5 Benefits of Having a Dog

According to recent research owning a dog is good for you physically and emotionally. Dogs can help  owners to be happier, healthier as well as cope with crisis.

1. Dogs can help owners feel less lonely
Dogs can be there for you even when people can’t. They offer unconditional love, emotional support, and constant cuddles that help stave off social isolation

2. Dogs are good for your heart.

Owning a dog can help you live longer. A comprehensive review of studies published between 1950 and 2019 found that dog owners had a lower risk of death. Studies suggest that dog owners have lower blood pressure levels and improved responses to stress.

Even just living with a dog makes a difference—people who had experienced previous coronary events had an even higher level of risk reduction for death. Research has concluded that the bond between humans and dogs reduces stress, which is a major cause of cardiovascular problems.

3. Dogs helps you cope with stress

Your canine companion can offer comfort and ease your worries. Multiple studies show that dogs and therapy dogs help alleviate stress and anxiety.

Even just petting a familiar dog lowers blood pressure, heart rate, slows breathing, and relaxes muscle tension. Scientists at Washington State University discovered that just 10 minutes petting a dog can have a significant impact. Study participants had a significant reduction in cortisol, a major stress hormone.

4. Dogs help us cope with crisis
Dogs help us recover psychologically from a crisis. Purdue University’s College of Veterinary Medicine discovered that military veterans with PTSD do better both physiologically and psychologically when they have a service dog. Veterans with a service dog had significantly fewer symptoms of PTSD and showed improved coping skills.

5. Dogs make us happier
Just looking at a dog can lift your spirits: a 2009 study in Japan found that staring into your dog’s eyes raises your level of oxytocin, also known as the “love hormone.” Besides the general health benefits of owning a dog, they are natural mood boosters. Those with AIDS are less likely to suffer from depression if they own a pet, according to a 2017 study.