Dogs truly are humankind’s best friend and bring joy to our lives unlike any other material possession, but do we truly understand the benefits that come with having a furry companion by your side?

One of the immediate benefits has to do with cardiovascular health, with a 2019 study of close to 4 million people in the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, United Kingdom and Scandinavia finding that subjects who owned a dog were connected to a 24% drop in risk from dying early, with previous stroke or heart attack victims being 31% less likely to die from cardiovascular disease.

The reasoning behind could not be firmly credited to an increase in exercise or change in behaviour but the American Heart Association also find that people who walk their dogs regularly face 33% of the risk of diabetes in comparison with non-dog owners.

While these studies claim to substantiate the ownership of pets, different studies have had mixed results with other saying there is no difference in health between people who own pets and people who don’t.

Other studies have also shown that having pets by one’s side during anxious events may help reduce the stress during such event, backing up the claim that pets have an effect on mental health and provide emotional support.

Psychologist and Western Carolina University professor Harold Herzog also highlighted that studies have shown increase in good moods and decrease of bad moods in the presence of pets, going on to claim that he has ‘no doubt’ that interaction with pets has its immediate psychological and physiological benefits.

#MaltaDaily