Health benefits of owning a dog
Have you ever thought about the health and psychological benefits of dog ownership? #Dogs #Wellness
Eight years ago my wife and I decided to get a dog for our daughters. We had both grown up with dogs and we didn't want our daughters not to have the same positive experience we had of the unconditional love you get from having one.
Evolutionary psychologists argue that the domestication of dogs may be what gave us the edge over other hominins in the evolutionary rat race. It is not hard to see why working dogs were so useful to our ancestors and why so many variants have been bred for different tasks. Hunting, or tracker, dogs to help catch the next meal, retrievers to fetch downed game, hearders to protect and keep livestock in check, ratters to protect grain stores and guard dogs to warn and protect us from attack. It is clear that the domestication of the dog and its subsequent evolution has occurred in parallel with humans; we need each other.
More recently dogs have become our companions and have taken on new roles; sniffer and/or police dogs, guide dogs for the blind and accessory dogs as fashion statements. More importantly dogs are companions and give us great joy and love. The latter is why we wanted a dog for our daughters. Unconditional love teaches us to be more trusting and to take responsibility seriously; owning and caring for a dog teaches you both. The other lessons to be learnt relate to morbidity and mortality. The domesticated dog's short life span will hopefully teach our daughters about the process of growing old and frail and when the time comes about death and the process of grief and mourning.
On a personal level I have grown very fond of our dog Cody. I never come home to an empty house; he is always there to meet me. His anticipation and excitement before his daily walks is a soft and persistent motive for keeping healthy. My wife and I get to talk and spend time together walking the dog in a way didn't do in our pre-dog days. The health benefits of dog ownership are well described; research shows that dog owners are less kileky to be depressed and commit suicide, have lower rates of obesity and less cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Should dog ownership be part of general health and wellness advice?
Ogechi et al. Pet Ownership and the Risk of Dying from Cardiovascular Disease Among Adults Without Major Chronic Medical Conditions. High Blood Press Cardiovasc Prev. 2016 May 12.
INTRODUCTION: In a recent statement, the American Heart Association stated "There are scant data on pet ownership and survival in people without established cardiovascular disease (CVD)". This study sought to fill this gap.
METHODS: We analyzed nationally representative data of 3964 adults aged ≥50 who were free from major physical illnesses. Pet ownership was assessed at baseline between 1988 and 1994. Vital status was followed through December 31st 2006.
RESULTS: With dogs being most popular pets owned by 22.0 (standard error 0.34) % of the participants, 34.6 % of the study population owned a pet. Pet ownership was associated with low rates of CVD deaths [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.69 (95 % CI 0.45-1.07)] and stroke [0.54 (0.28-1.01)] at borderline significant levels among women. These associations were adjusted for physical activity and largely attributed to having a cat rather than a dog. Among cat owners, the HR of all CVD deaths was 0.62 (0.36-1.05) and the HR of dying from stroke was 0.22 (0.07-0.68) compared with non-cat owners. The corresponding HRs among dog owners were 0.82 (0.51-1.34) and 0.76 (0.34-1.71) respectively. No similar associations were observed among men. The hazard of dying from hypertension was not associated with pet ownership for both men and women.
CONCLUSIONS: Owning a cat rather than a dog was significantly associated with a reduced hazard of dying from CVD events, in particular, stroke. The protection pets confer may not be from physical activities, but possibly due to personality of the pet owners or stress-relieving effects of animal companionship.
On a personal level I have grown very fond of our dog Cody. I never come home to an empty house; he is always there to meet me. His anticipation and excitement before his daily walks is a soft and persistent motive for keeping healthy. My wife and I get to talk and spend time together walking the dog in a way didn't do in our pre-dog days. The health benefits of dog ownership are well described; research shows that dog owners are less kileky to be depressed and commit suicide, have lower rates of obesity and less cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Should dog ownership be part of general health and wellness advice?
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| Cody our adorable Labradoodle |
Ogechi et al. Pet Ownership and the Risk of Dying from Cardiovascular Disease Among Adults Without Major Chronic Medical Conditions. High Blood Press Cardiovasc Prev. 2016 May 12.
INTRODUCTION: In a recent statement, the American Heart Association stated "There are scant data on pet ownership and survival in people without established cardiovascular disease (CVD)". This study sought to fill this gap.
METHODS: We analyzed nationally representative data of 3964 adults aged ≥50 who were free from major physical illnesses. Pet ownership was assessed at baseline between 1988 and 1994. Vital status was followed through December 31st 2006.
RESULTS: With dogs being most popular pets owned by 22.0 (standard error 0.34) % of the participants, 34.6 % of the study population owned a pet. Pet ownership was associated with low rates of CVD deaths [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.69 (95 % CI 0.45-1.07)] and stroke [0.54 (0.28-1.01)] at borderline significant levels among women. These associations were adjusted for physical activity and largely attributed to having a cat rather than a dog. Among cat owners, the HR of all CVD deaths was 0.62 (0.36-1.05) and the HR of dying from stroke was 0.22 (0.07-0.68) compared with non-cat owners. The corresponding HRs among dog owners were 0.82 (0.51-1.34) and 0.76 (0.34-1.71) respectively. No similar associations were observed among men. The hazard of dying from hypertension was not associated with pet ownership for both men and women.
CONCLUSIONS: Owning a cat rather than a dog was significantly associated with a reduced hazard of dying from CVD events, in particular, stroke. The protection pets confer may not be from physical activities, but possibly due to personality of the pet owners or stress-relieving effects of animal companionship.
I have cats, 3 of them. Buddy an old Tabby male. Princess Purrcilla Puss is a beautiful Maine Coon. Gidget, she's crazy, markings like a cow. Chicken legs, rabbits feet and a cats head. Shes SO funny.
ReplyDeleteFiance' has two Jack Russell Terriers or sometimes called Parson's Terriers both rescues.
They are not that high energy as some Parsons Terriers are. They like television. The female often changes the channels strangely enough. She jumps on one of those big big remotes he bought for her. Also EVEN STRANGER here once a year around Super Bowl football time they have something on called "The Puppy Bowl". She knows when its on. The day it comes she is absolutely LIVID if she cant watch it. Really really odd and makes you wonder. Every year, like clockwork.
He has a male as well, Oliver, he was named that because he walks like Oliver Hardy of Laurel and Hardy. Vet said it was because his scrotum was too big for a little dog.
He was in a kill shelter in Ohio (several states away from NY). He came here to be fostered by a rescue group. Was a real mess on arrival but the vet fixed him up for free.
He's VERY into anything technology. If your fixing the mower he's helping. If playing a video game, he's in on it. Loves to sit on one's lap while using a desktop computer. Puts his paws on the keyboard drawer and just watches everything. Twists his head back and forth when watching videos.
Our furry friends are gifts from God. They ask for little and give love and companionship.
Interesting post. However, owning a dog in the modern era is costly if you are recommending it as a form of forced exercise.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, but the exercise is only one of the positives of owning a dog. I hope the other positives came across.
DeleteYou can always borrow a dog and walk it for free: www.borrowmydoggy.com
Cost somewhat depends on how they are fed. For quite a time my fiance' fed them natural. Whole eggs shell and all, yogurt, stew beef and greens and since they are Parsons terriers some Avocado. Why Avocado? Very rich in oils. Parson's terriers have multiple coats. They were bred for hunting. Your probably aware of their heritage Gavin with the Fox hunts and such. They can be a very formidable little dog.
DeleteFor their size pound for pound they are quite strong. He had a Parson's that weighed 18 pounds, little stubby legs that dragged 170 lbs dead weight across a kitchen floor. Wasnt easy, but he did it.
Anyways, the multiple coats contain alot of oil. Parson's terriers should only get soap baths once, twice a year tops. Hsi female (a rescue) for her entire life was fed large dog food with little nutritional value towards a small high energy breed. The owner had said she had constant allergy problems (itchy scratchies) where-as it was all food intake. The avocados solved it. Then he found a food called Avoderm, highly recommended.
I must admit, the Parson's terrier is a fantastic friend. There are unique in the realm of canines. Intelligent, playful, funny but they are not for everyone. They are rather high maintenance. But if a person is looking for more than the average dog, these pups have a great personality.
Also wanted to say to you so sorry about Miss Cox. The world is just spinning more and more out of control Mr. G. Thousands of years of history and so much follie.
DeleteWhoops... hit return key. Will mankind ever learn to change?
DeleteMy thoughts are with you and the people of Great Britain.
My dogs are most definitely part of my brain health and wellness!
ReplyDelete... But how to figure out how to logistically bring a german shepherd with me to the UK... :/