Course Title: Small Animal Management
Lesson Title: Describe importance of the small animal industry and pets on society
TEKS Addressed in Lesson:
1. 130.14 (c) (1)- B, C
Lesson Objectives. The student will be able to:
1. Identify the influence small animals have on society
2. Describe the importance of the small animal industry and pets on society
Tools and Equipment
1. Power Point: Describe the importance of small animals
Key Terms / Vocabulary
1. Therapeutic
2. Healthy Lifestyle Changes
3. Economic Importance
Interest Approach/Anticipatory Set
1. Link: How many students have some type of small animal as a pet?
2. Motivation: How does your pet enrich your life? Have you thought about what life would be like
without your pet? Have you ever calculated the cost of owning your pet? Overview: Today we
are going to identify the influence of small animals on society, and describe the importance of
the small animal industry.
Teaching Plan and Strategy / Presentation of New Material
1. Open the PowerPoint
2. Progress through the slides.
3. Teach the material from the slides to the students and allow time for discussion on each slide
4. Studies have found that:
 Pet owners are less likely to suffer from depression than those without pets.
 People with pets have lower blood pressure in stressful situations than those without pets.
 Playing with a pet can elevate levels of serotonin and dopamine, which calm and relax.
 Pet owners have lower triglyceride and cholesterol levels (indicators of heart disease) than
those without pets.


Heart attack patients with pets survive longer than those without.
Pet owners over age 65 make 30 percent fewer visits to their doctors than those without
pets.
 A pet doesn’t have to be a dog or a cat. Even watching fish in an aquarium can help reduce
muscle tension and pulse rate.
5. How pets can help to make healthy lifestyle changes
 Adopting healthy lifestyle changes can play an important role in easing symptoms of
depression, stress, bipolar disorder, PTSD, and anxiety. Caring for a pet can help with those
healthy lifestyle changes by:
 Increasing exercise. Exercise doesn’t have to involve boring repetition at a gym. Taking a dog
for a walk, riding a horse, or simply chasing a kitten around are fun ways to fit healthy daily
exercise into your schedule.
 Providing companionship. Isolation and loneliness can make disorders such as depression
even worse. Caring for a living animal can help make you feel needed and wanted, and take
the focus away from your problems. Most pet owners talk to their pets, some even use
them to work through their troubles.
 Helping meet new people. Pets can be a great social lubricant for their owners. Dog owners
frequently stop and talk to each other on walks or in a dog park. Pet owners also meet new
people in pet stores, clubs, and training classes.
 Reducing anxiety. The companionship of a dog can offer comfort, help ease anxiety, and
build self-confidence for people anxious about going out into the world.
 Adding structure and routine to your day. Many pets, especially dogs, require a regular
feeding and exercise schedule. No matter your mood—depressed, anxious, or stressed—
you’ll always have to get out of bed to feed, exercise, and care for your pet.
 Providing sensory stress relief. Touch and movement are two healthy ways to quickly
manage stress. This could involve petting a cat or taking a dog for a walk.
6. Pets in America:
 Three-fifths of American households have a pet, and nearly half own two or more.
 Americans keep nearly
 17 million birds,
 91 million cats,
 74 million dogs,
 139 million freshwater fish,
 10 million saltwater fish,
 11 million reptiles, and
 18 million other small animals
7. Importance of Pets Economically:
 Americans spend more than $34 billion annually on pet products and veterinary services,
twice the amount in 1994.
 Sale of animals
 Pet food
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Equipment
Animal Health
Insurance
Activities such as shows and competitions
Veterinary services
Activity/Application/ Student Engagement /Laboratory
1. After you have completed the Healthy lifestyles part of the presentation have students pair up
into groups
2. In pairs discuss pets you have had in the past. If you have never had a pet, think of a friend or
family member with a pet.
3. List the fun times you remember with your pet.
4. From the healthy lifestyle changes list, what healthy lifestyle was most prevalent in the
relationship with your pet?
5. For each of the following types of pets, identify one benefit of ownership: dog, cat, reptile, fish
6. After the Economic Importance part of the lesson, have students use the internet or other
resources to determine the cost of owning a dog for one year. You could also put students into
groups and assign them a different species of animal to determine the cost and compare those.
7. Be sure to include the following: Initial purchase price, Pet food, Equipment, Animal Health,
Insurance, Activities such as shows and competitions, Veterinary services
8. What is the overall cost of owning a dog over the lifetime of the pet (assume the pet lives 10
years)? Keep in mind that not all expenses if recur each year (such as purchasing the pet).
9. Does this cost outweigh the benefits associated with ownership?
Evaluation / Summary
1. Pick individuals or ask the entire class these questions
a. What are some of the healthy lifestyle changes pets can make in our lives?
i. Exercise, companionship, etc.
b. What are the positive benefits of owning a pet?
i. Less trips to the doctor, less health problems, etc.
c. What is the cost of owning a pet for one year? Answers will vary based on their
research. General estimates are found here: http://www.petfinder.com/after-petadoption/estimated-yearly-costs-pet.html
2. Today we learned the importance and benefits of small animals. For those of you with pets, you
likely already know the intrinsic benefits of pet ownership. Hopefully you can now recognize the
other benefits as well as the costs associate with owning a small animal.
References/Additional Materials / Extended Learning Opportunities/ Enrichment
1. The Therapeutic Benefits of Pets: http://www.helpguide.org/life/pets.htm
2. Beck, A.M. & Katcher, A.H. (1996). Between Pets and People: The importance of animal
companionship. Purdue University Press. Google Ebook:
http://books.google.com/books/about/Between_Pets_and_People.html?id=cod2UA-W-rwC
3. Mintz, S. (2007). Pets in America: A History. Journal of Social History. (40, 3, Spring 2007).
http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/jsh/summary/v040/40.3mintz.html
4. The Economic Importance of Companion Animals (2007). The Federation of European
Companion Animal Veterinary Associations.
http://www.fecava.org/sites/default/files/files/The%20economic%20importance%20of%20Com
panion%20animals%20report%202007.pdf
5. Estimated costs of pet ownership: http://www.petfinder.com/after-pet-adoption/estimatedyearly-costs-pet.html
6. Estimate Pet Ownership Statistics:
https://www.avma.org/KB/Resources/Statistics/Pages/Market-research-statistics-US-petownership.aspx
College & Career Readiness Standard:
English Language Arts: V., B, 1, a-b
Mathematics: VI. C, 1, a-b; X, A, 2, a
Developed by the Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education & Communications,
Texas A&M University
for the Texas Education Agency, Educational Excellence Project for AFNR
©Texas Education Agency, 2013