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 Keeping a dog can prevent you from becoming ill, help you recover from ill health, and even alert you that you are suffering from certain types of illness according to Dr Deborah Wells from Queens University, Belfast.
Writing in the British Journal of Health Psychology she says that although pet owners tend to be healthier in general, it’s dogs that really make a difference. In her overview of published research exploring the relationship between dogs and our health and well-being she found that dog owners had lower blood pressure and cholesterol, fewer minor physical ailments and were less likely to have more serious medical problems.
Dogs may also help you recover from illness – even a heart attack. How come? ‘It is possible that dogs can directly promote our well-being by buffering us from stress, one of the major risk factors associated with ill-health. The ownership of a dog can also lead to increases in physical activity and facilitate the development of social contacts, which may enhance both physiological and psychological human health in a more indirect manner,’ she says.
Source: British Journal of Psychology Volume 12, Number 1, February 2007 and press release
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