Some of the Health Benefits of Owning a Dog

Sales professional Jennifer Heiner serves as a retail director of a New Jersey-based running company that markets a line of running apparel. Jennifer Heiner is an animal lover and an owner of an English bulldog.

Dogs offer their owners entertainment, companionship, and love. Scientific studies have added that owning and spending time with a dog boost physical and emotional health. Here are a few of these scientific findings:

1. Dogs make their owners feel happier.

A 2009 Japanese study found that by merely staring into a dog’s eyes, people can increase their level of oxytocin. Oxytocin is the “love hormone” that makes people feel happy and satisfied. A 2019 Australian study concluded that dog owners experience reduced levels of loneliness. This information is supported by a survey from the Human-Animal Bond Research Institute in which 85 percent of the respondents said that canine ownership reduces their loneliness.

2. Dogs encourage physical exercise.

A study led by British scientists in 2019 discovered that dog owners are four times more likely to achieve their physical activity requirements than people who do not own dogs. The study said that dog owners walk with their dogs nearly 300 minutes per week, 200 minutes more than people who do not own dogs.

3. Dog owners have healthier hearts.

A review of scientific studies conducted between 1950 and 2019 revealed that dogs help their owners respond positively to stress, one of the major causes of cardiovascular disease. A common observation in the studies was that the bond between humans and dogs results in longer life and a lower risk of death from coronary events.