Dogs: A man’s (health’s) best friend

Dogs are man’s best friend — it’s a common phrase used to describe the unique relationship that exists between humans and canines. It is a relationship so strong that it extends past households and into numerous other spheres of life such as law enforcement, military, and healthcare. Dogs have long served as faithful companions to their owners. Their loyalty, affection, and protective instincts are perhaps unmatched by any other pet. It’s well known that dogs make great pets, and researchers are currently working on elucidating how owning them may actually lead to improvements in our overall health. 

It’s well known that dogs make great pets, and researchers are currently working on elucidating how owning them may actually lead to improvements in our overall health.

In particular, correlations have been found between owning a dog and having improved heart health. For example, in 1999 Dr. Bruce Headey found that not only do dog owners make fewer doctor’s office visits annually, they are also less likely overall to be on medication for heart issues. Far from mere correlation, there have also been studies that actually support a causal relationship between pet ownership and health. Dr. James Serpell, in 1991, conducted an experiment in which people who were not current pet owners were given a cat or dog. It was found that acquiring a pet substantially improved a person’s health, psychological well-being, and in the case of dogs: exercise level. In 1992, Anderson et al. found that pet owners had significantly lower systolic blood pressure, plasma triglyceride levels, and plasma cholesterol levels — all metrics of heart health — than their non-pet owner counterparts. All in all, having a furry companion can be great for your cardiovascular health. In a time when cardiovascular disease is one of the major causes of death in the United States, dogs could potentially be a vastly underexplored way to supplement treatment. 

So why exactly do dogs so significantly improve human health? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it may be due to increased opportunities to exercise, go outside, and socialize with other people. Dogs also help mental health by offering companionship in the face of loneliness and depression, an affliction with high rates particularly in nursing homes. Kramer et al in 2009 even found that 47.4 percent of nursing home residents had either major or minor depression or depressive symptoms. As concluded by Jongenelis et al in 2004, one of the leading causes of depression in older Americans, particularly in nursing homes, is a lack of social support and interaction. Dogs can help remedy this by providing a valuable source of social interaction to their owners. 

It was found that acquiring a pet substantially improved a person’s health, psychological well-being, and in the case of dogs: exercise level.

A particularly moving example of this phenomenon at work is that of the formation of The Eden Alternative, a new philosophy for elder care discussed in surgeon Dr. Atul Gawande’s book Being Mortal. Hoping to revamp the nursing home he worked at, Dr. Bill Thomas brought in hundreds of animals, many dogs amongst them, for residents to choose and take care of. The results were staggering. Patients who hadn’t spoken a word since he worked there were suddenly interested in taking the dogs for a walk outside. There was new life breathed into the facility, and it was the dogs who in part helped bring that life back. The success of Dr. Thomas’s experiment led to his creation of The Eden Alternative as a philosophy for elder care. 

As Dr. Thomas explained to Gawande, “the difference in death rates can be traced to the fundamental human need for a reason to live.” These anecdotal findings were later supported by empirical research such as that of Bergman-Evans et al in 2004, which found decreased boredom, helplessness, and distress in elders who experienced The Eden Alternative. That may very well be the underlying principle of these stories. When caring for oneself is not sufficient motivation, caring for another living being can be. Regardless of the exact mechanisms, the empirical and anecdotal evidence are clear in their position that having a dog can help both your mental and physical well-being. As both human lifespans and diseases increase, and more and more shelter dogs are in need of families, it may be time to encourage the pairing together of man and his best friend once more. In particular, in the wake of the pandemic, interaction with other living beings has become all the more precious. In a time where social distancing and quarantine are the norm, it may be up to man’s best friend to pick up the slack.

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Journal of Affective Disorders (2004). DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2004.06.001

The International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine (2009). DOI:  10.2190/PM.39.4.aJournal of Gerontological Nursing (2004). DOI: 10.3928/0098-9134-20040601-07