"Pet Effect"

The recent issue of the Harvard Medical School newspaper HEALTHbeat carries the title “Having a dog can help your heart – literally.” The news was about the warmth and comfort of owning a dog that results to healthy and longer life.

Dog and health

Many research suggest that having a dog may help improve you health. It is probably associated to decreased risk of having cardiovascular disease. Although this does not mean that the two have cause and effect or direct relationship, having a dog can be an overall strategy to lower the risk of heart disease. Why is this so? Here are the evidences:

1. Dogs have calming effect. Research shows that dog-owners have lower blood pressure compared to non-owners. The “power of touch” also appears. Several studies have demonstrated that when you cuddle and pet your dog, blood pressure goes down. The relaxing neurotransmitter, oxytocin, in the brain spikes up when you touch your dog.

2. Dog owners experience less cardiovascular reactivity during times of stress. This means that their blood pressure and heart rate go up less and return to normal more quickly, dampening the effects of stress on the body. A dog is an instant mood-booster.

3. A walk with your dog is exercise in itself. Walking a dog helps you stay more active. A 2006 Canadian study found out that dog-owners were more likely to get moderate physical activity than those who didn’t own a dog. The study also stressed that dog-owners walk an average of 300 minutes per week.

4. Dogs strengthen bonds between humans. A study at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University found that owning a dog have social and relationship benefits. They found that teenagers and young adults who are attached to their dog are more empathic to the feelings of others. Some research concluded that having a dog increases one’s self-confidence. A dog also makes a child more responsible. A dog is an excellent social facilitator. It can start a casual conversation with a neighbor and the stigma of talking to a stranger disappears when you’re with your dog.

5. Just looking at your dog will make you feel happier. A 2009 study by Miho Nagasawa of Azabu University in Japan found that interaction between dog and his master creates an intense form of happiness. He said that dogs’ willingness to meet eyes with humans is one of the things that separate them from wolves.

6. Having a dog will make you recover from psychological crisis. A program in the United States Army called “Paws for Purple Hearts” use dogs to help soldiers who are traumatized or are suffering from combat reaction to recover fast.

Harvard Medical School sends out a bit of advice: Don’t add a dog to your life if you’re not ready to take care of one.