One of my dogs, Luna, was injured this week and is in the hospital. Thankfully she is expected to make a full recovery. Her absence has been a reminder of how important she is to our family. It has also made me realize how important she is to our health and well-being. I miss how she rushes to me in the morning and showers me with love. I miss how she greets me at the door when I come home from work. I miss how she nestles into my side whenever and wherever I am sitting. She puts a smile on my face, calms me, and makes me happier. Let's look at the science behind her effects on my health.

Dogs and Health

Scientists have found that human-dog interactions serve to:

improve social attention, behavior, interpersonal interaction, and mood

reduce cortisol, heart rate, and blood pressure

reduce fear and anxiety

 improve mental and physical health

improve heart health.

 lower stress-related hormones like epinephrine and norepinephrine

strengthen the immune system

help with pain management

 increase trust toward other persons

lower aggression

increase empathy 

facilitate learning 1

Therapy Dogs

Because of the numerous benefits found with human-dog interactions, therapy dogs have become increasingly used to help relieve children's anxiety in hospitals and even can help improve their reading skills as they practice reading out loud to their canine companions. Therapy dogs can also help relieve loneliness and depression in older adults by offering companionship and unconditional love. Emotional support dogs help people with anxiety, depression, and panic attacks, and service dogs assist people with mobility and visual challenges as well as helping many veterans with PTSD. 2 

Trisha McNair, MD, a longevity expert, estimates that dog ownership adds about two years to your life. Additionally, the American Heart Association has found that dog ownership lowers the incidence of heart disease and improves recovery from heart attacks. 3

Oxytocin

Dr. Andrea Beetz has presented a unifying theory for all of the benefits to dog ownership and interactions. She and her colleagues credit the feel-good hormone oxytocin. Oxytocin is a hormone that we secrete when petting animals, hugging, or even gazing at pleasant scenes. It has been called the love hormone due to its effects. 4

Dogs Keep Us Active

Other benefits of dog ownership include increased activity due to walking them or playing fetch. 5 Another benefit to owning a dog or other pet is its effect on our gut flora. One study found that exposure to pets increases the abundance of two gut bacteria, Ruminococcus and Oscillospira, which decrease childhood allergy and obesity. 6

There Are Down Sides

It may not be all roses with dogs and other pets. Saunders and colleagues caution that there can be adverse effects of pets, including dog bites and spreading of disease. They also show that pet ownership is associated with asthma and other allergies. Finally, they point out that some pet owners have more heart attacks than non-pet owners. However, they also point out that other studies have found no link between pet owners and health outcomes.

Like Human Relationships, We Need to Nurture Good Ones

I have previously posted that the single most significant predictor of long life is solid human-to-human relationships. Dogs are a great proxy. The pet owner who actively seeks companionship, love, and physical interaction will more than likely receive health benefits. Conversely, pet owners who ignore their pets or even hate them will suffer. If you are willing to put in the effort, you and your dog will be happier and healthier. Owning a dog has its challenges. Rescue dogs 101 is an excellent resource for everything you need to understand before adopting a dog. You can take a look at their 18 point checklist right now if you are interested in getting started.