By Pamela S. Hogle
I’ve seen several articles and columns in the past few days with headlines along the lines of “Fido’s No Doctor.” They all say that some new study purports to show that dogs might not be so beneficial to our health after all. Well, what I have to say to that … can’t appear in a family-friendly publication.
The writer of one recent column cites a 2006 study of pet-owners that found that they are no happier than non-pet-owning misanthropes. And a 2000 study that found that pet owners in Australia didn’t live any longer than anyone else. Maybe for the people without pets, life just seemed interminable. Or, maybe the people who authored the studies were unrealistic in their expectations.
Dozens of equally scientific studies tout benefits ranging from lower blood pressure to less depression. I and my dog-loving colleagues have years of experience and thousands of anecdotes that show that interacting with animals, even briefly, cheers people up in hospitals, nursing homes, and rehab centers, it encourages people to do their physical and occupational therapy, and it gets people out of their easy chairs and focused on something other than their own aches and pains.
The bottom line is, anyone who’s known the joy of sharing life with pets knows beyond a doubt, no matter what any study says, that life is better with pets. It’s less lonely and more fun. We get out and exercise more. We always have someone to talk over our day with, even when human family members are busy or grumpy. Our pets are always-available playmates and running buddies. And we never, ever have to eat alone.
I’m going to stuff that newspaper column in the recycle box and go give my dogs a hug. Then I am going to go play Frisbee with them in the park. You do that too. We’ll all feel better, no matter what the researchers say!
This article appears in Dec 30, 2010 – Jan 5, 2011.