Dogs provide much more than just companions for us. The relationship provides so many other benefits, particularly in regard to human health.
One of the most well-known health benefits of owning a dog is that dog owners are generally more active and therefore stay in better shape. They are more motivated to stay fit because of the responsibilities of taking care of your dog that can consist of walking, playing, or running with your dog. Greater weight loss, healthier lifestyles, and happier dogs means everyone wins. In addition, there are many health benefits that apply to all ages of dog-owners and those who spend time with dogs. According to dog
owners, these activities are also overall viewed more positively than common workouts and general exercise methods (Sturt). Studies led by the Direction Companion of Animal Services at PAWS, Kay Joubert, proved that exercise is generally more enjoyable when it is an experience shared with your dog.
Another way that dogs help human health is that dogs help heart conditions and overall cardiovascular health. Studies on canine companionship show that the blond is linked to lower blood pressure, reduced cholesterol, and decreased triglyceride levels (Sturt). (Read our blog post entitled “Therapy Dogs Impact” to learn about a study on how therapy dogs helped heart patients in recovery). Overall, dog owners have better survival rates following a heart attack (Sturt). Their heart is also less prone to these conditions because dog owners are generally exercising their heart more.
Dog ownership can also help you socially, both with communicating with other humans and in interactions with your dog. Having a dog can improve your social life because it forces you into more conversational situations. You will generally run into more dog owners, where dogs become great conversation starters. In addition, you will generally be more out and about with your dog. These interactions have a great, positive emotional impact on the dog owner (Sturt). Dog companionship also helps humans socially by helping to prevent loneliness and isolation for the owner. When in the presence of a dog, whether you speak to the dog or not, you automatically feel less lonely, almost to the point of being in social interaction with another human. This can help individuals avoid cognitive decline or emotional and psychological illnesses (Sturt). And in addition, this can therefore help dog owners avoid depression. Dog owners are less likely to have depression compared to other people, especially so for isolated elderly women and HIV-positive men (Sturt).
Besides specific conditional help, dogs also help humans keep a healthy mindset and avoid negativity that can have bad health side effects. It has been proven that only a few minutes spent with a dog can lower anxiety and blood pressure. Even better, at the same time it will increase levels of serotonin and dopamine to help with overall calmness and healthy mindsets (Sturt). In addition, this effect has also been proven in separate studies to ease tension in work environments and between married people. When a dog was brought to a work setting with time allowed for employees to interact, stress levels reduced and individuals were overall more productive for the rest of the day. In addition, couples are less likely to divorce if they share custody of their dog (Sturt). In general, when you have to complete a stressful task, most individuals will perform better when there is a dog around.
Overall, dog owners are generally more happy and healthy people, not by nature, but due to their role in their relationship with their pet. This is why therapy dogs are being introduced to the world for both mental and physical health needs. So just remember, the next time you are feeling down, go out with your pup and get some fresh air, you both will benefit in the end, and so will your everlasting bond.
Works Cited:
Sturt, Kristen. “The 10 Health Benefits Of Dogs (And One Health Risk).” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 23 Sept. 2016, www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/the- 10-health-benefits-of-dogs-and-one-health-risk_us_57dad1b8e4b04a1497b2f5a0.
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