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How Pets Can Help You Keep Your New Year's Resolutions

Many of us welcome a new year with high hopes and the best of intentions to thin our waist, expand our wallet, find love or learn something new. A pet can help with that.

Four specific words often start peppering people's conversations around the holidays: "Next year I will. ..."

Even those who don't make resolutions often see the dawn of a new year as a blank slate on which they want to write a new story.

What do you want to do in 2012? Save money? Lose weight? Make more friends? Spend less time working so hard? 

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Before you look up a life coach on the internet, look down at your feet for a second. See that devoted face looking up at you, purring or snoozing (perhaps drooling a little) near your shoes? 

Chances are if you have a cat or dog - or have access to one - you already have the coach you need to help with some of your new year's resolutions. See? You've saved money already.

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Here are some common new year's resolutions and how an animal friend can help them last far past the first few weeks of January. See if any of your plans for a new, improved you are on the list.

1. I resolve to lose weight and be more active. Man (and woman's) best friend is a friend indeed if this is your resolution. Research from the University of Missouri in 2009 found that people who walked with a dog got more exercise and increased their fitness level at a higher rate than people who took their walks with another human. Walking a dog is a great way to get outdoors, get some exercise and bond with your pet. Don't have a dog? Borrow one from LifeLine Animal Project's no-kill shelter. LifeLine has a volunteer dog walking program. You can do a good deed while you burn calories. Contact volunteer@LifeLineAnimal.org

2. I resolve to make more "me" time this year. Far from being selfish, taking time to relax and center yourself can make you a better friend, partner, employee and person. For type-A workaholics this might mean spending more time at home, which your pet will enjoy spending with you. For others it might mean taking a class, taking up a new hobby or just having more fun than you did last year. If you're reluctant to go out alone, take your dog to the Atlanta Braves' annual "Bark In The Park" or explore other way to enjoy pet-friendly Atlanta together.

3. I resolve to save more money. Owning a cat or dog is a responsibility to take seriously but you don't have to spend a fortune on their basic health care. Besides operating two low-cost spay and neuter clinics, LifeLine Animal Project also has two Pet Wellness Days every month, on the second and last Saturday. You can get your dog or cat a vet exam, all their annual shots (including rabies) and a few doses of de-wormer for as little as $40. 

4. I resolve to find love this year.  If you are an animal lover, your pet might help you meet a new partner. How? Just by being themselves. Ask any person who has ever taken a new puppy outdoors to play how easy it is to meet new people. Group hikes with dogs are also very popular. Look for local hiking groups listed in neighborhood weeklies or on the internet. Animal-related events and fundraisers bring out camaraderie in everyone in attendance. And finally, what beats the unconditional love you will get from a rescued dog or cat? You can easily find true love at your local shelter or rescue. Check LifeLine's adoptable pets listings, look at the variety of pets (not all are dogs or cats) at DeKalb County Animal Services or give Atlanta Animal Rescue Friends (AARF) a call.

5. I resolve to slow down /stop worrying/ live in the moment/ appreciate life. Just watch what your pet does. Do that.

Related Topics: AARF, Adopting a Pet, Bark in the Park Fundraiser, DeKalb County Animal Services, LifeLine Animal Project, Lifeline, Pets, low cost pet vaccinations, low cost spay and neuter, and new years resolutions

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