Most patients that have been in my office notice a small placard on my credenza that reads “I work hard so that my dog can have a good life” I suspect my daughter gave it to me because she wished I had given her as much day-to-day attention and affection that our dogs received.
Dogs have always played a big part in my life from childhood to adulthood. So when I read the above title of this Scientific American article I was curious to read on. In the next few paragraph I will directly quote portions of this article written by Lydia Denworth.
“We got our first dog when my oldest son was 10. A friend who was a teacher told me that was a perfect age for a kid to have a pet. ‘Jake can throw his arms around the dog when he doesn’t feel comfortable hugging you anymore.’
“One of the very first studies …published in 1980, found that people who had been hospitalized for a heart attack or coronary artery disease were more likely to survive the following year if they had a pet.
“Carefully randomized controlled trials with therapy animals …offer some clues. A 2025 study had 43 dog owners perform stressful tasks (such as public speaking) with or without their pets resent. Those whose dogs accompanied them showed lower spikes of cortisol, a hormone that rises under stress. Another study of about 90 older adults attending a community center randomly assigned half the people to look after five crickets (yes, crickets!) in cages for eight weeks. Those who cared for insects showed some improvement in mental and cognitive health compared with those who didn’t.
“For older adults, having a pet to care for adds a sense of purpose … particularly when health is in decline. People often take better care of themselves so they can also look after a loved animal.
“As with human relationships, strong, positive bonds with an animal seem to be some of the things that confer health benefits. Certainly pets provide social and emotional support for many people. As a bonus pets are viewed as nonjudgmental. Pets aren’t giving you any tough love.
For adolescents that can be especially useful. Pets serve as a bridge helping young people in their transition to autonomy.
“People emphatically believe pets improve our quality of life, and that belief can affect health indirectly. In 2025 economist used a large British dataset …to assess how much more money pet owners thought they would have to earn to get the same life satisfaction that pets gave them. The conclusion: up to $90,000 a year.”
Are pets good for us? Obviously yes. They have played a very important part in mine and our children’s life physically but especially emotionally.