dog.

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

A last alliance of elves and men. also pet photos.

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

You can’t attract Republican voters. You can only out organize them.

I’d hate to be the candidate who lost to this guy.

You are here: Home / Pet Blogging / Dog Blogging / Good For You and Good For Them

Good For You and Good For Them

by | 69 Comments

This post is in: 

We all knew this anyway:

Lots of research has indicated that having a dog or a cat can help people live happier, healthier lives. But it’s been unclear whether there really is a cause-and-effect relationship between pet ownership and better physical and mental health. Now, new research indicates that the benefits of having a canine or feline companion are real and broad.

I know that there are few things that calm me down more than a little Lily therapy, which consists of me sitting on the La-Z-Boy with Lily in my lap with me petting her and telling her she is the most wonderful dog ever while she looks adoringly at me. Rosie sits underneath the leg of the chair chewing a bone, so when I try to put the recliner down she gets trapped and snarls and bites at my foot.

Because in the Cole household, bliss is only temporary in between the fighting, biting, and recriminations.

Reader Interactions

69Comments

  1. 1.

    schrodinger's cat

    Where does Tunch fit, in this picture of domestic bliss? Poor ignored kitteh, the Cole household has gone to the dogs!

  2. 2.

    Butch

    Four dogs and six cats (all rescues) in our household and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

  4. 4.

    Paul in KY

    I was wondering about all the bliss when Tunch jumps up in your lap (after you regain conciousness, of course).

  5. 5.

    gogol's wife

    I had a horrible preparation night before a medical procedure Monday, and the only things that got me through it were the cats and Balloon Juice! Cats are so much better than any medicine.

  6. 6.

    Jay in Oregon

    Because in the Cole household on Balloon Juice, bliss is only temporary in between the fighting, biting, and recriminations.

    FTFY. Also, “bliss is only temporary in between the fighting, biting, and recriminations” shound become a site banner.

  7. 7.

    Jude

    They fight? And bite? They fight and bite and fight?

    Fight fight fight? Bite bite bite?

    It must be the Itchy and Scratchy Show.

  8. 8.

    Dennis SGMM

    I hadn’t owned a pet for fifty years (Navy kid, Navy guy) when, for reasons that still elude me, we adopted Leland from our local animal control folks. Leland is a seventeen pound poodle/terrier (We think) mix. He is funny, friendly, emotional, exasperating and occasionally adorable. He lowered my BP at least five points. Before we adopted him having a pet was inconsequential. After adopting him not-having a pet is inconceivable.

  9. 9.

    Hungry Joe

    When I was a kid we had a dog that liked to sleep under the footrest of my father’s recliner. When he’d get up, the footrest would drop FAST, but she always woke up and leaped out of the way in time. Then she’d turn a few circles and go right back to sleep. Amazing — not to mention hilarious.

  10. 10.

    James Hare

    I could use my cat here at work. She always annoys me when I’m at my desk at home. I’d love to have her here — more room for kitties on the work desk.

  13. 13.

    Han's Solo

    I have four dogs, all rescues, and I’m the luckiest guy ever.

    I love coming home, sitting down on my couch and being tongue mauled by the pack.

  15. 15.

    Karen

    I have one kitty, Contessa, AKA Contessaleh, AKA Brattycat.

    My parents visited me two weeks ago and my father fell in love with Contessa right away and the two of them were so cozy during the whole weekend that when my folks went home, Contessa was actually subdued and behaved and didn’t provoke me(scratching furniture, stepping on my head to get to where she wanted to go)for several days.

    My dad, the Cat Whisperer….

  16. 16.

    Rosalita

    Animal (cat in my world) therapy is the best there is. They know when you are sick or upset and comfort you. I had a cat once that would literally put his front paws around my neck to hug me.

    I volunteer for the cat program at the local shelter and I look forward to sitting outside in their play area while they roam around me and come by for pets and rubs.

  18. 18.

    Roger Moore

    @schrodinger’s cat:

    Where does Tunch fit, in this picture of domestic bliss?

    I’m pretty sure he’s up on a cat perch somewhere surveying his domain and lording it over the lesser members of the household. That’s what most cats do.

  20. 20.

    Brachiator

    Lots of research has indicated that having a dog or a cat can help people live happier, healthier lives.

    I applaud people who have dogs and cats, but this is pseudo-science at its finest. I’m sure that people who have a beer live happier, healthier lives.

    It never ceases to amaze me how Americans in particular always find ways to show that their particular desires or kinks of the moment brings love and happiness and unicorns.

    People need to stop trying to misuse science to justify their lives. It’s just as stoopid as trying to invoke a deity’s will to bless every little thing that you do or have.

  22. 22.

    Libby Spencer

    If I could use this thread to mention the latest stray that showed up at my Dad and Mom’s doorstep deposited five kittens under their house and it looks like she has another litter hidden down the street. They caught two of the kittens, who are now pretty tame and are litter trained. They’re very sweet little tortoise shell, black and greys.

    They would love to find these two a home. They’re located about a hour north of Charlotte, NC. If anybody can help, please email me. Thanks.

  23. 23.

    WereBear

    Four rescue cats & counting.

    No such thing as too much love.

    They can be exasperating, sure. Tristan, our ten month old orphaned kitten, got locked in the bathroom so I could get some sleep, and his attempts to get out meant he locked himself in. With the deadbolt. Which I discovered first thing in the morning. If you know what I mean.

    But he comes running and just melts in my arms when I get home from work.

  26. 26.

    Yutsano

    Yeah sure. When your cat inexplicably gets off your second floor balcony then decides to have the time of her life playing in the streets of North Seattle for half an hour before deigning to jump in your car get back to me. She’s just lucky she’s cute. And I still haven’t figured out how she got down there.

  28. 28.

    moderately

    Rosie sits underneath the leg of the chair chewing a bone, so when I try to put the recliner down she gets trapped and snarls and bites at my foot.

    I’m guessing pure bliss is the moment right before Rosie freaks out, when she’s still trapped under the recliner and you sit with Lily just a second longer, loving it.

  29. 29.

    PurpleGirl

    Yutsano — you know you love that furry critter and couldn’t live without her now.

  30. 30.

    quaker in a basement

    Because in the Cole household, bliss is only temporary in between the fighting, biting, and recriminations.

    And the Airing of Grievances. Don’t forget that.

  31. 31.

    Beauzeaux

    “And I still haven’t figured out how she got down there.”

    She FELL. Cats fall out of windows and off balconies all the time. From the second floor they survive (usually). But don’t imagine that cats are too agile or something to not fall.

  32. 32.

    murbella

    Because in the Cole household, bliss is only temporary in between the fighting, biting, and recriminations.

    exactly like here.

  33. 33.

    murbella

    im getting ready for Dragons by re-reading a lot of my Martin collection.
    I wonder if all the cryto-conservative glibertarians have read his short story, And Death Was His Legacy.
    The Prophet came out of the South with a flag in his right hand and an ax-handle in his left to preach th
    e
    poor conservo-glibertarians– looking for love in all the wrong places.

    The story I most liked out of the opening three was “And Death His Legacy”, the story of a future or past America (or present day, depending on when you are looking at it) where a Prophet comes out of the South, preaching about Americanism and about taking America back from the commies and fascists and protestors and those who don’t work for a living. It is also the story of a rich man dying of cancer. He knows he has a year left to live and wants his life to have meaning and he knows the rhetoric of the Prophet, what it can mean, and what it can lead to. He attempts to answer the question of whether it would have been better and been moral to murder Hitler before he came to power in Germany, only this time in some later day America.

  34. 34.

    murbella

    sry, botched the quote

    The Prophet came out of the South with a flag in his right hand and an ax-handle in his left to preach the creed of Americanism.

    wonder if the LoOGies know that.
    :)

    lol! George R R Martin is a LIBERAL!

  35. 35.

    Don

    Because in the Cole household, bliss is only temporary in between the fighting, biting, and recriminations.

    You’re the one who switched to being a democrat…

  36. 36.

    shortstop

    And the Airing of Grievances. Don’t forget that.

    And Tunch has the Feats of Strength covered.

  39. 39.

    IrishGirl

    bliss is only temporary in between the fighting, biting, and recriminations.

    It isn’t any different with the human children either!

  40. 40.

    Badtux

    The mechanism via which this works is fascinating. Having the responsibility for a small furry life tends to stabilize you. You can’t go off and do something crazy, because then who would care for your poor fuzzy wuzzy?

  41. 41.

    ellie

    My Shar Pei is 15 and still going strong. My mom likes to say that he has it too good at my house to go anywhere. All the lovin’ and treats a puppy (and kitties, I have three) would ever need.

  42. 42.

    TK-421

    Because in the Cole household Balloon Juice comment threads, bliss is only temporary in between the fighting, biting, and recriminations.

    Fixed. And yes I realize I’m like the 40th person to make this joke. I don’t care.

  43. 43.

    DFH no.6

    murbella,

    Of course George RR Martin is a liberal.

    The couple wingnuts I know who enjoy A Song of Ice and Fire (and the HBO series) just will not believe that, though, even when I’ve pointed them to Martin’s own unambiguous writings declaring so.

    Wingnuts’ refusal to engage empirical reality knows no bounds.

    Just got Dragons, and intend to read it very slowly, though I don’t think I can stretch it out over, say, 3 years till Winds of Winter (I’m naively optimistic, I know).

    Finished re-reading the first 4 just before the HBO debut in April. Got the wife hooked, and she is near the end of Crows now.

    And, contra Brachiator, there is plenty of good research backing up the efficacy of pet therapy. The primary reason hospitals allow therapy dogs to visit patients.

    Our current 3 rescue pups provide boundless amounts of unconditional love and delight, of course. Don’t actually need any scientific research to grok how that contributes greatly to our daily happiness quotient.

  45. 45.

    artem1s

    @murbella:

    I just started Game of Thrones. about 1/3 through. I don’t have cable so I won’t see the series until I can stream on Netflicks. I discovered Martin on this blog between the the fighting, biting, and recriminations.

  46. 46.

    Paul in KY

    Yutsano, she probably jumped (or fell off). I have a cat that has jumped from the roof of my 1 story house to the ground. They can jump down a lot farther than they can jump up.

    Glad she wasn’t hurt.

  48. 48.

    Yutsano

    @different church-lady: You can try. You’ll get a nice letter from my work saying not so much. So not high on the rec list there.

    @Paul in KY: She was (fortunately) completely undamaged. My theory is she fell into the rhododendron bush right under my balcony then figured, “I’m down here, I might as well explore!!” And now she’s pouting at me because I blocked access to the balcony.

  49. 49.

    Paul in KY

    Artem1s, finished ‘Game of Thrones’ at beach & am 1/3 way through ‘Clash of Kings’.

    Have enjoyed both books, looking forward to seeing the HBO series.

    Favorite characters are The Imp and Arya. Also have a soft spot for Danaerys.

  50. 50.

    murbella

    @artem1s

    i think you are wise…read the books first, and then watch the series on netflix when its all released.

    DFH, my copy isnt due until the 15th, and i’ll bolt it in one gulp.
    Daenerys is my all time favorite character.

  51. 51.

    jl

    OK, which commenter has been biting Cole? Stop it. It isn’t nice.

    Edit: Also, Cole can be trained with well timed treats and pats on the head, anyways. So there is no need for it either.

  52. 52.

    Elizabelle

    Pets can keep the elderly and otherwise reclusive plugged into the community, especially dogs.

    Used to live near an 80-ish elderly lady and her comparably aged dachshund. Would see them ambling around twice a day; always chatted.

    Then they disappeared. Never knew which one of them died, or if lady moved to assisted living.

    Dog-walking, especially, gets you out and about, noticing the neighborhood and — if you like — chatting with neighbors. People talk to you more if you have a dog in tow.

    Nothing against cats; they’re great too.

  54. 54.

    WereBear

    @Elizabelle: Dogs are great companions for seniors; if they can get out.

    If they can’t, cats are even better choices; always home, easier to care for, and love nothing better than sitting on a lap watching the Murder, She Wrote marathon.

  56. 56.

    different church-lady

    Yutsano – July 13, 2011 | 1:49 pm · Link

    @different church-lady: You can try. You’ll get a nice letter from my work saying not so much. So not high on the rec list there.

    Why do you people hate my health?

    Bruce S – July 13, 2011 | 2:18 pm · Link

    Live longer with a cat staring at me in my living room? I’ll pass…

    Obviously you know nothing about cats. Their day is very strictly blocked out into 50% starting at you and 50% very very deliberately not staring at you.

    A very skilled cat can create the effect of staring at you while fully turned away from you.

  57. 57.

    Bender

    If you guys really cared about global warming, you’d get rid of the dogs and cats. A dog has the carbon footprint of 2 Land Cruisers, and a cat the footprint of a Volkswagon Golf.

    Stop killing My Planet!

  58. 58.

    DFH no.6

    Paul in KY:

    Tyrion and Arya are my favorite characters, too.

    Along with, of all people (I suppose), Jaime.

    Jon Snow and Dany are up there too, though Dany more for what her role means to the story arc than for her particular character development.

    Happy that HBO took on the series, but not at all confident they have it in them to continue to the (as yet unknown) end. That would take 8-9 seasons, and nothing they’ve done has gone nearly so long (and I well remember Carnivale’s untimely demise smack in the middle of the story after only two seasons).

    Deadwood, Rome, John From Cincinnati, all truncated. And Martin a long way from finishing the last two books. Doesn’t bode well for the series on HBO.

    Oh well, the books are better, anyway (and I’m sure Martin will finish them, and not pull a Jordan).

  59. 59.

    DFH no.6

    You know, when the asshole fascist trolls (like Bender) come around here to fling their poo, is it so much to ask that they do so with a modicum – a mere smidgen, even – of humor and imagination?

    Say what you want about Brick Oven Bill (the real one), at least the motherfucker was interesting.

    Yes, yes, and trees cause pollution, as Ronaldus Magnus revealed to us in the long ago time. Pretty good shorthand right there for grasping the foundations of wingnut “thought”.

  60. 60.

    Elizabelle

    Werebear: yeah, I was so glad when many senior housing complexes (publicly funded and not) changed their rules to allow the elderly to keep (smallish, often) pets.

    Companionship and someone to love and care for. Pets are far less aggravating than many of one’s relatives.

    Although you do get help with slip and falls as pets entangle themselves with your limbs.

    But on whole, a great benefit to health and happiness.

    Mandate those pets!

  61. 61.

    Roger Moore

    @WereBear:

    If they can’t, cats are even better choices; always home, easier to care for, and love nothing better than sitting on a lap watching the Murder, She Wrote marathon.

    Except for running around people’s ankles trying to trip them as they walk. Not necessarily the best choice for people with fragile bones.

  64. 64.

    different church-lady

    You know, when the asshole fascist trolls (like Bender) come around here to fling their poo, is it so much to ask that they do so with a modicum – a mere smidgen, even – of humor and imagination?

    Oh I dunno… when Bender said a dog has a carbon footprint the size of 2 land cruisers I laughed.

    But I don’t know if that’s because Bender was making a joke or because Bender was being a joke.

  68. 68.

    Yutsano

    @Steeplejack: She’s not polydactyl, fortunately for me. Otherwise yes I’d be handing her back to my mom and announcing she is the wimmah of one spanking new barn kitteh.

    Bacon and guac sammie. In culinary heaven I iz.

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