Growing up, I always wanted a dog. When elementary school teachers made me write persuasive letters and essays, I would always write them to my parents to convince them to get a dog. I tried for 12 years of my life, and in October of 2019, my crazy, sweet, energetic goldendoodle Aria entered our lives—and they have never been the same since. Now, having a dog is not all cakes and rainbows. But at the end of the day, they impact our lives for the better in so many ways you might never have thought of. So if you need that little extra push to bring a furry friend into your life, this is the article for you.
Benefit #1: Reducing Loneliness
This might be a more obvious benefit to owning a dog, but nevertheless it is true. Having a dog contributes to fewer feelings of loneliness. Besides reducing loneliness from having someone else with you at all times, being around dogs also releases certain hormones that contribute to lessening the feeling of loneliness. According to Jill Suttie from Berkeley, having a dog reduces cortisol levels in the body, which is related to stress hormones. Suttie also says that caring for a dog releases oxytocin, which is a bonding hormone that calms us and increases our trust in others. This is also a reason why so many dogs were bought during the pandemic. COVID-19 forced us to go into lockdown and isolate in our homes, causing lots of loneliness among many individuals. Inviting a new furry friend into our homes was a great way to cope with loneliness throughout the ongoing pandemic.
Benefit #2: Lowering Stress
In today’s highly competitive and stressful world, dogs are a great way to disconnect and lower your stress. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, research has shown that just petting a dog lowers the stress hormone cortisol, while the interaction between people and their dogs actually increases levels of the feel-good hormone, oxytocin. If just petting a dog can impact your health so much, just imagine what having a dog with you all the time would do to your health. Hopkins has said that 84 percent of post-traumatic stress disorder patients paired with a service dog reported a significant reduction in symptoms, and 40 percent were able to decrease their medications.
Benefit #3: Increase Happiness
Did you know that having a dog can increase your overall happiness? According to the American Humane Organization, dog owners are less likely to be depressed. This is because dog owners have higher levels of serotonin (a neurotransmitter that is associated with satisfaction, happiness and optimism) and dopamine (a hormone that deals with feelings of well-being) than non-dog owners. This is mainly because dogs are usually calming and familiar companions, which leads to less stress and anxiety. They also say that, because owning a dog often requires a strong sense of purpose and a routine, it allows for stability, which in turn helps fight mental illness.
Benefit #4: Improves Cardiovascular Health
Owning a dog means you have to exercise or take them on walks daily, which means you are exercising and improving your cardiovascular health. According to Sandee LaMotte from CNN, a 2019 analysis of nearly four million people in the United States, Canada, Scandinavia, New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom found that owning a dog was associated with a 24 percent reduction in early death from any cause. On top of that, if the person had already had a heart attack or stroke, owning a dog meant that they were 31 percent less likely to die from cardiovascular disease. Having a dog means you have to live a more active lifestyle, which consequently betters your cardiovascular health.
Benefit #5: Increases Lifespan
Interestingly enough, owning a dog increases your lifespan. A study published by the peer-reviewed journal Circulation found that owning a dog is linked with living longer. After looking at studies performed from 1950 to 2019, scientists found dog owners were likely to live longer than those who didn’t have dogs.
There are so many pros to being a dog owner. Not only are dogs cute, loyal, lovable creatures that we adore so much, but they also naturally impact our health in such a positive way. With all of these benefits to owning a dog, I hope the next time you are stressed or feel lonely, you have the opportunity to go spend some time with a dog. They do nothing but put a smile on your face and make life just that much better. I hope all of you have the opportunity to own a dog in your life at some point. It is just an experience you don’t want to miss out on. Lastly, I hope that if you were on the fence about getting a dog, this article has made that decision easier for you!