Ways Dogs Help Humans Be Healthy and Happy

Dogs lower stress. Studies have shown that getting a dog or cat can release the oxytocin hormone and decrease the levels of the stress hormone cortisol, resulting in a more relaxed state. Studies show the dogs reap the same benefits from being pet. Dogs are now being brought into airports, nursing homes, even school campuses to help relieve stress and pressure.

Studies show that heart attack survivors who own pets are eight times more likely to live another year if they own a pet.

Owning a pet leads to a more active lifestyle. Studies show that 60 percent of dog owners who walked their pets regularly met the recommended criteria for regular exercise. There appears to be a strong link between owning and walking a dog and achieving higher levels of physical activity, even after accounting for the real dog walk.

Dogs help with the feeling of loneliness. From feeling obligated to get out of the house to walk their dogs as well as attracting attention by the presence of a dog, people who own dogs are proven to be less lonely. Research shows that homesick college students could benefit from dog therapy.

These are just a few reasons to own a pet. As we say at Hot Dog On A Leash, “There is no better therapy than a lick in the face.”