30 Times People Got More Than They Paid For In Their Airbnb Apartments And Met The Cutest Animals

For those interested in having an animal Airbnb experience of their own, the site offers different routes to ensure an animal experience during your stay. If you want to bring your own animal you can check to see if pets are allowed in the description or make it as one of your search preferences. 

If you don't have an animal, but like the people on the list would be welcome to a furry surprise host, you can check the amenities section of the listing to see if there are pets already at the listing. If you see 'Pet Owner' then expect to see another host roaming around at your vacation spot. Just because a host already has a pet does not necessarily mean you can bring your own so always check.

Why are we so drawn to animals and why do they instantly brighten our day? Well unless you're allergic, animals are proven therapy for humans and research has the data to back it up. One example is of the relationship between dogs and humans. Studies have shown that dogs relieve stress. 

In a study of college students at the University of British Colombia, therapy dogs were provided to 246 students to pet and cuddle with for drop-in sessions. The results, published in Stress and Health, showed a significant decrease in stress levels, increased happiness, and higher energy after the sessions. Stanley Coren, study co-author and professor emeritus of psychology at UBC said: “We found that, even 10 hours later, students still reported slightly less negative emotion, feeling more supported, and feeling less stressed, compared to students who did not take part in the therapy dog session.”

Benefits from pets don't only apply to dogs, but cats as well. A study was done by Cats Protection in 2011 involved 66 cat and non-cat owning participants, who described themselves as currently having mental health problems. The survey found that 87% of people who owned a cat felt it had a positive impact on their well-being and 76% said they could cope better with everyday life thanks to their feline. A third of respondents described petting their cat as a calming activity. 

Cat companions can also have a positive effect on your heart. One study over a 10-year period showed that cat owners are 30 percent less likely to die of a heart attack or a stroke than non-cat owners. This takes into account that cat owners might be more relaxed or stressed people in general. 

Part of being a healthier human includes sleep. Multiple studies in the UK have shown that people (particularly women) prefer sleeping with their cats over their partners, and even reported better sleep. In addition to this report, the Mayo Clinic Center for Sleep Medicine revealed that 41% of people in the study indicated they slept better because of their pet and only 21% said it led to disturbances. 

While this list only includes cats and dogs, there are some pretty exotic service animals that one may come across. According to the ADA (Americans With Disabilities), a service animal is any animal that provides assistance to a person with a disability. These include: miniature horses, ferrets, boa constrictors, parrots, potbelly pigs, and capuchin monkeys. 

Service animals are meant to help their owners with specific tasks, however, emotional support animals are easier to qualify because they don't need to be as highly trained. In order for a person to legally qualify for an emotional support animal: "He/she must be considered emotionally disabled by a licensed mental health professional (therapist, psychologist, psychiatrist, etc.), as evidenced by a properly formatted prescription letter."

There are so many benefits to owning or even playing with animals but let's not forget one last fact - they are just flat out adorable!